For example, flyes (which isolate the pecs) are done immediately before incline presses (which work the pecs with the shoulders and triceps), so that the exhausted pecs work to their fullest and give out first during the presses. I mean it just seems futile why put in so much time, Beyond that, you should be resting at least 3 minutes between sets. Rest-Pause After reaching failure, rest for approximately 15 seconds and perform anther rep. Repeat for 2-3 reps. Mentzer had another way of doing a rest-pause set: 4-6 max single reps with a rest of 10-15 seconds between each rep and a 20% reduction of weight near the end in order to get that last rep or two. While you "hardgainer" that was the label I gave myself. Mike Mentzer's Consolidated Routine. to Heavy Duty you have one less problem to rack your brain with. I always selected weights for my exercises that allowed me to get at least six good positive repetitions and then continue with forced and negative reps. With any preexhaust set, such as leg extensions to leg presses or pec deck to incline presses, I would take no rest at all between exercises, but I would rest long enough to catch my breath, and Id only do the negatives once a week on each exercise. The information contained within is not intended to provide specific health advice, or any other advice whatsoever, for any individual or company and should not be relied upon in that regard. He helped raise the weight so it could be lowered as slowly as possible on negative reps. Or he spotted while Mike Mentzer paused between reps and grinded out a few rest-pause reps. We are not medical professionals and nothing on this website should be misconstrued to mean otherwise. Heres a list of the supplements Im currently taking: Multi-vitamin/mineral Mike Mentzer High Intensity Training Information - Bodybuilding Required fields are marked *. her boyfriend now has an amazing body. Standing calf raises (5 sets, 10-15 reps). In later years, however, he confided that he had reservations about making such a strong case for genetics. Mike Mentzer was a legendary bodybuilder who won the 1978 Mr. Universe, becoming the first bodybuilder ever to get a perfect score from the judges. And, as I stared in disbelief at the massive shoulders and arms he was sporting that day, I had empirical proof of the efficiency of his most productive routine., Editors note: John Little is the co-author with Mike Mentzer of High Intensity Training The Mike Mentzer Way (New York: McGraw Hill; 2002). Q&A: Is A Consolidation Workout Enough To Maximize Muscular Potential? Mentzers training was based around intensity. ask you to try Heavy Duty--Mike Mentzer's routine that you've heard about a lot, give Front barbell raise (5 sets, 8-10 reps) 5. To maximize recuperation, workouts follow the push-pull system: pushing muscles one workout, pulling muscles the other workout. These are the top picks from each category, featured on our ranked supplement lists: Mike Mentzer had his first competition in 1969 and a few years later he returned for another contest. Viators victory eclipsed the fact that a second 19-year-old phenom, Mike Mentzer, was an impressive 10th in that same contest. because my metabolism has increased. Machine Pullover or Dumbbell and Cable Pullovers Together. Mike Mentzer's Real Workout Routine & Diet Plan Doing a Mike Mentzer heavy duty program - Bodybuilding.com Mentzer preferred to do his shrugs on a Universal machine, but you can use a Smith machine or free weights. Well I can't say he's the only one, many very You can train long or hard but you cant do both. The website's content is not a substitute for direct, personal, professional medical care and diagnosis. When 19-year-old Casey Viator won the 1971 Mr. America after training HIT-style under Arthur Jones tutelage it caused a sensation in the bodybuilding world. Go to full-rep failure in the 6-8 rep range. Mike Mentzers Heavy Duty training system was a revolution. Emmy Wallin is a writer for Jacked Gorilla. By age 15 he weighed 165 pounds and could bench press 370 pounds. Then Id work calves, typically two sets of standing calf raises on a machine, followed by one set of toe presses on a leg press machine to failure. Behind the neck overhead press (5 sets, 6-8 reps), 3. Garlic were in before you switched over to Heavy Duty. much better I can study and I'm no longer tired from marathon training. Without question genetics played a huge role in providing the foundation for the muscular mass that Mike builtas he was the first to admit. You havent mentioned Intensity. He was a close friend of Mikes and is and has been great writer for many years on productive bodybuilding. I was just Enjoy! (For those that arent aware this is a classic sign of overtraining. Mike Mentzer Consolidation Routine: 2 Month results! - YouTube The discussion was very good, but you could see a divide between the minimalist versus anti-minimalist crowd. Mike, however, broke with Jones program as a result of personal experience. And there were times when we skipped even two days in between workouts72 hours. Keep in mind, the goal was mass gains, so I ate at about a 500 calorie surplus daily. Meaning that your routine should be setup for what gives you the best gains like he once