Started training this way for the first time at 53 this Thanksgiving. I been training since the age 15. My strength is coming back to the caveman level from my 20’s. 🤣 I thought those days were over. My weight is going up every workout or reps. I am feeling like the HULK. It is unreal. The hardest part is not having back to back workouts because I am so excited for every workout.
Same for me. Same age as you and same training experience. I wish I knew of this when I was in my 20's. No joint pain at all, it is unreal and almost unbelievable....
I am doing H.I.T (following his Ideal routine but with 7 days rest between workouts instead of 4) for 4 months now, and only in 4 months i got better progress and faster than in my first 1 and a half years of doing volume training.
The internet is buzzing. And virtually everyone is talking about HIT and Mike Mentzer right now. Its taken 40 years for more people to see its value. Welcome aboard. Im 60 and have been training HIT for 18 years. 30 minutes a week. And have a better physique now than at 30.
Perfect way to start the year. Definitely will implement mike menzters program this year and this video will be the catalyst for that. Thank you John little. And happy newyear
Just purchased "High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way" and looking forward to reading it! I am lucky enough to own original copies of Mentzer's Heavy Duty pamphlets as well, he was ahead of his time, I only wish he was around to see the newest studies and science, we know Mike, you told us so! Science and studies are just now catching up and confirming Mike's techniques and we are slowly learning and developing better techniques as well. Great times to be alive and training! God Bless
Mike was truly the Intellectual Bodybuilder i've ever seen in my life, very smart to make an analogy and training philosophy, Mike was truly the real Fitness Influencers that i trust for a rest of my life, RIP Mike and also Ray👑💪
There were some PDFs of a lot of Mentzers writings with this title on the internet. They are very thought provoking in regards to training and especially recovery.
I wish he was still alive so I could shake his hand. He was the only bodybuilder, along with Vince, who disclosed the secrets and was sincere about helping and teaching 😊
Once more John I commend you. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. It’s very much so a treat to hear words of Mike I’ve never been graced with. By the way If you remember me I went up another 55 pounds on squats, in the beginning Nov 16th I could only do 85 pounds… now, yesterday December 31st I squatted 245 up 165 pounds in 45 days! I make literally 3x times the progress in the same amount of time that some with the so called gold standard touted “Russian System” would. In the same allotment of time I would go up 300 pounds someone with the Russian system would only barely increase 100 pounds. Thank you John wholeheartedly I truly do appreciate you brother!
When you hit a plateau you can even work around time under tension, instead of reps and weight. Slow down your reps, and eventually you'll be able to add reps, weight or both!
I have time off from this training just life in the way etc. Then I start noticing the progress it's crazy I'm a realistic type of person but this just suits me hard gritty training and rest it's really that bloody simple . I've known it all along really just doubt creeps in. Keep going and take a risk people and your be kicking yourself why you haven't been doing this type of training in the past
'He'll be so DARN strong and he'll be lifting so damn heavy' damn bro. just imagine lifting the fall stack on every machine. And the Deadlift/Squat bar completely stacked with 45's. Mentzer turned himself into a damn viltrumite! Mentzer truly turned Yates into a monster. I do personally prefer free weights to machines. But I can definitely see mikes point of using machines for HIT. But at the same time I can see how free weights would be more effective than machines. I'm conflicted on that one. 17:40 THIS is why i've decided to follow mentzers advice on lifting over arnold and anyone that follows anything arnold did.
I don’t 100% train low volume but i do add it into my program for some time then switch back to high volume training, i notice when i go low volume i grow after couple weeks (2-3) then go back to high volume. But in my opinion it’s the high volume stress then the deload aspect of low volume high intensity more rest days more growth but always switching between the two
Gracias por el video y la informacion q brindas de todo lo relacionado a Mike Mentzer y su teoria de alta intensidad del entrenamiento y en especial q este se pueda traducir al idioma Español. Gracias...
What do you think about one set per Day , one muscle group per Day, one exercice everyday, with progressive overload. For example Monday chest with 35 kgs, next Monday 37kgs ...
There's not much in your example so I have to extrapolate a lot from it. Such as I'm guessing you would do other things on the other days like back tuesday legs thurs etc.. until you arrive back to Monday chest again with the increase in progression that you outlined. If so then you're missing the importance of recovery in the program. You may not be working chest for a week but you're still stressing heavily your CNS and thus not giving a lot of time for your body to recover first, "Then" build the extra tissue before your next workout, chest or otherwise.
