- Liittynyt
- 15.11.2004
- Viestejä
- 7
Actualize your muscular potential in one year.
Since Heavy Duty is a hot topic here I decided to write some lines.
I want to share all that is known about High Intensity Training (H.I.T).
Why do I do this? Simply because someone here said that it is really hard to find any of Mike Mentzers books. I want to share Mentzers thoughts on training that completely changed my views on training. I threw away three years of training on volume training. Now with H.I.T I have made more progress in a few months than during 3 years of volume training.
In this article I will tell you a lot about H.I.T as I already mentioned. Im also going to tell the TRUE story about Mike Mentzer. There is lots of valuable information in this article so I suggest you read through the whole article and remember, these arent my ideas, its Mike Mentzers and several other scientists. These principles work on you and me as it did on the more than 1000 people that Mentzer trained. Nobody of Mentzers clients failed to gain size or strength.
Lets get started….
H.I.T is a safe way to train. If you perform your exercises with proper form and you do slow negatives and don’t cheat you wont get injured. Nobody of Mikes clients got injured when Mike trained with them.
Some have said that it is impossible to use a Heavy duty program all year round. This isnt true. When I see the programs you describe its no wonder why you don’t see any results.
During the 90´s Mike Mentzer had a client who didn’t make any progress at all. He got even weaker after a few weeks. During this time Mike had his clients train 2-3 times a week, 1- 3 days rest between each workout. This amount of training and frequency produced results for a lot of people but now he had a client who didn’t make progress. Mike started to wonder if he actually was wrong. Isnt hit the best program after all? Mike was lucky since a person with great knowledge contacted Mike. This person had been studying HIT quite seriously. He said that the growth phase is that much longer than we have thought. If we train during the growth phase we arent much stronger than last time. If we train AFTER the growth phase we will be that much stronger. Don’t be afraid that you loose strength if you wait a day more or two before you train again. You wont loose any strength during a short period like this. 7days of rest before perfoming the next workout isnt too long for any individual. If you perform aerobic training you will loose the benefits from it after 48-72 hours. However bodybuilding is anaerobic exercise that’s the reason why we need to train differently.
When Menzer understood that more rest is needed he immeditley switched his personal training clients from training every 48-72hours to training every 96-120 hours and their progress got much better. Why this much rest? Most bodybuilders don’t understand the connection between Stimulation, recovery and growth. Before we get stronger we have to recover. If we train during the recovery phase we will send the body into a new recovery phase. The same happens if you train before the growth period is finished. You may be a bit stronger but not as strong as you would have been if you would have trained after the growth phase.
If your goal is to get results and be the best natural bodybuilder you can be, then you should use this ”formula”: The Stimulation must be intense enough to create an adaptive response. No more exercise than the precise amount is required. Less is not better, more is not better, the precise amount is best. The precice amount is far less than you can belive. Even Mentzer couldn’t believe how little training was required. If you perform any more exercise than the amount that is needed ,your recovery phase will be longer and we want the recovery phase to be as short as possible and the growth phase as long as possible. This is accomplished by brief and intense training. Don’t waste time doing unnecessary aerobic exercise unless you try to get ”ripped to the bone” (3-6% bodyfat).
How long should the workout be? As short as possible. Mentzers workouts after he quitted competing lasted no longer than 12minutes. His legworkouts took 6minutes. My workouts last no longer than 20minutes, and the reason why I train this long is because I have two training partners. If you have one training partner it will take you up to 40minutes in the beginning but when you learn to perform the exercises properly the time needs to decrease.
REMEMBER THIS: The intensity can be increased:
1) By progressivly increasing the amount of weight you use
2) By progressivly decreasing the amount of time it requires to perform a certain amount of work.
3) By carrying each set to a point of total failure
Total failure: all your strength levels are exhausted: positive,static and negative strength.
I will now publish the workout program that Mike used to call ”The ideal workout”.
