Squats 1 Set x 6-8 Reps. iii. Arthur Jones frequently said that when he trained Viator, Casey got bigger and leaner, by the day. Life is too short to be small. There was none of this flexed posturing that you normally see among men with big arms. In this interview the author of the best-selling Nautilus book series retraces his early training days with Arthur Jones and Casey Viator and talks about some of the golden-age bodybuilders who inspired him. This exercise program was predicated on performing 69 reps at his maximal lifting capacity for each set. Legs. What was Ray Mentzer's arm training routine? Bill Pearl was a major influence on Rays bodybuilding. He played defensive tackle and was about 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 230 pounds. About 75 of my old friends were there and we had a great time reliving the good old days. One of the highlights was a film that Terry Todd, of the University of Texas, had assembled that showed black-and-white movie clips from the AAU Mr. America contests, 1940 through 1954. Mike and Ray Mentzer Dead Monday morning, June 11, 2001, an e-mail was sent to us saying that Mike Mentzer has passed away June 9th. Ellington Darden: I certainly think timed static contractions have value. If isometrics are doing something to foster the creation of cross-bridges, I wonder if theres a performance-price to be paid elsewhere? Arthur almost killed me, Viator remembered. It was the essential basic Heavy Duty routine consisting of four to five sets per bodypart and broken into two workouts. Are you struggling to build muscle or maintain your weight? It didn't take long for Ray's body weight to climb from 250 to a lean 260 pounds. Ellington Darden: Lou Schuler, who was recently appointed editor of Rodales newest magazine called, Mens Health MUSCLE, asked me the same question a while back. MIKE MENTZER: "MY HEAVY DUTY WORKOUT ROUTINE" - YouTube In the middle of the Nautilus compound was a non-descript, 30- by 50-foot, metal building, which was the home of 40 large crocodiles that Jones had brought in from Jamaica. When Ken started high school he became a friend to one of my Conroe classmates, Philip Alexander, who was in medical school in Houston. At any rate, Ray was actually a really big, strong dude in his peak years, sometimes weighing in at a massive 270 pounds or more. Drew Baye: In part IV of your book, you devote a chapter to each of eight different specialized routines. Ellington Darden: Actually, I guess what Im saying is that if you want to get the best-possible results from HIT, you must have Arthur Jones as your personal trainer. Naturally, isolation is an important component for stimulating muscle growth, and exercises that work large muscle areas don't have to be compound movements. Ray neglected to tell Martina that there were dangerous crocodiles inside. I thought Mike would have thrived being around Nautilus and Arthur Jones. What do you think of his not to fail sets? Ray will be remembered for his incredible strength and never-say-die outlook on training and life. Ive never taken Drews writings, comments as disdain for slow rep training. Our double-team plan had failed. The only possible mechanism I can see working against isometrics is if the load is needed to shock the muscles into contracting more strongly than is possible voluntarily, even where the isometric trainer is very experienced and determined. Calf Raise1 1/4 reps Mike eventually decided to call it a day and go to bed as exhaustion set in. Not surprising to me, the addition of 18-1/2 pounds of muscle increased his resting metabolic rate by 530 calories, or 28.6 calories per pound of added muscle per day. It's part of bodybuilding legend how the squat affects overall body strength and size. A goal of 160,000 for The New HIT seems reachable. And there was Marvin Eder, who never achieved Mr. America, but it was clear from the film that he should have won in the early 1950s. Did he ever do any amusing things around Nautilus? After graduating from high school, he worked in United States Air Force and started working out 3 hours a day and 6 days a week. Mike and Ray are genetic oddities, and I never imagined theyd turn out the way they did. But soon after Ray called it a day on his bodybuilding career, he developed kidney issues. A few years later, a significantly more muscular Mentzer emerged in the IFBB and began an incredible career, climbing the ladder of national and international physique titles, growing gigantic in the process. Then, he discusses how he merged his experiences into his latest publication, The New High Intensity Training Introduction In early 1971, because of business and travel commitments, Jones stopped personally training Viator. All the other HIT books eventually have you performing split routines. 