said not more or less but what is exact. Rear-delt rows 2 x 6-8, Biceps Pushdowns 1 x 6-8 Then came the 1980 Mr. Olympia. I have definitely been mistaken all along. The partner removed just enough stress for two or three forced reps. I placed an order for his book and video. Ali: My girlfriend loves it, she can't get over it because basically Mike Mentzer understood that he had to stick to a clean diet and he took a fairly broad approach to his nutrition in terms of different food sources. The pros of this type of training are obvious more time off to allow the body to rest and recover. Like I always say, the area that lies between both extremes of any spectrum, almost always is the best place to be. You're going to have to try something different like Heavy Duty to get different results. Single leg Extension: 5 sets 8-10 reps. and use Heavy Duty protocol. Mike Mentzer began bodybuilding when he was 12 years old. Standing dumbbell curl (5 sets, 8-10 reps), 6. Mike Mentzer Training - Zero Sets, Sticking Points and Moon Walks I think it is also important to keep in mind that any program can produce mass gains if nutrition intake and recovery are suitable for mass gains. Why Mike Mentzer Got It All Wrong |IronGangsta - Blogger Now, its time to refuel your body with the proper nutrients to help repair and grow Tracking macros is becoming popular among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts because of its effectiveness. Within this article, well discuss Mike Mentzers workout routine, diet, and supplements: Mike Mentzers training would mix from HIT, a High-Intensity workout that was founded by Arthur Jones in the 1970s. Legs are given a little more reps than the upper body. Seated machine press (5 sets, 6-8 reps). I How the hell were we going to grow unless we at least let that happen? When you look the same from year in to year out and you're putting this much time in it's The greatest representative of the old guard, Arnold Schwarzenegger, won. When Mentzer won the 1976 Mr. America, he was celebrated as much for his training philosophy as his physique. 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. Increasing the volume also increases the amount of recovery time need to make the gains needed. No, he said, it was the immediate response, the immediate fatigue. I've used Mike Mentzer's routines with some success in the past (see my previous blog posts about my experience with Mentzer's Perfect Consolidated Routine) and have decided to perform the Ideal Routine again. At that point, where the weight is stuck and wont budge, I will fight to complete the rep for a period of 15 seconds then rack the weight. Calf raises 2 x 6-8 Warmup each exercise as necessary, and push these working sets to full-rep failure at 6-8 reps and then beyond failure via forced reps, negatives, and/or rest-pause for 1-3 additional reps. During the next two decades, Mike Mentzer created a lot of fuss with the unconventional training philosophy he wrote about in his Heavy Duty articles and which emphasized brief, intensive and infrequent workouts. Dips 1 x 6-8 In that case were just not following Mentzers program. Mike Mentzer Workout Routine - Jacked Gorilla But, adding direct work for the biceps, triceps, and calves only takes 3 extra exercises. I hope that anyone reading this article does not take is seriously. Short term progress will be evaluated primarily by strength increases. believe it or not overtraining. We have another pre-exhaust superset: shrugs (which work only traps) before upright rows (which work traps with medial delts and biceps). Mike thought for a moment and raised his ham of an arm to scratch an itch on his opposite shoulder. Mentzer came from a well-educated home. But I was severely mistaken, all this time I really was, I would begin with the largest muscle groupthe backand perform Nautilus pullovers supersetted with close-grip underhand pulldowns. By age 15, his . Once again just like Mentzer stated you are falling into the trap that many body builders are confused in that the more is better like more money is better, more women are better, taking more s******s is better! Its fine to speculate and have an opinion on whether you THINK something would be true or not, but keep in mind this particular poster specifically asked if anyone had made mass gains while using a Mike Mentzer consolidation routine. just insane. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Here is Mike Mentzer's shoulder routine: 1. 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.. These muscle groups are often stubborn to grow because in compound exercises the bigger, stronger muscles take on most of the work. Other than that, I will drink them when Im pressed for time. Compound pushing and pulling movements should be done in both vertical and horizontal planes, and compound lower body exercises should include both thigh dominant movements like squats and leg presses and hip dominant movements like deadlifts and trunk extensions. Capping off the year by winning the heavyweight division of the Mr. Olympia ( Frank Zane won the overall), he emerged as bodybuilding's heir apparent. But if youre looking to maximize your physique potential, you need to use exercises that directly target each muscle groupat least some of the time throughout a training year. The conclusion was that age does make a difference. A: When Mike Mentzer first started bodybuilding he trained no more than three days a week. Now, Im not saying that most people should be doing high volume training, either. Their enthusiasm is often a hindrance; theyre so willing and able to train marathon-style to acquire a muscular physique that they often overtrain. 