Workout 1: Chest and Back
Superset: -Flyes 1 x 6-10rep for pre-exhaust
-Incline presses 1 x 1-3rep
Superset: -Straight arm pullover 1 x 6-10rep for pre-exhaust
-Close grip, palms-up pulldowns 1 x 6-10rep
Deadlifts 1 x 6-10rep
Rest 4-7days before performing workout 2
Workout 2: Legs and Abs
Superset: -Leg Extension 1 x 12-20rep for pre-exhaust
-Leg presses 1 x 12-20rep
standing calf raise 1 x 12-20rep
Sit-ups 1 x 12-20rep
Rest 4-7days before performing workout3.
Workout 3: Shoulders and Arms
Lateral raise 1 x 6-10rep
Bent over lateral raise 1 x 6-10rep
Close grip, Palms-up pulldowns 1 x6-10rep
Superset: -triceps pressdowns 1 x 6-10rep
-Dips 1 x 6-10rep
Rest 4-7 days before performing workout 4
Workout 4: Legs and Abs
Repeat workout 2
Rest 4-7days before performing workout 1
This program induces maximum possible growth stimulation. This program also use up a minimum of the bodys recuperative capacitiy.
REMEMBER: the less recovery capacity you use for recovery the more you will have left over for growth.
If you don’t think this volume and frequency is enough youre so wrong.
When you get stronger you have to reduce the frequency and later the volume if you want to avoid over training.
Why should I do this?
When no or little progress is witnessed take a week or two off and continue training after this with more rest days between the workouts. Start by inserting one or two days. When no progress is witnessed repeat this. The reason why you do this is because you have to compensate for the increasing stresses on your nervous system. Most people have the potential to increase their strength by 300%. Their recovery capacity can be increased by only 50%. This means that it is impossible to train with the same volume and frequency forever. If you keep this in mind you wont have sticking points or hit plateaus. There is no need to change the exercises or anything like that. If you don’t make progress the reason is almost always overtraining.
When you rest 7days between each workout and you don’t see any progress in 2-3 cycles its probably best to start using the consolidation program. Here is the consolidation program:
Workout 1:
Squats 1 x 12-20rep
Close grip, palms-up pulldowns 1 x 6-10rep
Dips 1 x 6-10rep
Rest 5-7days before performing workout 2
Workout 2:
Deadlifts 1 x 6-10rep
Press behind neck 1 x 6-10rep
Standing calf raise 1 x 12-20rep
Rest 5-7days before performing workout 1
In this program all isolation exercises are excluded because the advanced natural bodybuilder has developed his strength to such degree that he if he does a lot of exercises he wont have any energy left for growth. This program is his final step before he reaches his genetical potential.. A person with poor recovery capacity can also use this program.
One problem the advanced bodybuilder will face is that when he gets stronger he needs higher intensity levels. This is done by using Intensity raising techniques like forced reps, negative reps, rest/paus, static training and so on. Mentzer developed super advanced techniques that only few know. I know them so if you want some training techniques that can be described as torture just ask.
The beginner doesn’t need forced reps and negatives. The intermediate can experiment with them and use them occasionally. The advanced should do well to use them more often. If you don make progress when you use them you are overtraining. You shouldn’t go to negative failure every workout since the intensity is so high and it can lead to overtraining. Mentzer didn’t recommend forced and negative reps for the Leg training since it can be dangerous for the knees.
Some people say heavy duty training is easy training because of the minimal volume and frequency. I think heavy duty training is much harder than volume training. Its definitley not easy training but it is very rewarding. You get stronger every workout. And if you don’t you don’t train hard enough or you are overtraining. You have to train to failure each and every time. This is very demanding for the mind. Usually you can do at least 1 or 2 more reps than you think. If you focus and push it really hard it is possible. Don’t cheat when you push hard.
Mike Mentzer - the greatest bodybuilder ever.
Mike Mentzer started to train with weights when he was 12 years old. He trained 3 days a week and made very good results. When he was 15 he looked like a bodybuilder and had 40cm arms. Very impressive. After this he started to increase his training and soon he trained like all the pros ie 3 hours a day six days a week.. Now he made no strength increases and no muscle gains. He thought he had to increase the volume to 5hours a day like some bodybuilders in california trained. At this point he wondered if it was really worth it since he worked 12 hours a day in the air force.
