But they look well over 20 inches! I exclaimed. Less time spent in the gym, and more time spent recovering and building muscle. On this arm routine, Mentzers would hit a total of 7 different exercises. He wrote articles for the leading bodybuilding magazine, Muscle Builder/Power, focused on techniques for intensifying workouts. Your email address will not be published. Id complete two cycles of those two exercises and then move on to two sets of bent-over barbell rows to finish up my lat work. The volume in the consolidated workout is extremely low. 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. Machine Shoulder Press 2 sets x 68 reps, Dumbbell or Machine Rear Lateral 2 sets x 6-8 reps. However, some new scientific studies proved that there is some truth in Mike Mentzers once a week training claims. Mike Mentzer began bodybuilding when he was 12 years old. Derek: Before you changed over to Heavy Duty had you ever heard about it? I recently did one of Mike Mentzers consolidation programs (the variation with 2 days per week, 3 exercises each day) combined with the recommended 4-2-4 tempo and gained 10 lbs in 8 weeks. Gosh, how stupid can one be. From there Mike moved on to the routines advocated in the various muscle magazines that espoused 20-sets-per-bodypart training, even at one time extending that to 40 sets per bodypart. 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. Mentzer mostly focused on a heavy-duty variation and this would require a weight that would take you to failure in between 6 and 9 reps. Mike Mentzer always wanted to stay in his best shape and he would often keep his training week down to 3 working days and 4 days for rest. I also intentionally cut down bodyweight a bit the last 2 years and focused more on getting healthy (hip function, mobility, flexibility, muscular balance, becoming pain-free, etc). 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. So, heres my general response to the posters question regarding mass gaining potential with consolidation training. Try to grow increasingly stronger in this range. Each workout is done only once every 6-10 days. Kelp Then came the 1980 Mr. Olympia. Like I always say, the area that lies between both extremes of any spectrum, almost always is the best place to be. If youre skeptical [of Heavy Dutys low volume], your subconscious child is telling you that more is better, Mike Mentzer wrote. 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. Mentzer had adopted the HIT philosophy of Arthur Jones and expanded it into his own radical system, which Mentzer named Heavy Duty. Leg extensions 1 x 6-8 Met-rx meal replacement drink The solution is beautifully presented in Mike's writings on Heavy Duty. As a 27-year-old professional bodybuilding rookie in 1979, noted especially for his shoulder, arm, and leg density, Mike Mentzer was a phenomenon. We are not medical professionals and nothing on this website should be misconstrued to mean otherwise. Mike Mentzer Consolidation Routine Over Training I've went from 126lbs @ under 10 % bf to 189lbs @ 30% bf in the last 3 years following mike mentzers consolidation routine. 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. This is my experience. I think long term, doing 1 exercise per muscle group 1-2 times per week will yield greater results then doing just 3-6 exercises that hit the whole body. And the added effort is not that much more than the hyper-minimalist routines. What does Mike Mentzers workout routine look like? I thought oh no, I'll probably atrophy even the small amount of muscle I have. Cable triceps pushdown (5 sets, 8-10 reps), 3. When his gains eventually ground to a complete halt on high-set routines, he happened to make the acquaintance of Casey Viator, then the youngest person ever to hold the Mr. America title, and learned of the high-intensity-training principles advocated by Nautilus creator Arthur Jones. Dumbbell side lateral raise (5 sets, 8-10 reps), 2. But I was severely mistaken, all this time I really was, Learn how your comment data is processed. Mike Mentzer's Workout Routine. and use Heavy Duty protocol. Jacked Gorilla was founded in 2013, and began publishing bodybuilding supplement reviews, and famous workout routines. You dont have to get crazy. Nautilus machine pullovers were also a favorite of fellow HIT-man Dorian Yates. Short term progress will be evaluated primarily by strength increases. I wasnt interested so much in his theories (they were not as advanced as they would become from 1993 on, when he reduced the sets to one on a split routine that saw his clients training but once every four to seven days) as I was in learning what he actually did; i.e., how hed trained to build the incredible muscle mass that he was known for and what hed personally found to be the most productive muscle-building routine of his entire career. Observe how this differs from the "typical" chest routine you'll see in most gyms. The materials are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind either express or implied. for 7 years which was very minimal or miniscule to say the very least and I thought I was going to the results I and others have achieved and I have no doubt that it works. For example, do workout A on Monday, B on Wednesday, A on Friday, B on Sunday (or Monday, if you prefer to take weekends off). That was the most result-producing routine that I ever used. I asked Mike why he thought that such a split routine was more productive than the three-days-per-week whole-body program that had carried him through to victory in the Mr. America contest. 