1976 Jr. Mr. America (Tall) Staying off stages for most of the rest of the decade, Viator worked for Jones at Nautilus until 1978. Being 32, super busy, getting little sleep and working so much did not help. As HIT decreased its following from 16 to 8 percent, high-volume training (HVT) increased its numbers from 16 to 24 percent. The Mike Mentzer Archives Articles, Interviews, and Quotes from Chin I met Mike seven years ago in Gold's Gym in Venice, when I was one of his numerous in-gym clients. I talked about not-to-failure training in the middle of my first Nautilus book, but it wasnt emphasized. Best arms: three-way tie among Casey Viator, Sergio Oliva, and Boyer Coe Best chest: Arnold Schwarzenegger Best shoulders: Scott Wilson Best back: Dorian Yates Best thighs: Tom Platz Best calves: Chris Dickerson Best forearms: Casey Viator Best abdominals: Frank Zane Most muscular: Sergio Oliva Best overall first impression: Boyer Coe at the 1965 Mr. Texas contest Strongest during multiple workouts: Ray Mentzer Best consistent workout form: Robert Berg, a bodybuilder and a medical doctor from Stuart, Florida. As bodybuilders most of us want to feel as though we're "sculpting our bodies" not allowing nature (read: rest) to do most of the job for us. Ray Mentzer Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com His triceps, in particular, when viewed from behind, reminded one of two . Sorry for the humungous post Drew; hope it is useful. But Ive never had the chance to train him, or train with him. Bent Over rows Ray Mentzer Diet Plan, Workout Routine, Exercise, Body Measurements Seriously, I know that most people will have great difficulty even locating a knowledgeable trainer, much less ever getting a personal training session from Arthur Jones. Ray and his teammates would move incredibly heavy objects while taking a lot of pauses. Rodales marketing team assures me that the book will be: Excerpted in Mens Health MUSCLE magazine (September issue). For your next workout, I want you to increase the resistance by 25 percent (which is 75 percent of your normal resistance for 10 repetitions). Mike Mentzer's training style developed from HIT, High-Intensity Training that was founded by Arthur Jones in the 70's. Mentzer though, built on this model, opted for a 'Heavy Duty' variation. Join the discussion or ask questions about this post in the HIT List forum. Learn all you can about what motivates you. A. Why? HIT training w/deads can be brutal, squats are equally brutal. His triceps, in particular, when viewed from behind, reminded one of two large watermelons hanging out of a T-shirt. They shared an apartment after moving in together, and during the ensuing months, they became closer. Simplyshredded Exclusive Profile: Former IFBB Professional Bodybuilder We can thank Arthur Jones for that. He was frequently up for a hard workout. Nice interview Drew. He consumed more than 60% of his daily calories as carbohydrates. Drew Baye: Thanks, thats a fascinating story. This is where his training progressed. Casey could make his biceps, in a series of three distinct contractions, grow more massive as he moved his forearm closer to his shoulder. High Intensity Training Mike and Ray Mentzer Style There we were: Ken Hutchins and Ellington Darden kneeling at the feet of Dr. Kenneth Cooper, while he lectured to us on aerobic exercise. We both tried at least a half-dozen times each, to wedge a comment into Coopers dissertation. At that time, Nautilus had three, state-of-the-art television studios in Lake Helen. Joe Mullen, a former Nautilus club owner, recently told me that he saw Ray go through a HIT workout in 1999. Pulldown Behind Neck You can make it work for you. I know a lot of people believe that adding that much muscle so quickly is impossible. He built a super, heavy duty hydraulic with a control that a training partner could operate. Ray Mentzer had a different viewpoint. This article is from 2003 to read a more updated article on how Mike Mentzer had a "Heavy Duty" mindest and workout regime Click Here. (The before-and-after photos confirmed that also.) Ray would approach failure after the ninth rep because the weight would be too heavy. And when an almost unbelievably muscular Mentzer materialized in 1979, once again it was due to another application of increased intensity. Now, youll experience some of the reasons why this is my least favorite routine. Known for his feats at the 1978 IFBB Mr. USA and 1979's, Ray was a sight to be seen during his prime. Out of curiosity, which one do you like the best? . Ive modified my own workouts and training schedule considerably after reading the book, and am already noticing improvements in my progress. Created