Mike Mentzer's Workout Routine: Less Time, More Results

Mike Mentzer and His Revolutionary Approach

Mike Mentzer was a professional bodybuilder and trainer who gained fame not just for his impressive physique, but for his revolutionary approach to bodybuilding. His High-Intensity Training (HIT) method challenged the conventional wisdom of high-volume training that dominated bodybuilding in the 1970s and 1980s.

What makes Mentzer’s approach unique is its foundation in scientific principles and logical reasoning. He argued that the body has a finite capacity for recovery and growth, and that traditional high-volume training routines exceeded this capacity, leading to overtraining and stalled progress. His method emphasizes:

Brevity: Workouts are short, typically lasting no more than 30-45 minutes.
Intensity: Each set is performed to muscular failure, maximizing muscle fiber recruitment.
Infrequency: Workouts are spaced far apart (every 4-7 days) to allow for full recovery and growth.
Progression: Constant focus on increasing weights or reps to ensure ongoing stimulus for growth.

Mentzer’s approach was controversial at the time but has since influenced many in the bodybuilding and strength training world. Now, let’s delve deeper into his recommended routine.

Detailed Workout Breakdown

Day 1: Chest and Back

Chest

1. Pec Deck

Sets: 1
Reps: 6-10 to failure
Execution: Sit with your back flat against the pad. Grasp the handles and bring them together in a controlled motion, squeezing your chest at the peak contraction. Lower slowly to the starting position.
Key point: Focus on the stretch at the bottom and the squeeze at the top of the movement.

2. Incline Press (superset with Pec Deck)

Sets: 1
Reps: 1-3 to failure
Grip: Slightly closer than shoulder-width
Execution: On a machine or with free weights, lower the weight to your upper chest, then press it up powerfully. Keep your elbows flared out to target the chest effectively.
Key point: The low rep range allows for heavy weights, stimulating maximum muscle fiber recruitment.

Back

1. Close-Grip Palms-Up Pull-Downs

Sets: 1
Reps: 6-10 to failure
Execution: Sit at a lat pulldown machine with a close grip, palms facing you. Pull the bar down to your upper chest, focusing on squeezing your lats. Lower the weight slowly and under control.
Key point: The palms-up grip enhances bicep involvement and allows for a stronger contraction in the lats.

2. Deadlifts

Sets: 1
Reps: 5-8 (as close to failure as you’re willing to go)
Execution: Start with the bar against your shins, grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep your back flat and head up as you lift the bar, extending your hips and knees until you’re standing straight.
Key point: Deadlifts work the entire posterior chain, making them incredibly efficient for overall muscle development.

Day 2: Legs

1. Leg Extensions (superset with Leg Press)

Sets: 1
Reps: 8-15 to failure
Execution: Sit on the machine with your back against the pad. Extend your legs, focusing on squeezing your quadriceps at the top of the movement. Lower slowly and under control.
Key point: This exercise pre-exhausts the quads before the compound movement of leg press or squats.

2. Leg Press

Sets: 1
Reps: 8-15 to failure
Execution: Position yourself in the leg press machine with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower the weight until your knees are at about 90 degrees, then press back up, stopping just short of locking your knees.
Key point: The leg press allows for heavy loads with less strain on the lower back compared to squats.

3. Standing Calf Raises

Sets: 1
Reps: 12-20 to failure
Execution: Stand on a calf raise machine or a step with the balls of your feet. Raise your heels as high as possible, then lower them below the level of the step for a full stretch.
Key point: Focus on both the contraction at the top and the stretch at the bottom for maximum calf development.

Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

Shoulders

1. Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Sets: 1
Reps: 6-10 to failure
Execution: Stand with dumbbells at your sides. Raise them out to the sides until they’re at shoulder level, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Lower slowly and controlled.
Key point: Keep the movement strict, avoiding swinging or using momentum.

2. Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raises

Sets: 1
Reps: 6-10 to failure
Execution: Bend at the waist, keeping your back flat. Raise the dumbbells out to the sides until they’re in line with your shoulders. Lower slowly back to the starting position.
Key point: This exercise targets the often-neglected rear deltoids, crucial for complete shoulder development.

Arms

1. Barbell Curls

Sets: 1
Reps: 6-10 to failure
Execution: Stand with a shoulder-width grip on a straight barbell. Curl the weight up, keeping your elbows close to your sides. Lower the weight slowly, resisting all the way down.
Key point: The straight bar maximizes tension on the biceps throughout the movement.

2. Tricep Pressdowns

Sets: 1
Reps: 6-10 to failure
Execution: Stand at a cable machine with a straight or V-bar attachment. Keep your elbows close to your sides and extend your arms, pushing the bar down until your arms are straight.
Key point: Maintain tension on the triceps throughout the movement, avoiding letting the weight stack rest between reps.

3. Dips (superset with Tricep Pressdowns)

Sets: 1
Reps: 3-5 to failure
Execution: Support yourself on parallel bars with straight arms. Lower your body by bending your elbows until you feel a stretch in your chest, then press back up to the starting position.
Key point: If you can’t perform full dips, do negative reps by lowering yourself slowly and using assistance to get back to the starting position.

Day 4: Legs (Alternate Routine)

1. Leg Extensions

Sets: 1
Reps: 1 static hold for 10-25 seconds, followed by a controlled negative
Execution: Use a heavier weight than usual. Extend your legs and hold the contraction for as long as possible (10-25 seconds), then lower slowly and under control.
Key point: This intense isometric hold followed by a negative rep places extreme stress on the muscle fibers, promoting growth.

2. Squats (superset with Leg Extensions)

Sets: 1
Reps: 8-15 to failure
Execution: With a barbell on your shoulders or in a Smith machine, lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then drive back up to the starting position.
Key point: Squats after the intense leg extension will push your legs to their limit, maximizing growth stimulus.

3. Standing Calf Raises

Sets: 1
Reps: 12-20 to failure
Execution: Same as Day 2.

The Philosophy Behind the Method

Mentzer’s HIT method is based on the principle of “one set to failure.” He argued that once a muscle has been thoroughly fatigued, additional sets are not only unnecessary but potentially counterproductive.

The key is to achieve momentary muscular failure – the point at which you cannot perform another rep with proper form.

This approach relies heavily on the concept of progressive overload. Each workout should be an attempt to increase either the weight used or the number of reps performed. This constant progression ensures that the muscles are always facing a new challenge, promoting continuous growth.

The extended rest periods between workouts (4-7 days) are crucial to Mentzer’s method. He believed that muscle growth occurs during recovery, not during the workout itself. By allowing ample time for recovery, the body can fully supercompensate, resulting in muscle growth and strength increases.

Mentzer’s method also emphasizes the importance of proper form and mind-muscle connection. Each rep should be performed with focus and intention, maximizing the stress on the target muscle group.

Mike Mentzer’s High-Intensity Training method offers a unique, science-based approach to bodybuilding that challenges many conventional notions. While it may not be suitable for everyone, its principles of intensity, brevity, and recovery have influenced many in the fitness industry and continue to be relevant today.