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Mike Mentzer Facts vs Myths
Posted by: Paul
I occasionally read online articles and watch videos that are supposed to be about Mike Mentzer's training and diet, but sadly a lot of the time the people writing the articles or doing the videos have no idea what they are taking about - they never actually read any of Mike Mentzer books, let alone met the man, so they are simply repeating what they read or watched that was from other people who had no idea what they were talking about.
With so many people repeating the same false information not only about Mike's workouts and nutrition, but also about him as a person, it starts to seem true because it's said by so many people. But repeating a lie over and over doesn't ever make it actually true.
One thing that really gets me is the arrogance of people that don't know what they are taking about presenting themselves as experts and authorities on the subject. They will even argue with someone that actually knows what they are talking about.
I read every book and articles that Mike Mentzer wrote, listened to every interview and recorded seminar he did, and even knew him and was personally trained by him. I spent time taking with him, asking questions and picking his brain, so when it comes to Mike Mentzer I do know what I am talking about.
I'm going to try and dispel some of the biggest myths and replace them with the truth.
Myth: One of the biggest lies is that Mike built all his size on volume training and only after that did he switch to high intensity training.
Truth: The truth is that Mike started training at 12 years old, he got his first weight set with an instruction manual that said to train no more then 3 days a week and do no more then 3 sets for each body part. He followed that program for years and made rapid progress so much so that by the time he was 15 years old he looked like a bodybuilder with big, round muscles and was also very strong, he was bench pressing 370 pounds. So, he actually built his basic size on a low volume, high intensity training program. After that he did a few years of high volume training during which time his gains were so slow to non-existent that he considered giving up on his goal of being a bodybuilder. It was then that he met Arthur Jones who told told him that to build muscle workouts should be intense, brief and infrequent. Mike went back to low volume, high intensity training and he grew so fast that it shocked people.
Myth: Another lie is that Heavy Duty was just a way for Mike to make money, he trained the same as everyone else.
Truth: The truth is Mike believed 100 percent in his Heavy Duty, High Intensity training system and anyone that actually know his attests to the fact that he trained exactly as he said, just doing a few sets for each body part and working out no more that 30 to 40 minutes three to four days a week. Also Mike was a man of integrity, he didn't sell anything he didn't believe in himself. He said in an interview that he could have been a millionaire if he started his own supplement company, be he never did that because he felt that at the time almost all supplements were overhyped snake oil that didn't really work.
Myth: Another lie that won't seem to go away is that Mike died from steroids.
Truth: The truth is that while steroids do have health consequences, saying Mike's cause of death was directly and only from the use of steroids is not at all true. The Mentzer family has a genetic proposition to cardiovascular disease and blood clotting issues, his father also died fairly young and he never took any steroids. Mike died from an apparent heart attack, which was unrelated to his earlier use of steroids, which he hadn't taken for many years prior to his passing.
I hope this clears up some of the misinformation about Mike Mentzer, and if you want to get the straight information on his exact training and nutrition you should get my new book Mike Mentzer and Me: My Heavy Duty Journal of High Intensity Training The Logical Approach to Bodybuilding.
Check it out at https://www.trulyhuge.com/mike-mentzer-book.html
You can also find it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Mike-Mentzer-Me-Intensity-Bodybuilding/dp/B0CLSXR7WC/
And eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/196049887376
If you have any questions about Mike Mentzer or High Intensity Training email me and I'll get back to you with an answer as quick as I can.
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