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. Make sure you're always keeping proper form. On this leg routine, he performed 6 different exercises. ANALYSIS: A pre-exhaust superset for chest: flyes before presses. For instance, some muscles only obtain secondary stimulation, if that. The Barbell examines Mike Mentzers high-intensity training system: Heavy Duty. The Centre is part of a particularly dynamic ecosystem, within the second French . 1. (For those that arent aware this is a classic sign of overtraining. I interviewed Lou Ferrigno, John Grimek, Paul Anderson, Doug Hepburn, Frank Zane, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Lee Labrada, Steve Reeves and both Mike and Ray Mentzer, among others. Narrow Grip Underhand Pulldowns 16-10, Workout 2 Mike Mentzers workout philosophy was adopted by Dorian Yates, who won six Mr. Olympia titles in the 1990s. Dont forget to share this article with your friends and family. utilized short high intensity training. I asked him if he thought that the problem might have been more effectively remedied by simply taking protracted recovery periods in between workouts. Do your last warmup with approximately 75% of your working weight and stop before reaching failure. I knew that high-intensity training was the bestthere was no question about thatbut I couldnt put up with that kind of exhaustive effect immediately after the workout; I had to either go to a job or back to school, and all I could do was to collapse in a heap and sleep. Mentzer liked the Nautilus side lateral machine (Arthur Jones created Nautilus), but you can use any lateral machine or dumbbells. Mentzer preferred to do his shrugs on a Universal machine, but you can use a Smith machine or free weights. Your email address will not be published. The study did not mention what exercises were being done. We are not medical professionals and nothing on this website should be misconstrued to mean otherwise. The mining was initially operated through several tunnels before the "Sainte-Marie" shafts were sunk. Superset Maintaining a healthy weight as a bodybuilder becomes increasingly essential, especially after age 40. Dips 16-10. confidence in Heavy Duty training. It wasn't acquired by Wealthy Gorilla Limited until 2019, and since then both our range of content and our audience have grown significantly. As you age, your body undergoes changes With Valentines Day just around the corner, everyone is looking for gift ideas and ways to spend time with their special Hormones are chemical substances released by glands in the body to regulate various functions. Today’s top 1 Cognizant jobs in Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France. As I age, my recovery ability lessens. His triceps, in particular, when viewed from behind, reminded one of two large watermelons hanging out of a T-shirt. And his pairing of the exercises is brilliant as well. The basics will cover most of the muscle groups of the body. Like Eugene Sandow and his light weight Method both men were doing isometric contractions (all the way up/out and all the down/back) as part of every exercise. Wed do that because wed meet on Wednesday morning or discuss it Tuesday night, and it was obvious that we were still tired, that the forced reps and the negatives wed done on Monday with our leg and the chest work, for instance, were so exhausting that we hadnt overcome the effects of the workout. It was so that his nervous system could repair itself. Now I see The last workout I performed was a light full body workout on July 21, 2008. For much more about the incredible history of Jones, Viator, Mentzer, and others, check out: HIT MEN: The Story of High-Intensity Training. Mike Mentzers Heavy Duty training system was a revolution. Mentzer believed that almost all bodybuilders were overtraining and that this slowed down their progress. Mike Mentzer trained with at least one partner (frequently his younger brother, Ray, 1979 Mr. America winner) who spotted him and assisted when he reached failure. I know Mentzer said the whole protein supplement thing is a racket and that its unnecessary to consume so much protein, but I will be consuming a 20 gram whey protein drink pre-workout and a meal replacement drink post-workout, anyway. I will do three progressive warm-up sets before each working set, which must be taken to failure. Heres a list of the supplements Im currently taking: Multi-vitamin/mineral The main legs workout is repeated. And while keeping up that kind of training in addition to a full college schedule, a part-time job with a physician and the demands