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. Mike Mentzer had one of the sharpest minds in the muscle game. 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. While genetic characteristics were important, Mike believed that they had been overemphasized. While some truly believe he was a genius, others think he was completely crazy. using the wrong training systems. If you are not pushing yourself, then No, you will not gain. I placed an order for his book and video. Were the same ones being done each workout for 3 times in a week. After that I would do one set of squats to positive failure, usually in the neighborhood of 400 to 500 pounds, and then proceed on to leg curls for two sets. 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, He stood only 58 yet packed 215 pounds of rock-solid muscle on his frame. Dumbbell side lateral raise (5 sets, 8-10 reps), 2. Failure wasnt enough for Mentzers Heavy Duty system. Heavy Duty: Basics of Mike Mentzer Workout Routine. conventional wisdom that you're taught, you know you have to work out and got to be constantly Nautilus machine pullovers were also a favorite of fellow HIT-man Dorian Yates. If youre one of these people whos whole physique develops proportionally from just the basic 4 or 5 compounds, then by all means, dont waste your time with the isolation stuff. Dumbbell side lateral raise (5 sets, 8-10 reps) 2. Ali: I had heard about it in passing I had read some books referring to Arthur Jones A Classic Mike Mentzer HIT Routine | PDF | Sports - Scribd Copyright 2013-2022 Jacked Gorilla All Rights Reserved | Owned & Operated by Wealthy Gorilla Limited | Our Brands: Jacked Gorilla | Gaming Gorilla | Wealthy Gorilla. I saw this question on the web recently followed by some interesting answers in the comments section. on Has Anyone Gained Mass from Mentzers Consolidation Routines?. Id follow that up with one or two sets of dips. Heavy Duty, how would you like to get these amazing results at 10 minutes a workout? Ali: Unless they're taking steroids and growth hormone they're all in my 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. scientific approach. 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. 1 Cognizant Jobs in Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France - LinkedIn Glucosamine/Condroitin I just As a 27-year-old professional bodybuilding rookie in 1979, noted especially for his shoulder, arm, and leg density, Mike Mentzer was a phenomenon. Mike Mentzer Training Routine - NECKBERG In that kind of a case the best thing that can happen would be that you merely wouldnt make any progress; youd just spin your wheels. Emmy has been studying celebrities careers, lifestyles, and workout routines for over 3 years. Derek: How about your friends, what has been their reaction? reps, preferring the 6-10 range. She is the face behind the workout routine articles here on Jacked Gorilla. Remember, when Mentzer did a curl, it was not just the external resistance of the weight he was lifting, that caused the tension, but in addition, he was also isometrically tensing the muscle from inside the bicep, adding to the external resistance of the weight. Please to anyone reading this, Read up on Mike Mentzer on his training methods and learn what true productive weight training is really about. 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. ANALYSIS: Another pre-exhaust superset: laterals before presses. What does Mike Mentzers workout routine look like? Ali: Strength increases have been phenomenal, going up on major multi-joint exercises like like that, I figured it was just like any other aspect of life you just model them and get Are you tired of dealing with sore muscles and tight knots after a workout? Incline presses 1-2 x 6-8 years with nothing to show for results, before he was willing to trust his mind Omega-3 Extend sets beyond failure with forced reps, negatives, and rest-pause. Met-rx meal replacement drink Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Now I see that was wrong. And before they even think about anabolic steroids which came to my mind you know it's Five years later in 1976, Mentzer would go on to win Mr. America with his revamped high-intensity training program. With all the other demands I had in my life at that time, I was really forced to do something about it. The important thing is when you make the switch Mentzer had adopted the HIT philosophy of Arthur Jones and expanded it into his own radical system, which Mentzer named Heavy Duty. I mean obviously I already have time constraints as it is. Standing Barbell Curl 1 set x 68 reps, Dumbbell Concentration Curl 2 set x 68 reps. Being 41-years-old, I am not the ideal candidate for building a lot of new muscle, so this will be an interesting experiment. Learn how your comment data is processed.