@@yezzzsir you explained well brother , my english is not very good but i understand, i was just thinking about this method , so adding rest days to let muscle grow , but i was not in the optic to build muscle a lot , its more for cutting , to maintain and maybe if its possible grow muscle during the cut
What would be the logic underpinning this? Providing the muscle group conforms to a 24.2 hour circadian rhythm, train the whole body each 25 hours. The cycle necessitates stimulation, recovery then growth. When growth has occurred there is no point in resting longer between sessions; further growth requires further stimulation by training. If you could lift 100lb, and increase by 1lb each workout, 6 sessions per week would indeed result in a 300% increase within a year. The training protocol has to adjust to compensate for the increase in waste products that attend more intense muscular contractions.
Hi and happy new year to everyone. Should I be expecting to muscle soreness? Previously I thought the level of post training muscle soreness is a good sign of how hard I worked out Ie. The more the better? Can someone comment on this, in relation to Mike's HIT process please?
Excuse me John but I have a question about when to train again because like let's say I work a chest and back on Monday, can I do legs and abs on Tuesday or does Mike really mean to wait for 4-7 days for the next workout?
You would need to take time off in between workouts, so you would not train two days in a row. How much time you take off in between workouts, however, is very much up to your own personal rate of recovery. Some people are good to train again in 48 hours, others need considerably more time off in between.
00:35 Interesting fact: According to some historians, Michelangelo's "creation of Adam" painting actually had a double meaning. Aside from the creation of Adam biblical story, it also meant Zeus's extracurricular activities with other males. Hence, Zeus and Ganymede. You can't put the Creator of the heavens and the earth in a picture frame.
I believe this is possible. I doubt many will do it, most of us will waste so much time. The reality is the effort required, knocking out squats, deadlifts is very high.
If your goal is to turn on the light, you flip the switch, it does no good to continue to flip the switch on and off tou will only WEAR IT OUT you dont need more sets and reps but focused intensity and rest
I train full body Mon and Thurs keeping the workouts under 45 min. Muscles respond well to frequency at least twice a week doing compound exercises. Train light and control the monentum. Save your joints from wear and tear from heavy. Respects to Mike Mentzer my friend and whom I trained with back the Golden Era.
3-4 warm up sets going up in weight preparing your body for the final set, this is the work set, everything else before was just a warm up for your muscles and nervous system, last set max weight to all out failure, it's your mind you will be battling the most , push through the pain
Trying this method and I fell in love with it. Mike knew his stuff, sad to see so many haters and youtube fitness "influencers" talking so many crap about him.
They all talk crap about him then implement his techniques in there training programs I find it historical and then I loose all respect for that person
Share your experience. What routine did you follow? How many rest days between workouts? Did you reach positive failure or negative failure also? How much Wright did you gain and in what timelapse?
I wish he had more time amongst us…a true visionary…a legend…regardless of what others can say. He went back to the cave to tell others “the guardians silhouettes were just reflections from a fire on the wall!” Ignorants preferred and still do…to keep believing the lies.
Lot of Mentzer thinking is sound, however, the truth is, if he were able to find that magic formula everyone would be training that way. Based on my understanding, he was looking, looking but could not find it. And that's because there is large variability between people. If someone is hard gainer he is going to be hard gainer on one set and on 10 sets per week, but research now shows he will gain more on 10 sets per week. See studies by Schoenfeld and others. Mentzer talks about minimum amount of work to trigger hypertrophy but that is not a binary state in sense that if you trigger it you get all the gains and if you don't you get nothing. Its dose dependent relationship like everything in the body. You will not train for a marathon by running 1 mile runs. Dose matters. I see Mentzer contribution in the approach to finding what will work for you. Yes, start with one hard set, but evaluate. Is it working? Do you want more gains? Try 2 sets, etc. Not everyone can do blood and guts Yates style sets. Also his underlining of the importance of rest is critical. All of these factors, how many sets, how often etc. is something you need to evaluate yourself carefully to find out what works for you. I don't think anyone without training you and observing your progress can give you magic number of reps and sets and tell you that will give you the best results.