of an ongoing relationship with a nice young lady, I found that I just didnt have the energy. (Heavy Duty) before but it didn't really start to click in until I read Mike Mentzer's book A proper training protocol should have been about 3 different exercise of one set each in a high intensity method of taking each set to failure once every 7 days. Superset Muscles will not shrink unless their is a loss of strength so your statement that the trainees in the 65 to 70 age group lost strength but not mass again makes no sense. For achieving failure, you can also . like that, I figured it was just like any other aspect of life you just model them and get I placed an order for his book and video. All I know is my waist size has gone down ask you to try Heavy Duty--Mike Mentzer's routine that you've heard about a lot, give Back. Mike Mentzer Consolidation Routine Over Training I've went from 126lbs @ under 10 % bf to 189lbs @ 30% bf in the last 3 years following mike mentzers consolidation routine. Comments. Also, dont be afraid to alternate different exercises from time to time for the bigger muscle groups the back, delts, legs, and chest. 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. I have to agree with you Jon. Yes Robert you are right on the money. Mike's HIT approach became even more extreme in his latter years. I'm saying before you even look to anabolic steroids or to the 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. Glutamine 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. Today is Day 1 of my experiment with Mike Mentzers Perfect Consolidated workout. Dumbbell flyes or pec deck 1-2 x 6-8 You are reading opinions only. This is precisely the reason we have such an obesity problem in this world. Books of interest: heavy duty. Nautilus laterals 2 x 6-8 Well I can't say he's the only one, many very 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. Look at Therefore, when answering a question like this, you should have some experience actually doing the program in question. Using 6 to 9 reps achieve full-rep failure. Superset The partner removed just enough stress for two or three forced reps. Your email address will not be published. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, I thought I was your typical Heavy Duty: Mike Mentzer's Most Productive Routine It was the essential basic Heavy Duty routine consisting of four to five sets per bodypart and broken into two workouts. He does the same reps (6-8 to failure + 1-3 after-failure) for even body parts like calves, for which many bodybuilders do higher reps. Dumbbell Flye or Pec-Deck Flye 2 sets x 6-8 reps, Incline Barbell Press 2 sets x 68 reps. 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. Ali: I really had nothing to show for my results, I basically looked the same. On the other hand, the younger bodybuilders who reduced both the number of sessions per week (from 3 to 1) and the exercise volume (from 3 sets to 1) maintained their muscle size, while those who cut down to exercising once a week but maintained the exercise volume (3 sets) managed to increase their muscle size. Deadlifts 15-8 And whatever style of training you choose, make sure its one that you enjoy! The formula is: brief training, intense training, infrequent training, he said. Increasing the volume also increases the amount of recovery time need to make the gains needed. I was forced to abandon it the first time about five years ago when I developed tendinitis in my right . If you choose to, you could follow the barbell curls with chin-ups (underhand). The routine I followed was the essential basic Heavy Duty routine consisting of four to five sets per bodypart and broken into two workouts, he began. I think it was the second day of a split-routine schedule, and we were both quite fatigued, apparently still not having recovered from the previous days workout. Extend sets beyond failure with forced reps, negatives, and rest-pause. Being 41-years-old, I am not the ideal candidate for building a lot of new muscle, so this will be an interesting experiment. But carried on for too long, that kind of effort actually causes you to lose muscular mass and strengthyoull always be making inroads into your recovery ability and never allowing yourself to recover, let alone grow, which is secondary. 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. The main legs workout is repeated. However, he is no longer available, and most people have to make do on their own. Mike Mentzer's Perfect Consolidated Workout - Day 1 Today is Day 1 of my experiment with Mike Mentzer's Perfect Consolidated workout. the interview that he was a little bit mad because he spent so many wasted It was the essential basic Heavy Duty routine consisting of four to five sets per bodypart and broken into two workouts. I even shifted my attention most of this last year to focus on other athletic, non-strength/bodybuilding related pursuits. Especially if you lift slowly, instead of quickly pumping out 12-15 mindless curls. 