[quote]tokyopop wrote:
[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
[quote]on edge wrote:
[quote]OklahomaHoss wrote:
I like that term “blast” set. That’s kinda what you do with Heavy Duty.
[/quote]
That was my point. Basically most people train “Heavy Duty” now, weather they know it or not.[/quote]
No they don’t.
Most serious gym rats and bodybuilders lift weights 3 to 6 times per week. HD2 called for ONE session every 4 to 7 days. At the upper end, that’s ONE session PER WEEK.
He didn’t advocate the popular flat pyramid/ramp-up scheme. He recommended a few light warmup sets and one set to failure and a lot of pre-exhaust.
Does the following look like a popular, modern-day leg workout?
- Leg extension
- Squat
- Leg curl
- Calf raise…
… all for ONE set.
How about this schedule?
Day 1: Chest, shoulders, tris
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Back, bis
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest
Day 8: Rest
Day 9: Legs
Day 10: You know the drill from here…
A great way to get in shape. [/quote]
I am shocked to my fucking core that anyone would do this and expect or even claim to make great gains (or any for that matter).
[/quote]
And just imagine what this looks like when someone, according to Mentzer, gets so strong that he should be lifting once every 7 days.
Can you fucking imagine this?
Day 1: Chest, shoulders, tris
Day 2, 3, 4, 5 , and 6: Rest
Day 7: Back, bis
Day 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13: Rest
Day 14: Legs…
… cycle starts over.
UN-FUCKING-REAL that people even entertain this, from performance, body composition, and HEALTH standpoints.
He even had an ABBREVIATED routine for those who can’t recover from the three-workout split above. I don’t remember what it was but it was two workouts spaced out by 6 days in between.
That’s four lifting sessions per MONTH!
One workout was something like:
Deadlift
Overhead press
Lat pulldown
Can’t remember in full, but it was ridiculous. I urge you to get the book for free somehow to see just how crazy it is. Half the damn book was about quasi-psychology and -philosophy with a heavy emphasis on the teachings of Ayn Rand. Why this guy wished to talk about this shit in a lifting book is beyond me!
My friend gave me the book 10 years ago and I called up Mentzer’s office number for fun. He answered. I was young still and I myself almost was fooled into following those training guidelines. So I innocently asked him, “Mr. Mentzer, what about stretching?” He replied, “Just do some toe touches, a warmup set or two. You don’t need to be a fucking contortionist.” (Almost exact words as best as I can remember them.)
I asked, “You don’t include nutrition info either. What about that? I mean, don’t we need 5 or 6 meals per day.” He replied, “Oh god, you don’t need that. Just have three meals and a snack or two and you’ll be fine.” (Actually this isn’t bad advice now that I think of it, but this guy was wacked out by this point in his life.)
With this criticism of his book and what he used to write about and say, I was very sad when I learned he and Ray passed away. I still think he was one of the best bodybuilders of all time and from what I’ve read and heard, just a man that went the wrong way at some point in his life.