In 1971 Mentzer met Casey Viator a 19 year old Mr. America that ”only” trained 3 hours a week. If Casey saw progress with this program he still would have the chance to be mr america one day. Casey introduced Mike to Arthur Jones. Jones thought Mentzer everthing he knew.
Mentzer couldn’t start training before 1974 because he had a shoulder injury. Mentzer started to train for the Mr. America in the beginning of 1975 and in less than a year he improved so much that he placed third in that years Mr.america. A year later he won the same competition.
After this he continued training and learned more and more about Heavy Duty training. He trained with his brother Ray and they were both super strong. They did strict flyes with 50kg dumbells, cheat curls with 140kg, half squats with 450kg. Old lepressmachine legpresses with 500kg (the weight is straight above, much heavier than todays machines). 90degree situps with a 45kg plate.
Mentzer was the first one to get a 300point score (perfect score) in the universe contest that he won in 1978. After this he decided that he wanted to win the Mr.Olympia in three tries. He didn’t want to keep trying and win it because the judges felt that he deserved to win because he had been trying so long. Mentzer won the heavyweight title with a perfect score in pre judging. He lost the overall to frank zane. His definition was much worse than during pre judging since he ate a lot of high glycemical carbs before the night show. Still everybody believed that he should have won. The judges said that mentzer didn’t win because he posed to fast during the posedown against zane. Reg Park said that he is too big and muscular. Reg thought Mentzer was before his time. His double biceps pose is superb thanks to those incredible lats.
In 1980 he definitley should have won. The audience screamed FIX when arnold won and Mentzer placed fifth. 97,4kg and with a 3%bodyfat Menzer was in the best shape of his life. He also had one of the best posing routines ever. Mentzer always had brilliant posing routines. After this he retired. Now he concentrated on training others and he wanted to develop HiT as much as possible. in 1992 he wrote Heavy Duty.
During his life Menzer wrote for several bodybuilding magazines and everyone wanted to know more about this bodybuilding Maverick. The reason why he didn’t win the mr.O is because he critisized Joe Weider and his champs all the time. Arnold and Menzer were enemies.
Mentzer questioned the need of ”incredible” supplements. He also keept saying that a calorie is a calorie no matter what the source. Mentzer ate ice cream and cornflakes and lots of candy during his diet for the Mr Olympia. This was a way of psyching out his opponents. Mentzer knew that you can eat anything you want, if you are on restricted calorie diet you will loose weight (bodyfat).
Mentzer was against bulking up. He knew that muscle is stimulated by high intensity training not food. He suggested you should eat about 200-300 calories above maintence if you want to gain muscle. No more is required or you will get fat. He recommended a balanced diet, 60%carbs, 25%protein and 15%fat. You don’t have to change the proportions during your diet for competition. Just eat less calories and perform some aerobic exercise. He recommended 4-5times a week. 30-45min at a relaxed pace. Preparing for contest you should train just to positive failure during the last weeks of dieting. The diet should be between 4 and 12weeks.
Mentzer developed his programs to such degree that he made a statement that it is possible to reach your genetical potential in one year. If you don’t believe it then read this:
This is from an article by Mike Mentzer:
”The strongest client I ever had was able to perform 33 reps on the Nautilus Leg-Extension with the whole stack. And that was an incredibly well-developed, strong "genetic freak," the famed David Paul of the Barbarian Brothers. When David first started having me supervise his workouts, he performed 15 reps on the Leg-Extension and then went immediately, in superset fashion, to the Nautilus Leg Press where he performed 18 reps to complete failure with the full stack, 510 pounds. One week later David performed 25 reps on the Leg-Extension and immediately ran to the Leg Press where he did 38 reps. Impressive? You better believe it. But, keep reading.
One week after that, he did 33 reps on the Leg-Extension followed by a hard-to-believe 71 reps on the Leg Press! In both exercises, he again, employed the entire weight stacks. No, the above is not a misprint. David improved his Leg-Extension from 15 to 33 reps and his Leg Press from 18 to 71 reps as a result of only two leg workouts that lasted less than 15 minutes each. That represents an improvement of 388 percent in the functional ability of the quadriceps of an already highly advanced bodybuilder. In the one month I trained David, he gained seven pounds of muscle. These are phenomenal increases, especially when considered against the fact that for the previous five years, David's volume training, involving training sessions that lasted for at least two hours (sometimes twice a day ) six days a week, yielded zero strength and size increases.
Since David was capable of such a rate of improvement, imagine what a rank beginner - (with similar genetics) - might achieve on such a program. I've already provided you an indication, with the description of the first individual. If a beginner can improve as I described above, going from 170 for seven reps to 250 for 10 reps on the Leg-Extension in two months, he has only 23 reps to go with the same weight before achieving the functional capacity of a super genetic freak. How long would that take him? He'd probably never achieve it, as he, by all appearances, was only average - or slightly above - in genetics. My point is: Given the enormous improvement he made in only two months, it wouldn't even take year before he actualized his strength/muscle potential. (We'll never know exactly; because of enormous career pressures he had to cease training after two months.)
Bear in mind that a prerequisite for growing larger muscles is that one grow stronger. Since the individual I described would cease growing in strength in less than one year, his muscle growth would cease soon thereafter.” –Mike Menzer
After you have read that you probably have realized what is possible with a well conducted H.I.T program where you perform no more than 4 workouts every 20days. When you learn more about H.I.T you will become your own coach. You know exactly whats wrong if you don’t make progress and you don’t need any advice from others.
Mike Mentzer used to say: ”Anatomically and physiologically every human being is essentially the same”. This means that H.I.T will work for everyone. Humans are different in one way, some can tolerate more stress than others. Those with superb recovery capacity will be the ones with the fastest progress.
Im not trying to say that everyone should train H.I.T, a lot of people cant train in high intensity manner and that is very sad. HIT is the fastest way to progress. Mike Mentzer was convinced that it doesn’t have to take 5-10 years before you reach your potential. 1-2year at most was what he used to say before he died in 2001. He saw the results of his clients and his clients were no superhumans. On his website you can read peoples progress reports. On guy can now benchpress 225kg and has 50cm arms thanks to the HIT program and he is a natural bodybuilder.
Mentzer always said that not everyone will be a top champion. Your genetics is the factor that determinates if you can develop 50cm arms or not. Don’t give up training if you realize that you wont be 230pounds with 3%bodyfat. Frank Zane was 185 pounds when he won the mr. olymia 3times and Im pretty sure everyone can develop that much muscle if they follow the principles of high intensity training. Don’t expect rapid weight increase all the time, if you get stronger you will get more muscles was what Mentzer always said.
Visit mikementzer.com if you want to know more about him and High intensity training.
His books has very valuable information and they are worth every cent. His last book was ”High Intensity training the Mike Mentzer way” and it contains everything about hit and the last studies, basically all you need to know about training, diet, competition etc.
Hope you enyoyed this article. Im really glad if atleast someone read it.
H.I.T really changed my life.
Thank you Mike.
Mike and Ray had great careers. Ray won the Mr. America ones. Mike died from a major heart attack in 2001 and Ray also died from a heart attack 2 days later
Now is the time for you to post questions and replies.
Ps: Mike used steroids, I know that because he spoke about his use if someone wanted to know what he used and how big the dosages were. He used steroids for just 110 euro a year so you cant say that it was the steroids that was the reason for the best body ever. It was his Mind and fighting spirit that created the results. Compare Mikes results to todays pros.” It is estimated that todays pros use steroids for 50 000-70 000dollars each year. Its no wonder that they make great progress with volume training. The natural bodybuilder reaches his potential fast if he use HIT” These are Mikes words and I think this is true. Don’t compare yourself to “drugmonsters”, another thing Mike used to say.
If you wonder about Mikes and Rays mustaches: Mike and Ray read a lot of books. Before the Olympia they read Nietzches works 5 hours a day, Friedrich Nietzche had a mustache and Mike and Ray were big fans of him.
Mike Mentzer – Not just the best bodybuilder ever but a great man.
Azael
Since Heavy Duty is a hot topic here I decided to write some lines.
I want to share all that is known about High Intensity Training (H.I.T).