While you have raised some very good points, they are also points that Mike himself raised in different videos on this channel. He did indicate that there is a wide-range of variation with individuals with respect to exercise tolerance. Some can tolerate training more frequently than others. He further counselled that each trainee must work out the practical application; that is, how many sets, reps, workouts, are best for that individual’s genetic predisposition. The magic formula, then, is determining that sweet spot for each individual. It’s important to note that Brad Schoenfeld’s research has not been without criticism from the academic/physiology community, which has indicated that the evidence he cites does not support the conclusions he advances. The most vocal among these critics was Ralph Caprinelli. According to Carpinelli: “It [Schoenfeld’s conclusions] reveals that many of the recommended resistance training protocols have their foundation in some long-held, self-described bias. Blinding of assessors and statisticians, self-plagiarism, authorship responsibility, and conflicts of interest are briefly discussed as well. The conclusion is that most of the published peer-reviewed resistance training literature failed to provide any compelling evidence that the manipulation of any one or combination of the aforementioned variables can significantly affect the degree of muscle hypertrophy, especially in well-trained participants. Although the specific stimulus for optimal gains in muscle mass is unknown, many authors are desperately clinging to their unsupported belief that a greater volume of exercise will produce superior muscle hypertrophy.” www.researchgate.net/publication/344614244_CRITICAL_COMMENTARY_ON_THE_STIMULUS_FOR_MUSCLE_HYPERTROPHY_IN_EXPERIENCED_TRAINEES Also, according to Carpinelli: “There is a prevalent belief that at least 3 sets of each exercise are required to elicit optimal increases in strength and hypertrophy. However, most of the studies that reported the results of training with single versus multiple sets do not substantiate this tenet. In fact, the preponderance of evidence suggests that for training durations of 4 to 25 weeks there is no significant difference in the increase in strength or hypertrophy as a result of training with single versus multiple sets. “ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9777681/ Other more recent critiques off Schoenfeld are readily available online. Interestingly, Schoenfeld was part of a paper published in June 2021 that provided strong evidence for the benefits of abbreviated training along the lines of what Mike Mentzer advocated (once a week), limited sets (4 - pretty much what Mike employed and recommended in the 70s through till the mid 1990s), and only three exercises (a “Big 3” as prescribed in “Body By Science” or Mike’s initial Consolidation Routine). Some excerpts from Schoenfeld’s paper are: “Several studies have demonstrated that performing only a single set three times per week is effective for increasing strength and hypertrophy.” “Emerging evidence indicates that it is possible to achieve similar training effects by training once a week compared to a higher frequency when total weekly volume is equated.” “Evidence shows that significant muscular gains can be obtained from a low training volume.” Here is a link to the paper: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8449772/pdf/40279_2021_Article_1490.pdf
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE I agree, for me the most valuable teaching from Mike is the process or if you will algorithm of finding what will work for me as well as starting that exploration with 1 set. I am just raising the point that there is a dose response relationship between amount of the exercise and hypertrophy which is clearly indicated by inability of anyone pretty much to pin it to either 1 set only or 20 sets per week. Furthermore, things are complicated by steroid users who will grow on almost any program you throw at them. So, point I am making, you have to find out what will work for yourself using these principles, but don't be pigeonholed into 1 set only mentality as a hard rule that cannot be broken.
However, if you understand that the last rep of the set (going to failure) is the stimulus (which at least one study has indicated it is - whether with high reps or low reps), then one set should prove sufficient to stimulate growth. If it's not, i.e., if there was no growth stimulation from one set, then how would performing repeats of the same non-productive set result in a positive? Moreover, was the one set taken to true failure or just to the level of discomfort? Are the multiple sets accumulative to the point where - eventually - the trainee hits failure? And, if so, wouldn't it make more sense to simply ensure that you are giving that one set the full focus it requires? DeLorme and Watkins many decades back recommended three sets per exercise; the first two being more or less preparatory. But even DeLorme said that the third set (one set) was probably all that was required. Factor in a multitude of other factors that can influence response (genetics being primary), and there might be any one of a number of factors, or many factors, that prevent an ideal response from taking place. I'm inclined to side with Mike on this; the stimulus has universal application but the response to the stimulus is genetically determined (including how frequently one can apply it successfully). Just food for thought. Also, having said this, Mike wasn't locked into the notion of doing only one set per bodypart; indeed, for chest, quads (and sometimes back) he recommended one set each of two different exercises (two sets total). His experience training over 2,000 clients was that one set per exercise was sufficient and no more than two sets per bodypart.
