Has anyone ever tried Mentzers pre 1980 Mr Olympia routine…it was full body nautilus training 3x/week…Roger Schwab told me he trained Mike under his request for the olympia
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Don’t have access to the machines. Or it is something I would have experimented with.
It’s interesting Mike doesn’t cite this as his most productive routine (I copied it earlier in the thread).
Do you know what it entailed? From what I could find it seems to involve high rep isolation pre exhaust followed by low rep compound.
I would give it a shot if the border ever opens up and I can go to STG Strength and Power
From what Roger Scwab told me
Hip/back
Leg curl
Leg ext
Leg press
Calf raise
Pullover
Pull down
Pec deck
Chest press
Row
Lateral
Shoulder press
Bi/tri
Wrist curl
Ab crunch
It was something along those lines, reps were 6 to 8 and all on nautilus machines…its alot of exercises
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I read in his interview with Darden for The New Bodybuilding for Old School Results that this was the pre-exhaust circuit using the 2-in1 compound machines and he also used this routine to train Casey Viator.
Yeah, it’s a lot even shying back one or so rep from failure. At least for me.
Did session on Thursday for back, shoulders and biceps. Today, the DOMS is worse than yesterday. Here is what it looked like.
Back
A1 straight arm pull down
A2 close grip pull up
X2 cycles to failure
B) chest supported row X2 sets. Did rest pause on 2nd set.
C1 face pull
C2 incline shrugs
X2 cycles to failure
D1 front raise
D2 press behind neck
X1 cycle to failure
E1 band lateral raise
E2 bent over raise
E3 press behind neck
X1 cycle to failure, using drop on E1, cheat on E2 and rest pause on E3.
F1 preacher
F2 alternate hammer curl
X1 cycle to failure, some forced reps on F1.
I lurk occasionally, but prefer not to get involved in discussions here.
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Hi Drew,
It’s good to have you here! A balancing voice of reason (science) is always helpful.
But, I do understand why you hesitate in participating. I feel some discussions tend to get diluted and others circle around a meaningless debate with no direction. Also, being a known name unfortunately opens up for criticism (trolling). I know this is why some names in the business aren’t frequenting this forum (which is sad, obviously).
Just wanted you to know that your contribution here is much appreciated by me. Brings validity to the forum. Thanks!
Good to hear from you.
Since you’re here, what do you think of the Menzter-style programme I have outlined?
I appreciate it, but I don’t plan to participate regularly.
It’s not the worst I’ve seen.
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Cause in his mind, say pec deck is taken to failure at 14 reps, the chest was exhausted, 1 to 3 ( later he said 2 to 4 ) with dips or Incline was enough and with the heavier weight, instead of exhausted pecks trying to force out 8 to 12 reps with such a light weight compared to what the pecks could do if they were fresh. I myself tried the superset once with incredible progress after 1 workout. I have no idea why I didn’t repeat it at another time. Actually I do, but you’d laugh at me lol. I personally did 90 x 19 on pec deck, followed immediately by universal Bench with 200 x 6. ( I could back then, omg in 1999, get 12 normally ). I noticed a thickness that I never saw before in my chest 5 days later.
When I returned for my Monday workout, ( we were doing 3 days a week ), I was able to Bench 220 x 13. I recently tried an experiment with it again to see what that intensity could do for me today, but we don’t have a pec deck, I did dumbell flyes superset with hammer strength bench. I’d have to look at my notes, but I think the week after, I went up 1 rep on the HS bench, as I tried repeating the superset to see the strength gain that really wasn’t there this time. Granted it’s over 20 years later. Maybe I’d of made better progress with a pec deck? Dumbell Flyes are very awkward for me anyways. To be honest, HIT isn’t working for my strength gains like it used to. I think maybe age and hormone levels?
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It’s just a standard Nautilus / HIT full body routine we all have done at some point. Darden wrote books about this exact type of training for 30 years. I doubt there is anyone left here that still does full body HIT 3x a week simply because done over time it wears you down. Doing the routine Mentzer did for the 1980 Olympia will not make you look like he did either.
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1982 - Paid Mentzer for several training sessions and spent time talking with him after while living in the LA area.
Brief, intense sessions, done in <20 minutes. Saw some “progress” but even being young and dumb, I’d realized there were those with the genetics along with the use of steroids that I’d never match. No big deal.
A workout might involve a slight warm up typically one or two sets before going on to the chest press always on a machine (for better control and safety), pec dec or db flies immediately afterwards. Time to catch my breath and next were weighted dips, triceps pressdowns. A couple of minutes and then lateral raises. That was it.
Mike was pretty open about the use of drugs in bodybuilding and genetics, talked about my calves or forearms compared with his (or Ray’s, who was there for a workout).
Also told me all of the protein I was taking was a waste…ignore the muscle magazines, save my money and just eat clean, balanced meals. The liver tablets, RNA, etc., popular in those days were a sheer ripoff. (Ahead of his time…science has shown Mentzer or whomever told him that was 100% correct.) Okay to have a cheat once in a while. Noted he didn’t eat the ridiculous amount of protein the other competitors did but took steroids & said so what do you think makes the difference? Genetics and steroids or protein powders?
We discussed Ayn Rand (Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, We the Living) a few times, chatted about the bodybuilding business. Suggested focusing on life, said unless you’re an Arnold, Zane or at his level, it is a dead end endeavour. Mentzer said there are guys sleeping in the parking lots, other places because they didn’t have ‘it’ and didn’t have a job to fall back on or education.
All in all, I’d seen my lifts go up when, shirts got a little tighter, waist on pants stayed same/got a bit smaller. (Trips to Miller’s Outpost – a clothing store now out of business – were required after working with Mentzer.) And he got me out of the Weider-volume mindset.
Mentzer had his issues, apparently. Sad to hear. But, like Jones, Darden, et al, think he did a lot to help address the bodybuilding BS while he was active.
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Tell yaz what, Mike did promote a simple well balanced diet, but he didnt half plug Twinlab supplements on his audio tapes from the mid 90s.
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He did or didn’t – not sure what you’re saying? Recall he recommended the products (had the tapes), but believe they were also sponsoring him. Which is too bad but assuming he needed the income so he compromised his previous position.
He pushed their creatine solution as I recall. Creatine has been proven time and again to be the one supplement that is effective to increase gains.
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Ha sorry BBF, thats something we say in Northern Ireland, basically it means he “sure did” promote twinlab supplements on his mid 90 tapes, he even said at times when working long hours “he practically lived off” they’re egg protein fuel and creatine when at work, but that he “always had a normal dinner”. He also mentions using theyre multivitamin.
Yup he was working with the Blackman brothers at alll natural muscular development.
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man and Twinlabs protein was the nastiest tasting of the lot in those days, still gives me shivers to remember it lol