MIKE MENTZER: RECOVERY FACTORS AND SPECIFICITY

John, because of these videos I've changed my workout approach 6 months ago SLIGHTLY more like what Mentzer teaches. I can't do HD Style on squats or deadlift (yet) at 44 years old but I can on everything else. I've reduced my workouts to 4-6 exercises and only 2 muscle groups per workout, and I do 3 days per week usually.

Even without any sort of gear whatsoever (and, not even creatine!) I'm getting more mass than I previously did at higher volume, higher frequency.

So, thank you sir.

Really insightful!

How did everyone else get big if they don't allow time for recovery? Is it possible that it both works??

I never realised how overtrained I was until I started following mikes methods. I used to train 5-6 days per week, each body part twice per week. Over time I realised I wasnt progressing much if at all, stuck using the same amount of weight for weeks, even months at a time. Then I started following Mikes work, taking 3 days off between workouts. I noticed by day 3, I noticed that I felt amazing! Full of energy and more alert. It was then I realised how much damage I had done to my central nervous system. Now i takes 3, maybe 4 days off between workouts and my strength increases EVERY workout, definitely building muscle, getting stronger and feeling ALOT better in general. I don't get flus as much as I used to and my lower back and left shoulder pain are completely gone. Training Mike's way definitely works.

This 👆🏿 the one 💯

Gold information here

Mike Mentzer's most important contribution to exercise science (specifically bodybuilding) was his assertion that different people will have different abilities to recover after strenuous exercise. Further to the point - if the exercise is sufficiently intense to reach the point of failure in one-set, for example, per body-part, then anyone no matter how "physiologically-gifted" they are for recovery will need sufficient time to recover in direct proportion to the intensity of exercise. In a nut-shell: the more intense the muscular exertion the more time needed to recover - completely (replenish first - grow second).

Good info here. Thank you! It's also nice to see people commenting how it's worked for them. Just awesome. I'm in. Going to take a little break, like Mike suggested in the last video I watched, then start this program next week. Have a great day!

Thanks again John fantastic information.i think MIKE knew if he kept competing weider and his cronies would make sure he never would get placed or let win ever again.The character and honesty of Mike with his common sense approach to training is becoming more apparent 20 years after he left this earth, I'm 56 now and only tuned to Mike's training last August. My son who is 16 and started his first training in August as well only knows H.I.T. because that's where we started together, his intensity is off the charts and I feel I was training wrong for nearly 40 years😮 but hey its all gravy now..🏋️‍♂️☘️

Venho estudando sobre esse treinamento ha 2 anos, e posso afirmar que os resultados sao surreais!!! Consumindo livros e todos os videos possíveis que ainda existem do mike mentzer

Definitely the most fascinating and uniquely brilliant person I’ve ever known. He had a massive impact on my life that went far beyond bodybuilding.

I am a senior now. I have decided to start working out my upper body. I have a bench and and various dumbbells. I knew it was past the time I should start using them again. Just working upper body, I have noticed that I need three days rest between workouts. That kind of surprised me. Years ago, it was every other day. Thank you for these videos. Of course, I do not do HIT but I am very mindful of what Mike says about it when he talks about you have to do something to stimulate growth. Zane says to get close to that max intensity but if you go over it, you are at a greater risk of injury. He mentions his long time shoulder injury. I am especially careful that I do not tear my triceps when I hold the dumbbell with two hands behind my head and extend it upwards in a triceps raise exercise. It is very important that I write down what I eat each day in a food journal. Keeps me alert to healthy eating.

“Gotta be a little nuts. One way or the other.”

I'm pissed. My college football weight coach didn't give us enough days to recover and grow. We also overtrained body groups the same day too. It was like an aerobics program.. No wonder my bench test sucked for the NFL test.

Does this apply to natty people as well

Weight training adds muscle though and makes body more efficient...in future ..w the fat burning though.

I’ve found Mike about a month ago. And I finally decided to follow he’s advice. Today was my first day of following his program

During leg extensions yesterday when the burn was unbearable i quit 😞.. i knew i could probably get one more rep, but i chickened out. How do you guys fight through the burn with leg extensions?