Thank you for standing up to the criticism of Mike’s tried and true method. His program has done wonders for my gains and not just my physical gains, but my mental and emotional ones too!
Applying these principles and really valuing them requires maturity. Younger guys love the gimmicks, once that gets out the system then HIT starts making sense
I’m not sure I understand your question. My initial reaction was simply do a full body workout when you can find the time during the week. It’s pretty simple to achieve and you don’t need a lot of exercises. Try implementing one of Mike’s Consolidated programs. These are whole body workouts.
Oh, okay - so it's not a full body (per workout) you're looking for. Yes, do (for instance) chest & back on Monday, take two or three days off and do (legs), take another two or three days off and do shoulders and arms and so on.
Two sets per week eh? I heard John saying if forced to say whats the quickest way to build muscle two sets a week would be the most productive, ill give this a shot and report back in a month. Leg Press every week and ill rotate a push/push exercise.
Two sets per week results. 2/1/2024 Leg press 1:40 55kg Overhead press 1:30 25kg 8/1/2024 Leg press 1:05 65kg Hammer strength pull-down 3:30 50kg 15/1/2024 Leg press 1:59 65kg Overhead press 1:37 25kg 22/1/2024 Leg press 1:33 75kg Hammer strength pull-down 1:33 60kg Huge jump in the leg press, which is interesting, usually it took about 3 weeks to recover from that exercise when i was doing four or five other exercises. Hard to say if there was any significant increase in the push pull movements, but I'm pretty happy with the results, psychologically i feel like i push it harder knowing there are only two sets to do. I would like to work every muscle in my body as well, so ill have to find a way to keep in minimal without allowing atrophy to occur in the weeks muscle groups are resting. @@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE
@@johnnybegood9560 I think I will trust the science on this one ... buddy. Specifically, the sciences of physics, biology, environmental, astrophysics, solar, heliophysics, astrobiology, astronomy, computer science, electronics, jet propulsion science (chemical rockets, ion thrusters, plasma thrusters), mechanics, engineering - and I'm probably missing some. But glad to learn that you're not falling for the bullshit known as science.
Started training this way for the first time at 53 this Thanksgiving. I been training since the age 15. My strength is coming back to the caveman level from my 20’s. 🤣 I thought those days were over. My weight is going up every workout or reps. I am feeling like the HULK. It is unreal. The hardest part is not having back to back workouts because I am so excited for every workout.
Lift on and rest just as heavy brother 💯🙏🏾
Well done brother!
Same for me. Same age as you and same training experience. I wish I knew of this when I was in my 20's. No joint pain at all, it is unreal and almost unbelievable....
Which version is MOST effective?
@@jonhenson5450 on this same channel, their most popular video is called "the ideal routine"
Its almost shocking how fast and easy your gains come once you do this program. It goes against everything you are used to in the gym.
This is the best program I have try so far I enjoy maxing out and going for one more rep
@@AlexLopez-jt5zc That and trying the hold and squeeze right before failure adds a little spice lol.
I am doing H.I.T (following his Ideal routine but with 7 days rest between workouts instead of 4) for 4 months now, and only in 4 months i got better progress and faster than in my first 1 and a half years of doing volume training.
Same (im resting for 10-12 days)
@@aymen82You mean resting to workout the same muscles again?
@@davidr6914 no between workouts
But im doing it with really high intensity
That sometimes i would have to throw up
@@aymen82 Thanks !.
Do you mean, that you perfom some particular exercise (or workout for the same muscle group) once in 2 weeks ?
The internet is buzzing. And virtually everyone is talking about HIT and Mike Mentzer right now. Its taken 40 years for more people to see its value. Welcome aboard. Im 60 and have been training HIT for 18 years. 30 minutes a week. And have a better physique now than at 30.
Perfect way to start the year. Definitely will implement mike menzters program this year and this video will be the catalyst for that. Thank you John little. And happy newyear
Thank you very much and happy new year to you as well.