by Mike Mentzer (1951 - 2001)as much philosopher as he was bodybuilderthe Heavy Duty method is one that incorporates high-intensity training along with lower rep ranges and heavier weights. Super-Slow - Take a full 10 seconds to perform the positive part of the reps and four seconds for the negative. For those recommendations to come close to producing maximum results, the trainee would have to extremely big, strong, and advanced. The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban: Bill Pearl Interview - Dennis Weis High Intensity Training For Muscle Growth Ray, like his brother, trained using Heavy Duty High Tntensity Training. Only then do you let it return to full extension. I choose to remember the drug-free bodybuilders who influenced me when I was growing up. Some years ago, I saw all the records Jones kept from training Casey during 1970 and 1971. Drew Baye: When Jones trained someone, was he a stickler for form? Mike Mentzer (November 15, 1951 June 10, 2001), Ray Mentzer (August 2, 1953 June 12, 2001). The downward spiral began at this point. And Whitley achieved that without the help of creatine. He retired at age 29 and switched to training other bodybuilders. But they can be fairly close and still very significant. As for gaining eighteen pounds of muscle in two weeks, Ive never personally trained anyone who has put on that much size, but knowing how quickly I can put on a few pounds with creatine I wouldnt rule out the possibility that someone like David Hudlow who is much larger than I am could gain a significant amount of size with Ells creatine loading protocol. Sadly, Ray passed away just two days after skipping his kidney dialysis appointment. Dip And, hes into the martial arts, so he does some of that several times a week. Is there a study you can cite on this? Bodybuilding was a lot healthier then. All rights Reserved. HGH . Ray Mentzer's Mr. America Pec Routine - RX Muscle Forums He seemed to be in a perpetual training drift, looking for someone or something to take his oars and row him to shore. Mentzer would spend hours in the gym every day when he began training. 06-08-2013, 11:15 AM Ray Mentzer Workout Here are some excerpts, from a 1979 interview where Ray talks about his workouts leading up to his Mr. America victory. Lateral Raise A diversified man with broad interests, Mentzer has earned the reputation of "the thinking man's . Halfway through the photo shoot, I could tell that Carol was quickly getting a handle on the subject matter. Press Behind NeckStage reps Joe Weider rehired Mike in the fall of that year, but after six months, Mentzer left to assume the editorship of Workout, a newly launched magazine. Login. She had promised to help me later with my tennis serve. And yet, Ellington Darden, Ken Leistner and Peary Rader have watched hundreds of men and women gain real muscle that was impossible for them to build before training harder and briefer. Mike and his girlfriend, Julie McNew, came over to my home several times for dinner and we had some far-reaching conversations, none of which had much at all to do with bodybuilding. Over the last 30 years, Ive been around Arnold four or five times. Workout Systems: Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty - Poliquin Group There is this rumour going on that Ray had squatted as much as 900 pounds, with Darden confirming Ray could almost certainly handle 700 odd pounds in powerlifter form. Compared to full-range exercise, Id have to say that full-range exercise given that youre dealing with healthy trainees would supply many more benefits. I was 8 years older than Ken and I didnt really didnt have much contact with him until my fourth year of college. Mike himself trained three times a week with 30-minute workouts . Mentzer's dedication never wavered. Jones was briefly introduced to Viator at the 1970 Mr. America contest in Los Angeles, where Casey placed third. I believe that after you read The New High Intensity Training, you will be too. But I heard about his visit from Jones, Viator, and Larry Gilmore. The results in his book, The New HIT, used slow rep training with great results any reason why you passed on asking these questions? HIT MEN: The Story of High-Intensity Training - The Barbell We figured Cooper did not know how to define exercise clearly, at least not in the vernacular that Hutchins had conceived. She called a cab and within 15 minutes, was on her way to Orlando. Drew Baye: Ken Hutchins, the architect behind the SuperSlow philosophy, and you grew up in the same town in Texas. But both are real killers, maybe try it sometime. Preacher curls - 1 x 10 reps, Note: Ray Mentzer's Routine is based on High Intensity Training for more info see The Colorado Experiment Workout. Rest 