Mentzer couldn't be recognized because of big pharma and all protein shake business.
Which reminds me of Tesla

Hi there,

I’m 42, been going to the gym for around 8 weeks now. I’ve always gone to gyms on off during my life. I’m not a big heavy lifter,would his approach still benefit me or is mikes approach more for big lifters?

Arnold killed bodybuilding😢

What about combining some yoga for flexibility between HIT workouts? I have some massive posture problems and knots in my back I need to work out

Weight lifting is the best way to be lean/ripped long term simply because of the caloric requirement of more muscle mass. But in terms of actual fat burning in a given activity yes it is bad.

I do cardio alongside Mike's program. It's definitely doable. Obviously there is a trade off with recovery but it's workable.

Mezner got it right while all the others only got it right for the enhanced.

This is what i forgot about, and most people don't realize. Muscle recovery is ONE thing. But when lifting for REAL change, doing H.I.T. Your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervious system BOTH have to recover. As well as ligaments and tendons. I am not sure how long it takes the body's nervous systems to recover, though it seems mentzer is onto something with 3-5 days recovery. But ligaments and tendons take weeks or MONTHS to recover.

He was so far ahead of his time about weight training will not get you lean no matter how much you do & you need to just do quick high intensity workouts and spend the rest of the time on cardio. Even today people who start overweight spend years lifting, usually end up carrying more muscle mass than 90% of the people in the gym yet never control their food or cardio enough to have anything to show. Meanwhile the lean guys lift for 3 hours a day and don’t eat enough food or take in the right macros to see much progress either.

You are real. Still loyal to your friend's legacy after so much time. Truly thanks. It's an honor. Hopefully Mentzer's wisdom gets the appreciation it deserves. I'll do what I can on reaching the ones by my side (translating and convincing) about the heavy duty way.

Previously was doing 5 days a week. Felt fatigue and unable to progress. Ive done research on mike menzter for one week. 2 months forward, i try his split with rest 3 days. Train to failure wtih 50% dropset and rep it out. I grew my legs and back noticeable, my bicept growinh small mountain haha and my energy is great! This training approach really works for me as a natural lifter. Give it a go guys you wont be disappointed. Give it a 2 months.

man thank god i found this man absolute genius

so i'm messing up my rest period if I do an intense hiit ab work out after my Mentzer 1 set-to-failure workout day?

Is this ideology applicable to non-steroid users? I though that natural lifters have a much shorter anabolic window so frequency is much more important to keep the body in an anabolic state

I Have questions did mike rest between ever sets

Mike is a genius.

dude's definitely juiced up

Still early in this and too early to tell if it’s working, but I love how much time I’m saving.

what's the soundtrack called in the beginning of the video

3 days between workouts is the juice! I like to wait until I'm all the way recovered if I feel nagging muscle soreness day 4 or 5 but it is a little agonizing waiting sometimes.

I'm convinced that the new discomfort I'll feel on day 4, 5 or 6 after a workout is growth pain, no longer the injury and recovery soreness. Mike would tell me that pain is because I've been over training😂.

For a person trying to lose weight, gain muscle but still eat a little heavy it gets a little complicated waiting 2-4 days between exercises.

I find the intellectual endeavor of individualized body building and tailoring the theoretical approach of HIT to be exciting but also daunting at times because I feel myself getting caught in the weeds and not seeing the forest for the trees.

All that's to say, Thank You Mike Mentzer for your contribution and for bringing Heavy Duty HIT to the masses.

This video was awesome! He was definitely ahead of his time and I find his bodybuilding philosophy the best out there!!

شكرا لك ملهمي مانرز ❤❤❤❤

من فضلك سيد جون نرجو منك وضع برنامج تدريبي 🌷🌷🙏

He would be so proud if he knew that in 2024 people still take his advice serious…

This is a long lost art. Listening to your intuition, structuring it in a logical way and finally manifesting it into practical reality. Great Job Mike! You are truly missed ❤

Thxxx heavy-duty college. Another awesome educational video. ❤❤❤

Hey John idk if you’ll see this but I had a question about recovery days. So, on rest days did Mike advocate doing light cardio work on rest days when trying to build muscle or to stay at rest?

Really Struggling to find a Gym for this type of training

I should train Monday legs Wednesday push and Friday pull could I switch it to Tuesday Legs Thursdays push and saturdays pull