Just purchased "High Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way" and looking forward to reading it! I am lucky enough to own original copies of Mentzer's Heavy Duty pamphlets as well, he was ahead of his time, I only wish he was around to see the newest studies and science, we know Mike, you told us so! Science and studies are just now catching up and confirming Mike's techniques and we are slowly learning and developing better techniques as well. Great times to be alive and training! God Bless
How’s it going? Just started
2024 the year of Heavy Duty.
Yes 😂😂
2025 also 😊
2025 Too.
Mike was truly the Intellectual Bodybuilder i've ever seen in my life, very smart to make an analogy and training philosophy, Mike was truly the real Fitness Influencers that i trust for a rest of my life, RIP Mike and also Ray👑💪
His vocabulary is really good for a body builder
I have been following his program for quite a while now. The results are amazing!
Thanks for all the info/video`s John. I wish you and your familly all the luck and health in 2024.
You're welcome - and all the best to you in fortune and health in 2024 as well!
One of his best videos so far!
There were some PDFs of a lot of Mentzers writings with this title on the internet. They are very thought provoking in regards to training and especially recovery.
Can you share the links of these PDFs?
Rest is power Mike mentzer, I wish I would have came across your videos a long time ago but I'm putting your knowledge to good use
I wish he was still alive so I could shake his hand. He was the only bodybuilder, along with Vince, who disclosed the secrets and was sincere about helping and teaching 😊
And so he could see how many people love his workout technique
mike was a way head of that time high intensity heavy duty works and that’s why i call mike THE WALTER WHITE 🕵🏻OF BODYBUILDING 💪🏻
Once more John I commend you. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. It’s very much so a treat to hear words of Mike I’ve never been graced with. By the way If you remember me I went up another 55 pounds on squats, in the beginning Nov 16th I could only do 85 pounds… now, yesterday December 31st I squatted 245 up 165 pounds in 45 days! I make literally 3x times the progress in the same amount of time that some with the so called gold standard touted “Russian System” would. In the same allotment of time I would go up 300 pounds someone with the Russian system would only barely increase 100 pounds. Thank you John wholeheartedly I truly do appreciate you brother!
Congratulations on your continued progress - and thanks for the kind words.
When you hit a plateau you can even work around time under tension, instead of reps and weight. Slow down your reps, and eventually you'll be able to add reps, weight or both!
happy new year to all my heavy hitters
This was beautiful to hear. Thanks john.
This is the way.
Thank you for this video and for all the great work you do with this channel
You're very welcome - thanks for the kind words.
HIT has really complimented my boxing
I have time off from this training just life in the way etc. Then I start noticing the progress it's crazy I'm a realistic type of person but this just suits me hard gritty training and rest it's really that bloody simple . I've known it all along really just doubt creeps in. Keep going and take a risk people and your be kicking yourself why you haven't been doing this type of training in the past
Thank you John. Happy New Year.
You’re welcome and happy new year to you as well.
Happy new year!
Happy new year to you as well.
'He'll be so DARN strong and he'll be lifting so damn heavy' damn bro. just imagine lifting the fall stack on every machine. And the Deadlift/Squat bar completely stacked with 45's. Mentzer turned himself into a damn viltrumite! Mentzer truly turned Yates into a monster. I do personally prefer free weights to machines. But I can definitely see mikes point of using machines for HIT. But at the same time I can see how free weights would be more effective than machines. I'm conflicted on that one. 17:40 THIS is why i've decided to follow mentzers advice on lifting over arnold and anyone that follows anything arnold did.
I don’t 100% train low volume but i do add it into my program for some time then switch back to high volume training, i notice when i go low volume i grow after couple weeks (2-3) then go back to high volume. But in my opinion it’s the high volume stress then the deload aspect of low volume high intensity more rest days more growth but always switching between the two
Lol
I hope to give a six week update this week.
?
Gracias por el video y la informacion q brindas de todo lo relacionado a Mike Mentzer y su teoria de alta intensidad del entrenamiento y en especial q este se pueda traducir al idioma Español. Gracias...
De Nada, amigo👍
You can tell he didn't like Mike answer didn't like the fact he gave him love Mike his technique has been helping me improve more and more❤❤
What do you think about one set per Day , one muscle group per Day, one exercice everyday, with progressive overload.
For example Monday chest with 35 kgs, next Monday 37kgs ...