2 minutes Concerning the educational system in Conroe, small-town football was big in Texas. Rodale also is behind a number of magazines, such as Mens Health and Prevention. He was at rep 15 and Arthur walked into the gym with a couple of people. The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results by Ellington Darden. But Dave Hudlow certainly set my personal-training record for the most muscle built in two weeks. Ray Mentzer's experience is it. Was their something in the environment or education system that motivated you guys into weight training? Actually, the personal-training part was much less than that. Here's what he would have for lunch: At about the same time, he hired Kim Wood to take charge of the Quonset Hut workout room at DeLand High School, where all the training occurred. Plus, I had a fairly good setup in my parents garage, and when I visited my parents during the holidays and summer, Hutchins would often join me for workouts. Ellington Darden: I certainly did. Ellington Darden: Ive trained Boyer Coe, Joe Means, Scott Wilson, and Ray Mentzer to name four. The first bodybuilder to get a perfect score- Mike Mentzer - reddit However, Ray used a variety of techniques to up the ante on his training. This is a reposting from 2004, during which time I was still working with Hutchins at the SuperSlow Zone. Then, there was the tour through the barn. But one of my main problem with the book was that he seemed to put down Mike Mentzer!! But perhaps more importantly, research shows that with that sliding 8 percent, if there was a unified HIT push, it could rather quickly increase back 16 percent, or 3,200,000 trainees. Leg Extension Wilbur was, and still is, a wheat farmer. If you can press two partners into service, there will be hardly a break in your breakdowns, make this a very advanced principle. Perhaps during the early 1970s, when he was training so many bodybuilders, it was simply easier to drive home intensity, than be so concerned with form. And of course, lets not forget about that middle 68 percent, the wishy-washy majority, who have trouble believing seriously in any training philosophy for very long. Darden says that isotonic work provides more work for the cardiorespiratory system, but in my experience isometric work can also be very taxing. I think that the duration and intensity of effort are the main factors, not the range of motion. Dip Could someone from Nautilus pick her up at the Orlando International Airport the next day at 11:00 AM? Today, he weighs a lean 220 pounds and has muscular forearms, thick wrists, and a vise-like grip. Thus, taking 8 percent of that number indicates that 1,600,000 males are into HIT. Ellington Darden: I was a fan of Mikes books, especially the ones that chronicled his training for the 1978 Mr. Universe and the 1980 Mr. Olympia. Does recovery-pain have anything to do with microtrauma? But Mike was unreceptive. Rest 2 minutes Finally, Jones informed Ray that once he was back in Lake Helen, to give the lady a tour starting with the barn. He quickly competed in and won the Junior Mr. America and IFBB Mr. America competitions. Upright Row Drew Baye: In Joness 1973 Colorado Experiment, how much muscle did Casey Viator gain during the first two weeks? Rest 2 minutes Jones trained Casey 41 times, which was equal to approximately 4 months at the rate of 2.5 workouts a week. The primary reason I wrote The New High-Intensity Training was to help bodybuilders learn how to train, and more importantly, how to train themselves. - 1 x 8 reps It felt like we were in the middle of an old-fashioned tent revival. Rodale is the best of the bunch. Mike Mentzer died in 2001 at 49. It was portable so they used it from station to station on a Marcy Multi-unit (similar to a Universal Machine). This crazy author thinks I want spaghetti arms! He built a super, heavy duty hydraulic with a control that a training partner could operate. If you can accomplish 4 repetitions with this weight in 120 seconds, youll be ready to add the two pre-exhaustion exercises before you do the leg press. In late 1967, Alexander invited Hutchins and me to his wedding and at the reception afterward, Ken began talking to me about strength training and bodybuilding. . Here we can see Mike mentoring Markus Reinhardt on the heavy duty stuff. Jones applied this concept frequently in the early 1970s, but seldom mentioned it in his writings and lectures. And although their lights have faded, Ray and Mike Mentzer built some of the biggest muscles the world has ever seen using these methods. When Casey trained himself, according to Jones, he gradually lost muscle and got fatter. While many people know the basics of Heavy Duty training, the advanced techniques are known by