Why do I do this? Simply because someone here said that it is really hard to find any of Mike Mentzers books. I want to share Mentzers thoughts on training that completely changed my views on training. I threw away three years of training on volume training. Now with H.I.T I have made more progress in a few months than during 3 years of volume training.
In this article I will tell you a lot about H.I.T as I already mentioned. Im also going to tell the TRUE story about Mike Mentzer. There is lots of valuable information in this article so I suggest you read through the whole article and remember, these arent my ideas, its Mike Mentzers and several other scientists. These principles work on you and me as it did on the more than 1000 people that Mentzer trained. Nobody of Mentzers clients failed to gain size or strength.
Lets get started….
H.I.T is a safe way to train. If you perform your exercises with proper form and you do slow negatives and don’t cheat you wont get injured. Nobody of Mikes clients got injured when Mike trained with them.
Some have said that it is impossible to use a Heavy duty program all year round. This isnt true. When I see the programs you describe its no wonder why you don’t see any results.
During the 90´s Mike Mentzer had a client who didn’t make any progress at all. He got even weaker after a few weeks. During this time Mike had his clients train 2-3 times a week, 1- 3 days rest between each workout. This amount of training and frequency produced results for a lot of people but now he had a client who didn’t make progress. Mike started to wonder if he actually was wrong. Isnt hit the best program after all? Mike was lucky since a person with great knowledge contacted Mike. This person had been studying HIT quite seriously. He said that the growth phase is that much longer than we have thought. If we train during the growth phase we arent much stronger than last time. If we train AFTER the growth phase we will be that much stronger. Don’t be afraid that you loose strength if you wait a day more or two before you train again. You wont loose any strength during a short period like this. 7days of rest before perfoming the next workout isnt too long for any individual. If you perform aerobic training you will loose the benefits from it after 48-72 hours. However bodybuilding is anaerobic exercise that’s the reason why we need to train differently.
When Menzer understood that more rest is needed he immeditley switched his personal training clients from training every 48-72hours to training every 96-120 hours and their progress got much better. Why this much rest? Most bodybuilders don’t understand the connection between Stimulation, recovery and growth. Before we get stronger we have to recover. If we train during the recovery phase we will send the body into a new recovery phase. The same happens if you train before the growth period is finished. You may be a bit stronger but not as strong as you would have been if you would have trained after the growth phase.
If your goal is to get results and be the best natural bodybuilder you can be, then you should use this ”formula”: The Stimulation must be intense enough to create an adaptive response. No more exercise than the precise amount is required. Less is not better, more is not better, the precise amount is best. The precice amount is far less than you can belive. Even Mentzer couldn’t believe how little training was required. If you perform any more exercise than the amount that is needed ,your recovery phase will be longer and we want the recovery phase to be as short as possible and the growth phase as long as possible. This is accomplished by brief and intense training. Don’t waste time doing unnecessary aerobic exercise unless you try to get ”ripped to the bone” (3-6% bodyfat).
How long should the workout be? As short as possible. Mentzers workouts after he quitted competing lasted no longer than 12minutes. His legworkouts took 6minutes. My workouts last no longer than 20minutes, and the reason why I train this long is because I have two training partners. If you have one training partner it will take you up to 40minutes in the beginning but when you learn to perform the exercises properly the time needs to decrease.
REMEMBER THIS: The intensity can be increased:
1) By progressivly increasing the amount of weight you use
2) By progressivly decreasing the amount of time it requires to perform a certain amount of work.
3) By carrying each set to a point of total failure
Total failure: all your strength levels are exhausted: positive,static and negative strength.
I will now publish the workout program that Mike used to call ”The ideal workout”.
Workout 1: Chest and Back
Superset: -Flyes 1 x 6-10rep for pre-exhaust
-Incline presses 1 x 1-3rep
Superset: -Straight arm pullover 1 x 6-10rep for pre-exhaust
-Close grip, palms-up pulldowns 1 x 6-10rep
Deadlifts 1 x 6-10rep
Rest 4-7days before performing workout 2
Workout 2: Legs and Abs
Superset: -Leg Extension 1 x 12-20rep for pre-exhaust
-Leg presses 1 x 12-20rep
standing calf raise 1 x 12-20rep
Sit-ups 1 x 12-20rep
Rest 4-7days before performing workout3.