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. He also prescribed only three weekly workouts, though Heavy Duty did call for training body parts twice every 8-9 days (most modern bodybuilders work body parts only once weekly). 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. This is fine, however, an additional row targeting the lower lat area in addition to this movement would be useful so that the entire lat is hit. on Has Anyone Gained Mass from Mentzers Consolidation Routines?. Workout 2 Squats 8-15 reps Reverse-grip lat pulldown 6-10 reps . Bent-over barbell rows 2 x 6-8, Traps Divide your body parts into two workouts, and allow 48 hours between workouts. a try. I 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. successful and very intelligent people have been duped to workout multiple days Is there anything you would like to add. Little is now available for phone consultations regarding Mentzers revolutionary Heavy Duty Training System. Behind the neck overhead press (5 sets, 6-8 reps), 3. I saw this question on the web recently followed by some interesting answers in the comments section. For this purpose, 70 healthy adults were divided into two groups according to their age. Over two decades after his passing, Mike Mentzers workout system lives on. were in before you switched over to Heavy Duty. Less volume in reps and sets and more effort. Squats 18-15 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! Huge Whey - Whey Protein Powder (30 Servings). Mentzer starting pumping iron at the age of 12 at a bodyweight of 95 pounds. It seemed every bodybuilder tried his lower-rep HIT, though most eventually returned to a more moderate system. Rear-delt rows 2 x 6-8, Biceps 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! Height: 60 , Mike states that he performs barbell rows parallel to the floor pulling to the sternum. Assist each other in going beyond failure. But, intentionally limiting exercises and direct stimulus to specific muscle groups just for the sake of minimalism is intentionally leaving gains on the table. Required fields are marked *. 2. You would think it would only be half, but apparently, after a certain point, in terms of volume of training, the exhaustive effects grow geometrically as opposed to arithmetically. Q: Did Mike Mentzer ever do volume training? I mean obviously I already have time constraints as it is. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 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. As a 27-year-old professional bodybuilding rookie in 1979, noted especially for his shoulder, arm, and leg density, Mike Mentzer was a phenomenon. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. marathon weight training, before trusting the reasoning power of their mind and have full ANALYSIS: Here we see the first of Mentzers pre-exhaust supersets: leg extensions before leg presses. By age 15 he weighed 165 pounds and could bench press 370 pounds. 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. 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. 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 Mike's future career. Mentzer preached high-intensity exercise once a week or once every five to seven days and stressed that 20-30 minutes were ideal for achieving maximum muscle stimulation. If they find its too exhausting, try the four-day. Finally, I asked Mike to summarize his experience for the benefit of all those bodybuilders looking to build mass. Leg presses 1 x 6-8 Reports varied as to the actual size of his arms. the top bodybuilders said to do--ultra marathon routines. So he started a methodical reduction in volume and frequency while keeping records on his clients' progress. For the year between the 1979 and 1980 Mr. Olympias, as high-intensity training (HIT) rode the crest of its foremost adherent, Mike Mentzer, it seemed on the verge of transforming bodybuilding. Unless one is on drugs (s******s) can one get away with insane high volume workouts. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Beyond that, you should be resting at least 3 minutes between sets. Workout B) Regular Barbell Deadlift 5-8 reps. Mike smiled, knowing that it was the question all aspiring bodybuilders wanted the answer to and, indeed, the very question he himself had posed to his idols, like the great Bill Pearl, when he was starting out in bodybuilding. Dorian Yates uses this program and he was Mr. Olympia. Derek: Tell us about your results. Copyright © 2001-2020 BodybuildingFanatic.com. If you read Heavy Duty 2 (Mike Mentzer's version of H.I.T. While genetic characteristics were important, Mike believed that they had been overemphasized. Mike Mentzer advocated a heavier form of HIT. I would like to thank Ali Ahadpour again for this candid unrehearsed interview. 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. Fitness Tests Predict Mortality, COVERT CARDIO: How to Burn Calories Easily, Darrem Charles: Bio & Classic Physique Advice, Paul Rudd Shares Fitness Secrets for Looking Young, HIT MEN: The Story of High-Intensity Training, Priority Training Principle: How to Eliminate Weaknesses, Science Says: Best (and Worst) Chest Exercises.