There's not much in your example so I have to extrapolate a lot from it. Such as I'm guessing you would do other things on the other days like back tuesday legs thurs etc.. until you arrive back to Monday chest again with the increase in progression that you outlined. If so then you're missing the importance of recovery in the program. You may not be working chest for a week but you're still stressing heavily your CNS and thus not giving a lot of time for your body to recover first, "Then" build the extra tissue before your next workout, chest or otherwise.
@@yezzzsir you explained well brother , my english is not very good but i understand, i was just thinking about this method , so adding rest days to let muscle grow , but i was not in the optic to build muscle a lot , its more for cutting , to maintain and maybe if its possible grow muscle during the cut
What would be the logic underpinning this?
Providing the muscle group conforms to a 24.2 hour circadian rhythm, train the whole body each 25 hours. The cycle necessitates stimulation, recovery then growth. When growth has occurred there is no point in resting longer between sessions; further growth requires further stimulation by training.
If you could lift 100lb, and increase by 1lb each workout, 6 sessions per week would indeed result in a 300% increase within a year.
The training protocol has to adjust to compensate for the increase in waste products that attend more intense muscular contractions.
Hi and happy new year to everyone. Should I be expecting to muscle soreness? Previously I thought the level of post training muscle soreness is a good sign of how hard I worked out Ie. The more the better? Can someone comment on this, in relation to Mike's HIT process please?
Excuse me John but I have a question about when to train again because like let's say I work a chest and back on Monday, can I do legs and abs on Tuesday or does Mike really mean to wait for 4-7 days for the next workout?
You would need to take time off in between workouts, so you would not train two days in a row. How much time you take off in between workouts, however, is very much up to your own personal rate of recovery. Some people are good to train again in 48 hours, others need considerably more time off in between.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE okay cool thank you John that helps a lot.
00:35 Interesting fact: According to some historians, Michelangelo's "creation of Adam" painting actually had a double meaning. Aside from the creation of Adam biblical story, it also meant Zeus's extracurricular activities with other males. Hence, Zeus and Ganymede. You can't put the Creator of the heavens and the earth in a picture frame.
I believe this is possible. I doubt many will do it, most of us will waste so much time. The reality is the effort required, knocking out squats, deadlifts is very high.
Heavy Duty works!
If you want to do a second set, then you didn't work hard enough on the first set. I do my one set and there's no way I want anymore!!
I do like 1-2 warm ups on compounds and 1 warm on isolations.
If your goal is to turn on the light, you flip the switch, it does no good to continue to flip the switch on and off tou will only WEAR IT OUT
you dont need more sets and reps but focused intensity and rest
Happy New Year, John Little!
Thank you very much, and happy new year to you as well!
I train full body Mon and Thurs keeping the workouts under 45 min. Muscles respond well to frequency at least twice a week doing compound exercises. Train light and control the monentum. Save your joints from wear and tear from heavy. Respects to Mike Mentzer my friend and whom I trained with back the Golden Era.
Happy New Year from India
Many thanks! And Happy New Year to you as well.
I hope one day I can look like Mike menzter or his client Marcus haaha
Marcus has his own channel now 💪
ThankQ
Should i do warmup set(s) before the hit set, if yes, then how many? Thanks for the content as always.
Do only as many warm up sets as you believe necessary to prepare yourself for the working set, but don't turn your warming up into a separate workout.
3-4 warm up sets going up in weight preparing your body for the final set, this is the work set, everything else before was just a warm up for your muscles and nervous system, last set max weight to all out failure, it's your mind you will be battling the most , push through the pain
Trying this method and I fell in love with it. Mike knew his stuff, sad to see so many haters and youtube fitness "influencers" talking so many crap about him.
They all talk crap about him then implement his techniques in there training programs I find it historical and then I loose all respect for that person
@@kilner79 I consider them scumbags bro
Share your experience. What routine did you follow? How many rest days between workouts? Did you reach positive failure or negative failure also? How much Wright did you gain and in what timelapse?
I wish he had more time amongst us…a true visionary…a legend…regardless of what others can say. He went back to the cave to tell others “the guardians silhouettes were just reflections from a fire on the wall!” Ignorants preferred and still do…to keep believing the lies.
I like the reference to “The Republic” and Plato’s cave analogy. Very true. Thanks for your post.