Workout 3: Shoulders and Arms
Lateral raise 1 x 6-10rep
Bent over lateral raise 1 x 6-10rep
Close grip, Palms-up pulldowns 1 x6-10rep
Superset: -triceps pressdowns 1 x 6-10rep
-Dips 1 x 6-10rep
Rest 4-7 days before performing workout 4
Workout 4: Legs and Abs
Repeat workout 2
Rest 4-7days before performing workout 1
This program induces maximum possible growth stimulation. This program also use up a minimum of the bodys recuperative capacitiy.
REMEMBER: the less recovery capacity you use for recovery the more you will have left over for growth.
If you don’t think this volume and frequency is enough youre so wrong.
When you get stronger you have to reduce the frequency and later the volume if you want to avoid over training.
Why should I do this?
When no or little progress is witnessed take a week or two off and continue training after this with more rest days between the workouts. Start by inserting one or two days. When no progress is witnessed repeat this. The reason why you do this is because you have to compensate for the increasing stresses on your nervous system. Most people have the potential to increase their strength by 300%. Their recovery capacity can be increased by only 50%. This means that it is impossible to train with the same volume and frequency forever. If you keep this in mind you wont have sticking points or hit plateaus. There is no need to change the exercises or anything like that. If you don’t make progress the reason is almost always overtraining.
When you rest 7days between each workout and you don’t see any progress in 2-3 cycles its probably best to start using the consolidation program. Here is the consolidation program:
Workout 1:
Squats 1 x 12-20rep
Close grip, palms-up pulldowns 1 x 6-10rep
Dips 1 x 6-10rep
Rest 5-7days before performing workout 2
Workout 2:
Deadlifts 1 x 6-10rep
Press behind neck 1 x 6-10rep
Standing calf raise 1 x 12-20rep
Rest 5-7days before performing workout 1
In this program all isolation exercises are excluded because the advanced natural bodybuilder has developed his strength to such degree that he if he does a lot of exercises he wont have any energy left for growth. This program is his final step before he reaches his genetical potential.. A person with poor recovery capacity can also use this program.
One problem the advanced bodybuilder will face is that when he gets stronger he needs higher intensity levels. This is done by using Intensity raising techniques like forced reps, negative reps, rest/paus, static training and so on. Mentzer developed super advanced techniques that only few know. I know them so if you want some training techniques that can be described as torture just ask.
The beginner doesn’t need forced reps and negatives. The intermediate can experiment with them and use them occasionally. The advanced should do well to use them more often. If you don make progress when you use them you are overtraining. You shouldn’t go to negative failure every workout since the intensity is so high and it can lead to overtraining. Mentzer didn’t recommend forced and negative reps for the Leg training since it can be dangerous for the knees.
Some people say heavy duty training is easy training because of the minimal volume and frequency. I think heavy duty training is much harder than volume training. Its definitley not easy training but it is very rewarding. You get stronger every workout. And if you don’t you don’t train hard enough or you are overtraining. You have to train to failure each and every time. This is very demanding for the mind. Usually you can do at least 1 or 2 more reps than you think. If you focus and push it really hard it is possible. Don’t cheat when you push hard.
Mike Mentzer - the greatest bodybuilder ever.
Mike Mentzer started to train with weights when he was 12 years old. He trained 3 days a week and made very good results. When he was 15 he looked like a bodybuilder and had 40cm arms. Very impressive. After this he started to increase his training and soon he trained like all the pros ie 3 hours a day six days a week.. Now he made no strength increases and no muscle gains. He thought he had to increase the volume to 5hours a day like some bodybuilders in california trained. At this point he wondered if it was really worth it since he worked 12 hours a day in the air force.
In 1971 Mentzer met Casey Viator a 19 year old Mr. America that ”only” trained 3 hours a week. If Casey saw progress with this program he still would have the chance to be mr america one day. Casey introduced Mike to Arthur Jones. Jones thought Mentzer everthing he knew.