only a few. The pullover done on a Nautilus machine is an example of an exercise that works a very large volume of muscle without being a compound movement. Regarding what he learned from Ayn Rand, Mentzer said in an interview:. I have repeatedly come across trainers asserting that static contraction is a good second-best for those with limited mobility or other disabilities; I have not seen the research to prove that it should be regarded as second-best at all, nor have I seen anyone cite such research it seems to be just a belief thats out there. And he did so 41 times in 1970-71. Ray learned that Mike had severe cardiac problems while he was waiting for the kidney transplant, and Mike passed away on June 10th, 2001 as a result. One deals with a follow-up to my 1995 book, Living Longer Stronger, which was written for men between the ages of 40 and 60. I never witnessed anyone else get a single rep with the entire stack and there were a lot of big, strong athletes who tried. Once I saw her creative design and layout, I realized that she had leapfrogged significantly my other bodybuilding books. When did you go all absolutionist? Hutchins was going to ease over and take a seat beside Cooper. . Thus, Viator moved from Louisiana to Florida during the latter part of June 1970. I think it would be a great boon if it were discovered that it is possible to achieve optimal or near-optimal strength-training without equipment. Wood supervised Viator for six weeks and reported back to Jones that he had trouble getting Viator to give him his best effort. Likewise, some of us even recall the few pictures published of a 19-year-old Mentzer in York the year Casey Viator won the AAU Mr. America. i. Super Set of {Leg Extensions and Leg Presses} {1 Super Set} x 6-8 Reps. ii. In Pennsylvania, the United States, Ray Menzer was born in August 1953. He started to sculpt his body after falling in love with the iron right away. In 1990, I worked with Keith Whitley, a bodybuilder from Dallas, Texas, who added 29 pounds of muscle in six weeks 11-1/4 pounds of it occurred during the first two-week period. Ray would throw Saturday night squat parties every Saturday night. I do think, however, that the creatine monohydrate formula was responsible for from 25 to 30 percent of the results. Theres a lot of the interesting stuff concerning Arnold and Arthur in chapter 5: How HIT Humbled Schwarzenegger. Arnold, for perhaps multiple reasons, couldnt get the hang of high-intensity training the Arthur Jones way. Thank goodness, Hutchins and I were not seated near Cooper, as our heads and necks needed rest. After working with McCutcheon for week, I knew hed be ideal to use for The New High-Intensity Training. Ellington Darden: Ray did have a sense of humor and he often had a joke up his sleeve. Mike Mentzer - Evolution of Bodybuilding Mike Mentzer split What was the Mike Mentzer's training split? He quickly competed in and won the Junior Mr. America and IFBB Mr. America competitions. Although systemic recovery is still affected by each workout more time is allowed for local recovery. Ellington Darden: Arnold had a great peak on his right arm. At the contest, he weighed 215 and blew away the competition. But it wasnt until Jones started experimenting and writing about negative work in 1972, that any bodybuilder took it seriously. He himself typically trained three times a week and his 30-minute workouts incorporated no more than 5 sets per body part. Divide the movement into thirds. Of all the champions Ive known and trained with I probably get the most questions about Mike Mentzer and his brother Ray. "For a while Mike and I strayed from our high intensity, heavy poundage workouts into a program using lighter weights and higher reps. McCutcheon trains by himself in his basement. While a person could learn most of what they need to know about training by just reading the first two Nautilus Bulletins, there is a lot of great information in Ellingtons books and some really interesting historical information and interviews in the more recent ones. That stated, Casey Viator gained 39.87 thats right, just 0.13 shy of 40 pounds of muscle in two weeks. But the arithmetic of bodybuilding soon presents a difficult problem, If he needs, say, 20 exercises to work everything, and he's decided to cut back to 16 total sets of high intensity work in order to keep gaining, how does he cover all bases? In mid-February 1971, Jones noted that Casey was down to 205 pounds and was smoother than hes been since he moved to Florida. RAY MENTZER: TRAINING TIPS FOR MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKOUTS John Little 19.2K subscribers Subscribe 3.7K views 3 weeks ago THE 4-PHASE CONTRACTION SYSTEM (PART 2): TRAINING TIPS FOR MORE.