What year was this interview? Just curious
Lot of Mentzer thinking is sound, however, the truth is, if he were able to find that magic formula everyone would be training that way. Based on my understanding, he was looking, looking but could not find it. And that's because there is large variability between people. If someone is hard gainer he is going to be hard gainer on one set and on 10 sets per week, but research now shows he will gain more on 10 sets per week. See studies by Schoenfeld and others.
Mentzer talks about minimum amount of work to trigger hypertrophy but that is not a binary state in sense that if you trigger it you get all the gains and if you don't you get nothing. Its dose dependent relationship like everything in the body. You will not train for a marathon by running 1 mile runs. Dose matters.
I see Mentzer contribution in the approach to finding what will work for you. Yes, start with one hard set, but evaluate. Is it working? Do you want more gains? Try 2 sets, etc. Not everyone can do blood and guts Yates style sets. Also his underlining of the importance of rest is critical.
All of these factors, how many sets, how often etc. is something you need to evaluate yourself carefully to find out what works for you. I don't think anyone without training you and observing your progress can give you magic number of reps and sets and tell you that will give you the best results.
While you have raised some very good points, they are also points that Mike himself raised in different videos on this channel. He did indicate that there is a wide-range of variation with individuals with respect to exercise tolerance. Some can tolerate training more frequently than others. He further counselled that each trainee must work out the practical application; that is, how many sets, reps, workouts, are best for that individual’s genetic predisposition. The magic formula, then, is determining that sweet spot for each individual.
It’s important to note that Brad Schoenfeld’s research has not been without criticism from the academic/physiology community, which has indicated that the evidence he cites does not support the conclusions he advances. The most vocal among these critics was Ralph Caprinelli.
According to Carpinelli:
“It [Schoenfeld’s conclusions] reveals that many of the recommended resistance training protocols have their foundation in some long-held, self-described bias. Blinding of assessors and statisticians, self-plagiarism, authorship responsibility, and conflicts of interest are briefly discussed as well. The conclusion is that most of the published peer-reviewed resistance training literature failed to provide any compelling evidence that the manipulation of any one or combination of the aforementioned variables can significantly affect the degree of muscle hypertrophy, especially in well-trained participants. Although the specific stimulus for optimal gains in muscle mass is unknown, many authors are desperately clinging to their unsupported belief that a greater volume of exercise will produce superior muscle hypertrophy.”
www.researchgate.net/publication/344614244_CRITICAL_COMMENTARY_ON_THE_STIMULUS_FOR_MUSCLE_HYPERTROPHY_IN_EXPERIENCED_TRAINEES
Also, according to Carpinelli:
“There is a prevalent belief that at least 3 sets of each exercise are required to elicit optimal increases in strength and hypertrophy. However, most of the studies that reported the results of training with single versus multiple sets do not substantiate this tenet. In fact, the preponderance of evidence suggests that for training durations of 4 to 25 weeks there is no significant difference in the increase in strength or hypertrophy as a result of training with single versus multiple sets. “
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9777681/
Other more recent critiques off Schoenfeld are readily available online. Interestingly, Schoenfeld was part of a paper published in June 2021 that provided strong evidence for the benefits of abbreviated training along the lines of what Mike Mentzer advocated (once a week), limited sets (4 - pretty much what Mike employed and recommended in the 70s through till the mid 1990s), and only three exercises (a “Big 3” as prescribed in “Body By Science” or Mike’s initial Consolidation Routine). Some excerpts from Schoenfeld’s paper are:
“Several studies have demonstrated that performing only a single set three times per week is effective for increasing strength and hypertrophy.”
“Emerging evidence indicates that it is possible to achieve similar training effects by training once a week compared to a higher frequency when total weekly volume is equated.”
“Evidence shows that significant muscular gains can be obtained from a low training volume.”
Here is a link to the paper:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8449772/pdf/40279_2021_Article_1490.pdf
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE I agree, for me the most valuable teaching from Mike is the process or if you will algorithm of finding what will work for me as well as starting that exploration with 1 set. I am just raising the point that there is a dose response relationship between amount of the exercise and hypertrophy which is clearly indicated by inability of anyone pretty much to pin it to either 1 set only or 20 sets per week. Furthermore, things are complicated by steroid users who will grow on almost any program you throw at them. So, point I am making, you have to find out what will work for yourself using these principles, but don't be pigeonholed into 1 set only mentality as a hard rule that cannot be broken.