Mentzer couldn’t start training before 1974 because he had a shoulder injury. Mentzer started to train for the Mr. America in the beginning of 1975 and in less than a year he improved so much that he placed third in that years Mr.america. A year later he won the same competition.
After this he continued training and learned more and more about Heavy Duty training. He trained with his brother Ray and they were both super strong. They did strict flyes with 50kg dumbells, cheat curls with 140kg, half squats with 450kg. Old lepressmachine legpresses with 500kg (the weight is straight above, much heavier than todays machines). 90degree situps with a 45kg plate.
Mentzer was the first one to get a 300point score (perfect score) in the universe contest that he won in 1978. After this he decided that he wanted to win the Mr.Olympia in three tries. He didn’t want to keep trying and win it because the judges felt that he deserved to win because he had been trying so long. Mentzer won the heavyweight title with a perfect score in pre judging. He lost the overall to frank zane. His definition was much worse than during pre judging since he ate a lot of high glycemical carbs before the night show. Still everybody believed that he should have won. The judges said that mentzer didn’t win because he posed to fast during the posedown against zane. Reg Park said that he is too big and muscular. Reg thought Mentzer was before his time. His double biceps pose is superb thanks to those incredible lats.
In 1980 he definitley should have won. The audience screamed FIX when arnold won and Mentzer placed fifth. 97,4kg and with a 3%bodyfat Menzer was in the best shape of his life. He also had one of the best posing routines ever. Mentzer always had brilliant posing routines. After this he retired. Now he concentrated on training others and he wanted to develop HiT as much as possible. in 1992 he wrote Heavy Duty.
During his life Menzer wrote for several bodybuilding magazines and everyone wanted to know more about this bodybuilding Maverick. The reason why he didn’t win the mr.O is because he critisized Joe Weider and his champs all the time. Arnold and Menzer were enemies.
Mentzer questioned the need of ”incredible” supplements. He also keept saying that a calorie is a calorie no matter what the source. Mentzer ate ice cream and cornflakes and lots of candy during his diet for the Mr Olympia. This was a way of psyching out his opponents. Mentzer knew that you can eat anything you want, if you are on restricted calorie diet you will loose weight (bodyfat).
Mentzer was against bulking up. He knew that muscle is stimulated by high intensity training not food. He suggested you should eat about 200-300 calories above maintence if you want to gain muscle. No more is required or you will get fat. He recommended a balanced diet, 60%carbs, 25%protein and 15%fat. You don’t have to change the proportions during your diet for competition. Just eat less calories and perform some aerobic exercise. He recommended 4-5times a week. 30-45min at a relaxed pace. Preparing for contest you should train just to positive failure during the last weeks of dieting. The diet should be between 4 and 12weeks.
Mentzer developed his programs to such degree that he made a statement that it is possible to reach your genetical potential in one year. If you don’t believe it then read this:
This is from an article by Mike Mentzer:
”The strongest client I ever had was able to perform 33 reps on the Nautilus Leg-Extension with the whole stack. And that was an incredibly well-developed, strong "genetic freak," the famed David Paul of the Barbarian Brothers. When David first started having me supervise his workouts, he performed 15 reps on the Leg-Extension and then went immediately, in superset fashion, to the Nautilus Leg Press where he performed 18 reps to complete failure with the full stack, 510 pounds. One week later David performed 25 reps on the Leg-Extension and immediately ran to the Leg Press where he did 38 reps. Impressive? You better believe it. But, keep reading.
One week after that, he did 33 reps on the Leg-Extension followed by a hard-to-believe 71 reps on the Leg Press! In both exercises, he again, employed the entire weight stacks. No, the above is not a misprint. David improved his Leg-Extension from 15 to 33 reps and his Leg Press from 18 to 71 reps as a result of only two leg workouts that lasted less than 15 minutes each. That represents an improvement of 388 percent in the functional ability of the quadriceps of an already highly advanced bodybuilder. In the one month I trained David, he gained seven pounds of muscle. These are phenomenal increases, especially when considered against the fact that for the previous five years, David's volume training, involving training sessions that lasted for at least two hours (sometimes twice a day ) six days a week, yielded zero strength and size increases.
