As much as we make fun of Mentzer I would like to give the guy credit where it’s due. I was in Chapters today and saw a flex magazine…no I didn’t even touch it. I have more than 50 brain cells. However on the cover it had a small shot of Mentzer. Just his upper body. I think he had the best upper body I have ever seen. Anyone agree or disagree, comments? 
N: He did have a great build, but for upper body…have to give the nod to Sergio Oliva (now…I KNOW someone will say that “The Oak” could reveal a chest with his Side Biceps pose that you could put a pitcher of water on…but Sergio, I think, had greater overall DEVELOPMENT…Arnold had what I call “the Complete Package”…does that make sense?)
I think people will always be turned off my “crusaders”. When Mentzer wrapped bodybuiding with some philosophical/religious/pseudo-scientific dogma, developed an almost religious following and then ragged on every other system of training, many people just freaked…that’s regrettable…his bodybuilding knowledge was often lost in his “Sermons”…
i agree 100%.
I think Mike Mentzer had a great, hard, strong physique. And I give him alot of credit. Yeah he wacked out, but you cant deny he built himself a great overall body.
since i started seriously lifting Mentzer’s body has always been what i am shooting for, does anyone know his numbers and if he juiced?
irontank did he juice, hell yea! but not at the level of the guys today. his body was just about perfect as far as I am concerned.
Best upper body? For me it’s always been a toss-up between Robby Robinson and Serge Nubret.
…and it could have been perfect if he would have trained with more of a volume approach instead of wasting all those years on HIT training
Yeah Surge Nubert and Sergio Olivia had damn good builds. I guess it’s hard to say who’s best. It’s like when Maxim has it’s 100 best girls I have a hard time picking out only 1. Mentzer is definatly in the top 10.
I never cared for Mentzer’s personality much at all… annoyed the hell outta me, actually. But he seemed like a geniune (albeit extreme) guy and he did have a kick ass physique, upper body expecially.
If any of you guys are interested, the September 2001 issue of FLEX magazine has a great B&W poster of Mentzer in a classic photo. I bought the issue just so I could put the poster on my “inspiration wall” by my calendar, T-Man poster and poster of Ahh-nuld (oddly enough, also from FLEX, but maybe a year ago).
Yup. Mentzer had a build to die for…and he did. If I remember correctly, Mentzer built his foundation using high volume techniques in his teens and it was not until he was in his mid twenties that he started his Heavy Duty program. Either way, I think he was always under rated. I never saw pics of him before his death but I understand his physique had deteriorated beyond what you would expect with normal aging and continuing to lift…heavy duty or high volume.
Yeah, but what killed Mike wasn’t the steroids he obviously used (although Ronnie Coleman probably throws away bottles with enough left in the bottom to have supplied the pros of 1980 with enough gear to last them for months). Mike had a heart attack, right? Especially with a genetic predisposition for heart trouble, what’s the one worse possible “supplement” for your ticker? Stimulants. What did Mentzer practically LIVE on for a large part of his life? Amphetamines. You think he died for his physique? NAH, he died from trying to push his body too hard with stimulants, not anabolics. IMHO… just an opinion, but I’d be interested in anyone else’s thoughts on this.