Mentzer’s Method: How Bodybuilding Saved my love of lifting
Most average Joes don’t want to be a bodybuilder. Most average Joes also want to look better naked. I was firmly in this camp. I was also firmly in a rut of bad dieting, constant aches and pains, and lossing my passion for lifting weights.
I’ve tried many exercise and training modalities including the old fashioned bro split, CrossFit, Starting Strength, and various powerlifting programs. All of them ended in burnout, aches and pains, and searching for something new. This time was no different. I took the Google machine and YouTube videos in search of a new, better, and exciting training method.
While in search of the latest and greatest, I came across a method called Heavy Duty Training. The method was a bodybuilding method created by Mike Mentzer with the influence of Arthur Jones in the 1970s. There were so many questions. There was no way this method could be legitimate because it wasn’t in the mainstream of fitness. One set of each exercise, who does this guy think he is recommending this? There was no way it was going to work!
Heavy Duty Overview:
The idea of the Heavy Duty Training protocol was as revolutionary to me as the CrossFit exercise program that I had adopted 15 years prior. I am a sucker for training and exercise programs that require physical exertion and go against conventional methods.
Heavy Duty Training calls for one set of each exercise performed to positive failure (you can’t move the weight in the concentric portion of the lift). Mentzer calls for a slow eccentric phase of the exercise and to have “reasonably good” form during all repetitions. Rest periods for the workout should be adequate to put 100 percent effort into the next exercise. According to Mentzer, four days between sessions is the correct amount of recovery . He even goes so far as to say to place an extra day of rest between sessions if life or recovery get in the way. In several interviews, Mentzer talks about how brief his workouts are including claiming his workouts totaled 2 hours in the lead up to the 1980 Mr. Olympia.
The Routine
What was not to like about this plan? Shorter workouts, hard physical exertion, and longer recovery times all fit perfectly into my routine. I took the below routine out of Mentzer’s book “Heavy Duty Training:”
Day 1: Pecs/Delts/Triceps
A: Flies Fail at 6-10 reps
Superset
B: Incline Press Fail at 1-3 reps
C: Side Laterals Fail at 6-15 reps
D: Reverse Flies Fail at 6-15 reps
E: Tricep Extensions Fail at 6-10
reps
Superset
F: Dips Fail at 5-8 reps
Day 2: Back/Traps/Biceps
A: Pull overs/Lat Prayers Fail at
6-10 reps
Superset
B: Close Grip Palms Up Pull downs
Fail at 6-10 reps
C: Bent over barbell rows Fail at
6-10 reps
D: Shrugs Fail at 6-10 reps
E: Deadlifts Fail at 8-12 reps
F: Barbell Bicep Curls Fail at
6-10 reps
Day 3: Legs
A: Leg Extensions Fail at 8-12
reps
Superset
B: Leg Press/Squat Fail at 8-12
reps
C: Leg Curls Fail at 8-12 reps
D: Standing Calf Raises Fail at
12-20 reps
The routine is simple enough but the execution of the program is very difficult. Most people, including me, have no idea what a set taking to failure actually looks like or the intensity (weight used during the exercise) should be. The tempo of each rep allowed me to drastically reduce the working weight I used. The routine ended up taking me about 30 to 45 minutes each session.
How this method helped me:
How did this new routine save my love of lifting? Prior to embarking on this routine, I was experiencing joint pain and losing interest in training. The emphasis on recovery and using a slow tempo for each repetition allowed me to reduce joint pain and found myself looking forward to training again.
Did I gain a whole bunch of muscle on this routine? No, but that was not my goal in making the switch. I was at the beginning of a fat loss phase and was more interested in maintaining muscle mass than I was to build any lean body mass. In that regard, the program worked and the principles (namely going to failure or close to it with a slow tempo) continue to work well for me.
The bottom line is that my own adherence to a certain style of training lead to some unhealthy outcomes. Changing routines to better suit your life or your health is sometimes necessary.