Since David was capable of such a rate of improvement, imagine what a rank beginner - (with similar genetics) - might achieve on such a program. I've already provided you an indication, with the description of the first individual. If a beginner can improve as I described above, going from 170 for seven reps to 250 for 10 reps on the Leg-Extension in two months, he has only 23 reps to go with the same weight before achieving the functional capacity of a super genetic freak. How long would that take him? He'd probably never achieve it, as he, by all appearances, was only average - or slightly above - in genetics. My point is: Given the enormous improvement he made in only two months, it wouldn't even take year before he actualized his strength/muscle potential. (We'll never know exactly; because of enormous career pressures he had to cease training after two months.)
Bear in mind that a prerequisite for growing larger muscles is that one grow stronger. Since the individual I described would cease growing in strength in less than one year, his muscle growth would cease soon thereafter.” –Mike Menzer
After you have read that you probably have realized what is possible with a well conducted H.I.T program where you perform no more than 4 workouts every 20days. When you learn more about H.I.T you will become your own coach. You know exactly whats wrong if you don’t make progress and you don’t need any advice from others.
Mike Mentzer used to say: ”Anatomically and physiologically every human being is essentially the same”. This means that H.I.T will work for everyone. Humans are different in one way, some can tolerate more stress than others. Those with superb recovery capacity will be the ones with the fastest progress.
Im not trying to say that everyone should train H.I.T, a lot of people cant train in high intensity manner and that is very sad. HIT is the fastest way to progress. Mike Mentzer was convinced that it doesn’t have to take 5-10 years before you reach your potential. 1-2year at most was what he used to say before he died in 2001. He saw the results of his clients and his clients were no superhumans. On his website you can read peoples progress reports. On guy can now benchpress 225kg and has 50cm arms thanks to the HIT program and he is a natural bodybuilder.
Mentzer always said that not everyone will be a top champion. Your genetics is the factor that determinates if you can develop 50cm arms or not. Don’t give up training if you realize that you wont be 230pounds with 3%bodyfat. Frank Zane was 185 pounds when he won the mr. olymia 3times and Im pretty sure everyone can develop that much muscle if they follow the principles of high intensity training. Don’t expect rapid weight increase all the time, if you get stronger you will get more muscles was what Mentzer always said.
Visit mikementzer.com if you want to know more about him and High intensity training.
His books has very valuable information and they are worth every cent. His last book was ”High Intensity training the Mike Mentzer way” and it contains everything about hit and the last studies, basically all you need to know about training, diet, competition etc.
Hope you enyoyed this article. Im really glad if atleast someone read it.
H.I.T really changed my life.
Thank you Mike.
Mike and Ray had great careers. Ray won the Mr. America ones. Mike died from a major heart attack in 2001 and Ray also died from a heart attack 2 days later
Now is the time for you to post questions and replies.
Ps: Mike used steroids, I know that because he spoke about his use if someone wanted to know what he used and how big the dosages were. He used steroids for just 110 euro a year so you cant say that it was the steroids that was the reason for the best body ever. It was his Mind and fighting spirit that created the results. Compare Mikes results to todays pros.” It is estimated that todays pros use steroids for 50 000-70 000dollars each year. Its no wonder that they make great progress with volume training. The natural bodybuilder reaches his potential fast if he use HIT” These are Mikes words and I think this is true. Don’t compare yourself to “drugmonsters”, another thing Mike used to say.
If you wonder about Mikes and Rays mustaches: Mike and Ray read a lot of books. Before the Olympia they read Nietzches works 5 hours a day, Friedrich Nietzche had a mustache and Mike and Ray were big fans of him.
Mike Mentzer – Not just the best bodybuilder ever but a great man.
Azael
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, but BTW even when he was crazy and running naked across Los Angeles, he shouted "Arthur Jones is God!".
. In that HIT FAQ "Jedi" Spector recommends training whole body 2-3 times a week. I have a huge collection of HIT material: NFL teams' strength training manuals for their players, university study of how NFL teams train, I have discussed of these things with many respected strength & conditioning coaches plus some highly paid personal trainers. At professional and collegiate sports whole body is even nowadays trained sometimes three times a week, but more often lower body twice, upper body twice.