heavy duty Archives

Mass Mantra #47

Here’s high-intensity advocate and pro bodybuilder Mike Mentzer’s answer to those who asked how he accounted for the success of all of the top bodybuilders who used high-volume workouts (John Balik photo)… [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 9

Mike Mentzer’s training concepts work for many bodybuilders. Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates trained in that style… [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 8

So training to all-out failure does get to the most fast-twitch fibers, but it also produces the most stress and damage, specifically on the last rep… [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 7

In the last training newsletter I said that volume, intensity, frequency and choosing the correct exercises are all factors governing damage that produces overtraining… [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 6

Mike Mentzer’s quote on overtraining in Monday’s Mass Mantra newsletter is thought provoking…

He, along with some researchers, believe that it can lead to serious illness, such as heart disease and cancer, if it’s prolonged… [Read more…]

Mass Mantra #33

It’s becoming more clear that training efficiency that avoids damaging your joints and muscles is best for the fastest mass gains as well as for your future health.

Here’s a quote from high-intensity advocate and former pro bodybuilder Mike Mentzer on that subject (Wayne Gallasch photo). [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 5

Yesterday I mentioned that Mentzer’s high-intensity workouts weren’t as efficient as they could’ve been due to not emphasizing the biomechanically ideal exercises as well as not applying the latest hypertrophy research (he died in 2001).

His methods could’ve been significantly better at stimulating mass with a few tweaks. Let’s review his go-to quad routine: [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 4

A few pieces of key mass-building information have been revealed over the past three parts on Mike Mentzer’s high-intensity training: [Read more…]

Mentzer’s High Intensity: Right or Wrong? Part 1

Q: You’ve quoted Mike Mentzer a lot, and your current workouts are similar to his. But you’ve also featured Arnold’s training and mentioned that your Positions-of-Flexion method has some roots with him. Do you agree more with the Heavy Duty high-intensity approach or Arnold’s volume style? [Read more…]

Moment of Bodybuilding Zen 210: Mike Mentzer’s Mighty Shrugs

Then there’s the time Mike Mentzer lost a bet and had to cart Casey Viator around the gym in a makeshift rickshaw. Mike’s Heavy Duty belly shirt was not part of the bet. Good times at Gold’s… [Read more…]