However, if you understand that the last rep of the set (going to failure) is the stimulus (which at least one study has indicated it is - whether with high reps or low reps), then one set should prove sufficient to stimulate growth. If it's not, i.e., if there was no growth stimulation from one set, then how would performing repeats of the same non-productive set result in a positive? Moreover, was the one set taken to true failure or just to the level of discomfort? Are the multiple sets accumulative to the point where - eventually - the trainee hits failure? And, if so, wouldn't it make more sense to simply ensure that you are giving that one set the full focus it requires? DeLorme and Watkins many decades back recommended three sets per exercise; the first two being more or less preparatory. But even DeLorme said that the third set (one set) was probably all that was required. Factor in a multitude of other factors that can influence response (genetics being primary), and there might be any one of a number of factors, or many factors, that prevent an ideal response from taking place. I'm inclined to side with Mike on this; the stimulus has universal application but the response to the stimulus is genetically determined (including how frequently one can apply it successfully). Just food for thought. Also, having said this, Mike wasn't locked into the notion of doing only one set per bodypart; indeed, for chest, quads (and sometimes back) he recommended one set each of two different exercises (two sets total). His experience training over 2,000 clients was that one set per exercise was sufficient and no more than two sets per bodypart.
Thank you for standing up to the criticism of Mike’s tried and true method. His program has done wonders for my gains and not just my physical gains, but my mental and emotional ones too!
Good edit. If you know you know.
Applying these principles and really valuing them requires maturity. Younger guys love the gimmicks, once that gets out the system then HIT starts making sense
How do i implement a full body workout during the week?
I’m not sure I understand your question. My initial reaction was simply do a full body workout when you can find the time during the week. It’s pretty simple to achieve and you don’t need a lot of exercises. Try implementing one of Mike’s Consolidated programs. These are whole body workouts.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE for example, Monday I do chest/back, do I wait 3 or days and do legs, or I can do legs on Tuesday?
Oh, okay - so it's not a full body (per workout) you're looking for. Yes, do (for instance) chest & back on Monday, take two or three days off and do (legs), take another two or three days off and do shoulders and arms and so on.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE oh wow! Can I build muscle like this?!?!
@@Favoured-cg5vx Yes, to whatever your genetic potential may happen to be.
2025. Start a heavy duty's program and do it very hard. See the result in 6 months.
Two sets per week eh? I heard John saying if forced to say whats the quickest way to build muscle two sets a week would be the most productive, ill give this a shot and report back in a month. Leg Press every week and ill rotate a push/push exercise.
All the best with your experiment.
My genetics are "I was always the last picked for sports in school"@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE
Two sets per week results.
2/1/2024
Leg press 1:40 55kg
Overhead press 1:30 25kg
8/1/2024
Leg press 1:05 65kg
Hammer strength pull-down 3:30 50kg
15/1/2024
Leg press 1:59 65kg
Overhead press 1:37 25kg
22/1/2024
Leg press 1:33 75kg
Hammer strength pull-down 1:33 60kg
Huge jump in the leg press, which is interesting, usually it took about 3 weeks to recover from that exercise when i was doing four or five other exercises.
Hard to say if there was any significant increase in the push pull movements, but I'm pretty happy with the results, psychologically i feel like i push it harder knowing there are only two sets to do. I would like to work every muscle in my body as well, so ill have to find a way to keep in minimal without allowing atrophy to occur in the weeks muscle groups are resting.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE
How did it go
666th like! Also I gain strength with each workout! Mike is the GOAT!
2024, if Mike were still here i think he would have changed his mind on man going to the moon and back lol
I shouldn’t think so: www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-debunked
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE 😃 trust the science buddy... the moon lander looked like a child's art project
@@johnnybegood9560 I think I will trust the science on this one ... buddy. Specifically, the sciences of physics, biology, environmental, astrophysics, solar, heliophysics, astrobiology, astronomy, computer science, electronics, jet propulsion science (chemical rockets, ion thrusters, plasma thrusters), mechanics, engineering - and I'm probably missing some. But glad to learn that you're not falling for the bullshit known as science.