John Little This article is from 2003 to read a more updated article on how Mike Mentzer had a "Heavy Duty" mindest and workout regime Click Here In the late 80's to early 90s, Mentzer started his clients on a 3-day-a-week split routine of 7-9 total sets. Overhead cable triceps extension (5 sets, 8-10 reps), 4. Front barbell raise (5 sets, 8-10 reps) 5. . Maybe they are afraid, have some fear or are skeptical even though they see I asked him if perhaps exhaustionsuch as that experienced on the whole-body routinewas, then, truly a requisite for growth stimulation, bearing in mind Jones adage that unless you were made nauseous from a set of barbell curls, you didnt know what hard training was. I know quite a few people who told me they've used steroids and none of them have even Keep in mind, the goal was mass gains, so I ate at about a 500 calorie surplus daily. I thought oh no, I'll probably atrophy even the small amount of muscle I have. It flies against all quote un-quote Over two decades after his passing, Mike Mentzers workout system lives on. Mentzer had adopted the HIT philosophy of Arthur Jones and expanded it into his own radical system, which Mentzer named Heavy Duty. After speaking with Jones directly, Mike decided to switch back to a three-days-per-week whole-body routine, performing approximately five sets per bodypart in high-intensity fashion. None of the suggestions (including exercise, diet, products or services) mentioned should be performed or otherwise used without clearance from your physician or health care provider. I was just was totally wrong about that I never knew the amount of muscle gains I was capable of achieving. The last workout I performed was a light full body workout on July 21, 2008. Look at If you just care about general health, maximal strength, and maximum size (with the absence of symmetry), minimalist routines (such as Mike Mentzers consolidation routines and similar such routines) with intentionally few exercises performed throughout the week will work just fine. much better I can study and I'm no longer tired from marathon training. Superset The cons of this routine are also obvious not enough direct work on specific muscle groups. The solution is beautifully presented in Mike's writings on Heavy Duty. When you look the same from year in to year out and you're putting this much time in it's I placed an order for his book and video. Superset On this leg routine, he performed 6 different exercises. on Has Anyone Gained Mass from Mentzers Consolidation Routines?. Mike was seated at his desk, and I was directly across from him on a sofa in the living room when I first asked him about it. This is a Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty routine, circa 1979. Vitamin C Ali: Since I started 3 months ago I have gained 23 pounds of muscle, I look like I just went through a complete physical metamorphosis! We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Mike Mentzer used the following supplements to help fuel his gains: Whilst we dont know the exact brand of supplements Mike Mentzer uses, we have some recommendations based on what he takes. Height: 60 Mentzer released two popular Heavy Duty booklets in 1980, and, through his articles, seminars, and mail-order business, his philosophy was as great a sensation as he was on stages. I plan to carry this out for a minimum of six months or until lack of progress or something unforeseen, such as an injury or illness, takes place. Upon hearing that, I quickly realized how much deceit was being practiced in the bodybuilding world, where champions whose arms were obviously far less substantial than Mikes would loudly proclaim measurements of 21 inches or, in some instances that stretched credibility to the breaking point, 22 inches. scientific approach. Superset Your email address will not be published. Mike Mentzer Consolidation Routine: 2 Month results! - YouTube Huge Whey - Whey Protein Powder (30 Servings). Muscle size increase is a result of the body fighting the stress put upon it by increased muscle mass. using the wrong training systems. Located in a very diverse region rich in assets, not only geographically (relief, climate), but also economic and human, the Lyon-Grenoble Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes is the latest INRAE centre to be created. I just Mike Mentzer Routines - Heavy Duty Bodybuilding Heresy Your central nervous system becomes fatigued which eventually weakens your immune system which leads you more susceptible to illness). Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments as it relates to the topic(s), or if youd just like to say helloI want to hear from you! Mike Mentzer Client Results - High Intensity Training with Mike Mentzer It is probably the case that performing one se to less than failure once a week will not produce much in the way of strength or muscle gains. Mike Mentzer's Workout Routine. Then, they were divided into three groups for the second, de-training phase: one group completely stopped training, the second group reduced the training days from three to one but kept the same number of sets, and the third group also reduced the training days from three to one but reduced the training sets from three to one as well. Viators victory eclipsed the fact that a second 19-year-old phenom, Mike Mentzer, was an impressive 10th in that same contest. Mike Mentzer's Old School "Most Productive" 2 Day Split Routine - Substack You changed the rules if there really were any in this study to your own to fit your narrative that one workout per week was not effective in gaining both size and strength. Mentzer did of course fill his bodybuilding routine in his early days with high volume training, incorporating as much as 40 sets per bodypart. Force yourself to go beyond failure using forced reps and negatives. And his pairing of the exercises is brilliant as well. Sam Ernill 1.83K subscribers Subscribe 8.6K views 3. A: When Mike Mentzer first started bodybuilding he trained no more than three days a week. In later years, however, he confided that he had reservations about making such a strong case for genetics. 4 sets of flat bench, 3 sets of inclines, 3 sets of flyes and 2-3 sets of cable crossovers. Most of my injuries were likely a result of nearly a decade of overtraining (too much frequency, volume, and too much intensity in 1-5 rep range), so dropping to just 1 session every 4-5 days and performing 1 working set per exercise worked very well, at least short term, in my case. He tightened up the training and lengthened the time period for rest and recovery, in effect consolidating the training down to a very bare minimum. I even shifted my attention most of this last year to focus on other athletic, non-strength/bodybuilding related pursuits. Mike Mentzer died in 2001 at 49. The Clermont-Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes Centre brings together the units located in the Auvergne region, from Bourbonnais to Aurillac via Clermont-Ferrand, with 14 research units and 14 experimental facilities, representing 840 staff (permanent and contractual staff). He is known for being a fitness icon and he was known for his muscular shoulders. marathon weight training, before trusting the reasoning power of their mind and have full Good luck. Heavy Duty books and courses continued to sell. If you read Heavy Duty 2 (Mike Mentzer's version of H.I.T. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. We werent worried about localized recovery of a particular muscle. Jacked Gorilla is the middle brother of the 'Gorilla Family'. I'm currently performing one set of dips and one set of dead lifts and then 1 set of chins and one set of squats 14 days later. Standing dumbbell shrug (5 sets, 8-10 reps), 5. sets and days. The workouts consisted of just two exercises each, with the first containing deadlifts and dips, and the second containing just squats and lat pulldowns. Nautilus presses 2 x 6-8 For the record, you can read about my entire experience on the aforementioned program here: https://wildyakathletics.com/2020/12/27/review-of-my-last-8-weeks-of-training-october-22-december-22-2020/. successful and very intelligent people have been duped to workout multiple days Leg presses 1 x 6-8 We knew that recovery was important in terms of overall, or systemic, recovery. A New Study Confirms Mike Mentzer's Once-a-Week Training Method for But you cant take that principle and blindly apply it to exercise and expect to get anything out of it.. At best you might be able to get a suggestion of where you might go based on your muscle belly lengths, your bone structure and metabolism and neuromuscular efficiency, but the most important thing, I think, is motivationeveryone can improve themselves, and thats important. Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty Training - Cut The Volume Up The Ante! I had originally thought of doing bench presses instead of dips, but I will follow the program to the letter as outlined in Mentzers Underground Seminar video. One team of researchers tried to examine how muscle mass and strength were influenced by reducing the number of training sessions per week to one. I hope that anyone reading this article does not take is seriously. Workout Systems: Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty - Poliquin Group I found that I could get the same benefits from the high-intensity training while avoiding the overwhelming exhaustive effects of the three-days-a-week routine.. That brought his bodyweight up again, but only slightly. I help people achieve their health and wellness goals through simple, time efficient programming that emphasizes a balanced approach to improving general fitness, while bringing out the inner athlete in us all. It struck me that Mike had been the only high-intensity advocate who actually broke with Arthur Jones on the point of employing a split routine. Mike Mentzer Consolidation Routine: Workout A Sam Ernill 1.83K subscribers Subscribe 9.4K views 3 years ago Seminar video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8CXe. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, I thought I was your typical Seated machine press (5 sets, 6-8 reps). The biceps receive no direct training in this workout, and the triceps have only one set of dips to hold them for the next week or so. On standard toe raise machine or on leg press; 3 sets with a heavy weight going as high as you can on your toes each rep. 8 reps with a heavy weight then force out two more. I suggest that anybody who is not familiar with high intensity but wants to try it might start out with that three-days-a-week routine. Train with more intensity and you will need less volume. In that case were just not following Mentzers program. The study did not mention what exercises were being done. I don't know what my exact body fat Short term progress will be evaluated primarily by strength increases. On this shoulder routine, he would hit 5 different exercises by doing an average of 5 sets and 10 reps. 1. That's the other thing--my school grades have improved because now I feel so But again, yes, I think mass gains can be acquired if you use this, or a similar routine. Dam, it took 16 weeks for you to figure that one out. But, adding direct work for the biceps, triceps, and calves only takes 3 extra exercises. The researchers concluded that once a week training with an adequate exercise volume can successfully stimulate muscle growth in younger adults, but older gym goers who want to maintain their muscle mass should stick to longer and more frequent training sessions. Considering the lack of science-based knowledge, supplements and the variety of elaborate training techniques we have today, that win was a huge accomplishment that launched Mikes future career. If we had not recovered, then, in fact, there was no way we could have grown from the first workout. If you dont care about silly things like balance and symmetry (I say this sarcastically knowing some people care while others dont at all) and you just want to get big and strong, then a consolidation routine may be one of the most time efficient options available for your goal. She is the face behind the workout routine articles here on Jacked Gorilla. Sandows method uses weights to build the mind/nervous system/muscle-connection contraction feed back loop so that, if your lifting a 10lb dumbbell, with the isometric contraction added, inside your arm, it feels like your lifting a much heavier weight. Little is now available for phone consultations regarding Mentzers revolutionary Heavy Duty Training System. and sets including yours truly. Mike Mentzers workout philosophy was adopted by Dorian Yates, who won six Mr. Olympia titles in the 1990s. Mentzer came from a well-educated home. Now I see Now I see that was wrong. I would like to thank Ali Ahadpour again for this candid unrehearsed interview. Behind the neck overhead press (5 sets, 6-8 reps), 3. Incline presses 1-2 x 6-8 That three-days-a-week program left me so exhausted that when I did another full-body program on Monday, I was so shot afterward that all I could do was go home and sleep for a while.. Single leg Extension: 5 sets 8-10 reps. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Divide your body parts into two workouts, and allow 48 hours between workouts. Minds, -Group Coaching Through Subscription toMy Substack Newsletter, The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer: The Art, Science and Philosophy of a Bodybuilding Legend by John Little and Joanne Sharkey, High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way by Mike Mentzer and John Little, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly.