MIKE MENTZER’S “IDEAL ROUTINE” - AN IN DEPTH PRESENTATION
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2024
- To learn more about Mike Mentzer's teachings please visit:
www.hituni.com/about/mike-men...
In this video Heavy Duty College presents an in-depth break down of Mike Mentzer’s “Ideal Routine” - the revolutionary workout that has exploded in popularity as of late. As Mike believed that each person must work out the actual training (sets, reps, exercises, frequency) on their own, based upon their genetic tolerance to intense exercise, this video provides a sweeping overview that features the common denominators that Mike retained in each of his iterations of the "Ideal Routine," which the viewer is then free to adjust to his or her own experience. Each exercise is fully explained, along with the workout spacing, and afterwards the warm-up methods and need to regulate both the volume and frequency are thoroughly described.
Special thanks to the great John Balik for permission to use his copyrighted images of Mike Mentzer in this video.
To see more of Mike Mentzer check out these videos by Wayne Gallasch of GMV:
MIKE & RAY MENTZER TRIPLE PACK DVD SET (V-209SP-DVD) tinyurl.com/ym4vdkta
MIKE & RAY MENTZER - GYM WORKOUT DOWNLOAD (V-121) tinyurl.com/2ua7p8rj
MIKE MENTZER - FINAL CHAPTER DOWNLOAD (V-208) tinyurl.com/yc4efn8y
gone from 5/6 days to 2/3 days at the gym, the growth is insane!
Really that's really motivating fairplay is that per week you've gone down to 2/3 days yeah?
Just starting bulking and over the last month added 20kg to leg extension, 9kg to leg press. 10lbs to pull over machine and 10kg to pec dec.
@cerberus2373 that's brilliant mate I'm working out 5/6 days a week and not making progress worried if I go down to 2 or 3 days I'll get weaker do you think it'll help?
Just like Mike said lifting weights takes more out of you than what you realize you have to let your body recompensate for what you spent then you start growing. And when you go to the gym every 4 days with this workout program you hit it and hit it hard hit with everything you got and then rest 4 days and then do the next set you will see results.
@@peterowley2014 cheers, that progress was achieved working out once a week, one set to failure. trust me it works.
The video personal trainers don't want you to see so you can keep believing the BS they continue selling. Respect to Mike!!
I fired the transcript of the video into chatgpt and got a distilled program. This video has all the rich detail you're going to need to understand the concepts and philosophy, but this should be a helpful summary of the 'ideal routine'
Workout Structure
Workout 1: Chest and Back
Pec Deck (or Cable Crossovers/Dumbbell Flies): 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure.
Incline Press: 1 set of 1-3 reps to failure.
Close Grip Palms Up Pull Downs: 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure.
Deadlifts: 1 set of 5-8 reps to failure.
Workout 2: Legs and Abdominals
Leg Extensions: 1 set of 12-20 reps to failure.
Leg Press: 1 set of 12-20 reps to failure.
Standing Calf Raises: 1 set of 12-20 reps to failure.
Sit-Ups: 1 set of 10-12 reps, increasing weight as necessary.
Workout 3: Shoulders and Arms
Standing Lateral Raise: 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure.
Bent Over Lateral Raise: 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure.
Barbell Curl: 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure.
Triceps Press Down: 1 set of 6-10 reps to failure.
Dips: 1 set of 3-5 reps to failure.
Thanks to @VentsislavRachev for reminding me about the supersets. Quoting him below:
Pec Deck (or Cable Crossovers/Dumbbell Flies) followed by Incline Press.
Leg Extension followed by Leg Press.
Skull Crusher followed by Dip.
Lateral Raise followed by Reverse Pec Deck.
Warm-Up
Perform a minimal warm-up to increase blood flow to the muscles being worked.
Example: For deadlifts, start with a lighter set (e.g., 115 lbs for 7-10 reps) and progress to a slightly heavier set (e.g., 145 lbs for 2-3 reps) before the working set.
Adjustments for Progress
If progress slows, take a 2-week break and then resume training with reduced frequency or less demanding exercises.
Periodically eliminate an exercise from your routine to prevent overtraining.
Training Log
Keep a training log to monitor progress in weights and repetitions. Adjust the frequency of workouts based on recovery and adaptation rates.
i love you man thx
@@7xleoss705 you're welcome my friend
Big thanks
You are awesome, know that
thanks for this, basically exactly what I was looking for. I am just getting into lifting now, I am 39 years old, and looking to burn fat and gain muscle. What days of the week should you do these workouts? Like for example, If i do workout 1 on Monday, when should I do workout 2? the next day or no? and when should I do workout 3. This has been my struggle as I dont know when/what days to work out and how long to rest each body parts
I started this style of training today and I swear I have never sweated like this in my entire life. really great
Switched from doing high volume training 5 days a week to Heavy Duty. 2-3 days a week 20 to 25 minutes. In just one month my gains are substantial. I do VERY slow negatives and also static holds also. Weighted negatives also.. stuff wipes you out quickly. You can train hard or you can train long … but you can’t do both
Can you explain for me your training with boring details please!?
Yes me too same question please
Same question here
@x933Deadboy go to failure on most of your exercises, use enough weight , or work on body weight pulls and pushes
I go 3-4x max and gains are way more intense from 30-40mins sessions max
The one and Only Mike Mentzer
The quality of these videos is insane
I started this programme on January this year. Noticed results after three weeks in strength. This really does work and is hard. 😊
Started this back up in April after Shoulder Surgery and it is BEYOND effective. Seeing immediate growth, strength and the density of the muscle grown is phenomenal. Still trying to prefect the sequence, reps, etc... but this man knew exactly what he was talking about. RIP Mike and Ray
Everyone thinks they workout hard with maximum effort until they do Mike's routine. Just doing 5-6 sets per workout twice a week kicks my ass more than the 15-20 sets 4 times a week I used to do.
I actually agree, when I do one set of everything I feel so much more fatigued afterwards than when I was doing high volume
im confused about the weight. how much weight are we using? something that we can only do for the reps mentioned or?
5-6 sets or Reps
Best Workout routine in the world
I agree. when im done with the workouts, it drains you so much, i just want to go to sleep LoL
@@treznor6992I'll leave it to you man, I did leg training on the second day of the week on Tuesday and I couldn't do any other training, I had to take 6 days of rest LOL
Would you recommend this for a beginner?
So glad to see this broken down …. Thnx for the work and attention to detail Mike would be proud
You're welcome. Thanks for your post.
His guide for how to do deadlift is a wonderfully detailed explanation.
John, you and Mike are such humble people. Some persons on this internet would say buy my book for information while you give it away for free. I've read your and Mike's book but still got a lot of answers from this video alone. Thanks man for such a marvelous video
Thanks for the kind words and for your post!
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE John, while I love the fact that you're trying to keep the Mentzer legacy alive, this stuff does nothing to break new ground. This is just a rehashing of Mike's work. Why not relate some of your OWN studies and research, such as your work with getting a better understanding of frequency with your Bod-Pod experiments. Even more so, how about your studies with Power Factor Training and the use of partial strongest-range reps......Would love to hear YOUR insights and ideas.....Respectfully, Steve Matthews
@@SteveMatthews-ln4un Simply because this channel is not about me or my thoughts on training, but on trying to keep Mike's legacy and teachings available for those that care about it. I'm not interested in using this channel or Mike to promote what I've done, but in giving credit where credit is due. The Chinese have a great phrase "when you drink the water, remember the source." Mike was a friend and, as a friend, I'm just doing what I can to ensure he still has a voice in the fitness world. I've written extensively about my views (and some have interviewed me about them), but much of what I've discovered (the Bod Pod studies you cite indicate this), simply further validate what Mike indicated. Not sure that there is a lot of "new ground" to break, to be honest. Human physiology hasn't changed in several hundred thousand years and thus our response to exercise hasn't shifted either. There are no shortage of other channels on CZcams that are run by people who will be happy to tell you how they have advanced Mike's teachings, or how he was in error, and how they cracked the nut on stimulating maximum hypertrophy. Not my thing.
You're a good friend, sir. True to the core for Mike. Respect.
John Little your doing a great job presenting this material.
Thanks very much.
What a great breakdown 🙌 Mike was spot on back then...and still spot on to this day.
Yup just a shame over 95% of people who train still cant see it. Some neverwill...
next month gonna be a year I've trained like Mike did and I've never been more grateful. my progress speaks for itself. he's a legend. i got to fuse this routine with a lot of stuff and created the perfect balance in life. Really thankful for his knowledge!
Congratulations on your progress.
Just completed 1 year on this program too. I’ve never been stronger or bigger!
Would you recommend this for a beginner?
Would you recommend this to a beginner?
@@gchibliabsolutely!
THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!! THANK YOU!!
Thank you John for bringing this to us! I think this is probably the only program that is made by an elite Mr. Olympia competitor and available for free online. I think you've helped many people with this!
To share my personal experience, I have used this routine in my training and saw steady progress. My strength definitely increased visibly on the exercises I was performing. However, in the short term (6-10 weeks, let's say) higher volume routines have produced more muscle growth for me. The thing with higher volume training, is that it must be periodized in order to not create overtraining. The main strength of Mike's routine is that it basically throws periodization out the window - it just adds rest as strength increases - so it's very easy to program for people who are not working with a coach.
The most valuable leasson I learned from Mike is to focus on intensity and never let your training volume blow up so much that it becomes endurance work. That is a principle that I think anyone who is interested in bodybuilding will be served well by.
I started his program last year. I must say this program works. I wish I learned this earlier. Thank you for you work
You're very welcome!
I will be needing this programme again after my holiday. Can't wait 😄
I love this routine. I have all the recommended equipment in my home gym so I can do it as suggested. Now, here's the key for me; I tried this several times over the last couple years but always stagnated after a couple months. Just recently I decided to try more rest and I am quickly progressing once again. I am hitting new recent PR's every WO in every exercise. I say recent PR's because I am 66 and I'm not as strong as I was when I was 26. I'm resting 5-7 days between each WO, so I am going between 20-24 days between each WO, 1,2,3 and 4. I never thought I would need this much rest but it is absolutely working for me. I just did the shoulders/ arm WO and my upper body was trashed. I have to laugh when I read someone say they do 10 sets "to failure" for each exercise. There's no way I can do 1 more good set after I am done. If you are not gaining regularly, try resting more.
Thanks for your post!
Thank You!
💪💪💪
🌏🌍🌎
I enjoy in every John Little videos, interviews or anything, because of his realistic views.
So much love towards you man! Keep doing what you are doing! I have been subbed on my other account since you had like 4k subs and now you have almost 150K! LETS GO! People are resonating with mikes message because he is the only advocate for logic and the natural body builder. I cannot thank you enough for the work and effort you put into these videos and on this channel. Truly, thank you.
Thanks for your support and kind words.
Thanks for the Video
You're welcome. Thanks for your post.
100% gem
Incredibly helpful breakdown. Thanks for putting this together.
Glad it was helpful!
Very nice detailed video thanks
Glad it was helpful!
thank you so much for “IDEAL ROUTINE” 😭🙌🙌🙌
Thank you John! I would switch from dead lift to rack pulls to take ñegs out of movment stress all on back that is if goal is to isolate then do rack puols on a squat rack. Now assuming reps were done at 1 to 2 seconds contentric. 1 seconded squeez at top then 3 to 4 seconds eccentric
Oh nice this just popped up I wanted this!
Gracias por este documento. Un trozo de historia del bb 💪
Definitivamente funciona el hd concept, no lo duden.
John your videos are simply amazing. Thanks for your hard work!
Thanks, glad you like them.
I do this exact plan less the second leg day.. works incredible
You know what. I'm not saying his entire video are alinged with what the taste of working out I would have. But at around 27min he does actually make some great sense switching out deadlift for shrugs occasionally in my opinion, I might just do that.
i was one of the lucky ones that was able to train with mike in the mid 90's, met joan sharky and the group that ran his web page store.......hard to believe when he left before 50...
Amazing video, John! A breakdown on different exercises is just what I needed. I've had people asking me about trying out different exercises and routines a lot lately, and I've had to do a lot of research outside of the exercices recommended in the Heavy Duty Ideal Routine.
I have a quick question for you:
I've seen many of the golden era bodybuilders performing Klokov Presses or Behind-the-Neck Shoulder Presses on pictures (Doryan Yates, Tom Platz, etc.) and I've heard that this exercise is good to stimulate all 3 heads of the shoulders at once (in lieu of not having a shoulder Nautilus machine in my case). I've been trying it out myself and I find it a lot simpler than raises and can be done without having to jerk the weights upwards, with the only downside that it tires out my triceps more.
Do you happen to have some insight on this exercise? I would appreciate your feedback a lot!
This is just what I'm looking for, really appreciate the depth and conciseness of your videos. I currently have access to only dumbbells, a pull up bar and a dip station. Is it possible to adapt the workouts in the video to those? Thanks again
JOHN- LONG time subscriber here... I just saw you on "High Intensity Business" channel discussing MIKE and you mentioned that you were at the Toronto 1980 "Breakfast Seminar"!! Can you ever do a video of your best recollections from that, I read about it in the MUSCLEMAG Annual back in the day- THAT would be truly FASCINATING!!!!!
Sleeping is the key. That's how you grow. My arms are between 18 to 19 in natural All muscle no fat. Thank you, Mike
I started doing high intensity training and my working set weight increased about 40 lbs in a month.
Very nice presentation !!! I read 4 books from Mike Mentzer and can confirm that he says exactly that.
I must substitude some of his exercises, because I don't have acess to those machines, but there are good alternatives.
Maybe you can do a video about those one day. He's talking about some in his last book.
I guess that some viewers would appreciate that.
Thanks for the suggestion. I may do that.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Thank you!!! If you need someone to create a Mike Mentzer "AI" Voice, I am happy to help you
Ok, finally going to try this workout. I've done some workouts like this before in all my years of training. But never stuck to the program. I'll see how it goes at age 61.
The critical point is that if you recover but don't grow stronger, you haven't trained intensely enough. Waiting longer will not be of benefit when that is the case. For most people a recovery (and growth) period of a little over a day is sufficient.
A stimulus for growth is necessary on each occasion; no additional growth occurs no matter how long between sessions.
When a person training at 9am on Monday, grows stronger by 10am on Tuesday, it is folly to claim that resting longer would be of benefit since it defies the basic principle of high intensity training; muscle growth occurs in response to an intense stimulus, and once growth has occurred a further stimulus is necessary to induce further growth.
The key phrase there is "If you recover." Recovery (and growth) occurs during the rest period, which is every bit the equal of the workout itself. " For most people," according to Mike's data from his clients (which is what his later system was based on) this took several days to occur, with some requiring much longer.
I have been searching this ideal mike workout for a long time. Finally i feel like, i stopped in the right video. Thanks mate.❤
Arnold's enemy...
Been doing this for forty years
Does this work good for back? Because I don’t see how palms up pull-down and deadlift will work as good, I’m going to try it anyway and hopefully prove myself wrong
I ran 1.5 miles in 90 degree heat then did cheat and back in my garage and holy shit I’m dead. Great workout
Cheat and Back sounds like Arnold workout.
i like to workout when it is cooler. it is very humid around here. does cardio in hotter temp have any better effect or result in your opinion? jw
@@nateeladabossalini it can be good for acclimating to your environment. But it can also be very dangerous. I’ve known a lot of people have serious injuries from heat stroke, and permanent damage as a result of overtraining in the humid heat. HYDRATE
i did buy the book, and another one too, years ago, and i got 0 regrets! mike was really such an incredible person and when u read the book, u get out of the endoctrination and u see the workout as a logic thing instead of those 'do this and do that'
Would you recommend this to a beginner bro?
@gchibli before u go at your maximum u need to feel accustomed to the moves and the weight, to have tje right form. If u got ur basics then absolutely. But it goes for all kind of training. Just strict form. This is actually the safest way to train, coz it's not jerking the weights etc, it's controlled and if u can't lift it with good form, the weight won't move and u won't hurt yourself. As a beginner, I believe you will be able to train more often and do progress coz you won't go that heavy so your central neuro system will be able to recover quicker, but ofc, that varies on every individual
Appreciate you continuing to put out these videos John. I plan on buying the course in the future. Hopefully it will answer all the questions I may have.
Thanks very much for your support and for your post.
It’s been a month since I started heavy duty 2 and Im so happy and pleased with the progress. But I am following what mike said to only train every 4 days but here ur saying to train every 3 days plz can u explain.
Note that I was training high volume for the past 2.5 years but now I’ve never been happier.
Thanks mike we will always love you ❤️❤️
This video was geared to walk someone from beginner through to advanced. Beginners aren’t lifting as heavy weights for as many reps, consequently they don’t need the same recovery days off as those who are. As mentioned near the end of the video, you will need to begin inserting additional rest days as you grow stronger. Mike indicated a wide range exist within individuals with regards to recovery ability, with some recovering quite quickly and others not so quickly. As long as you do the workouts and make sure to keep an accurate progress chart, you will know when to insert additional rest days. If you are more advanced, then take four days off in between workouts and progress from there.
I substitute the deadlifts with shrugs
I substitute deadlifts with Farmers walks.
you might consider doing dead lifts at least once a month. it is the best compound lift, not only because of all the muscles that get worked and the mass you gain, but it also does the little things like drain your cns, and it boosts your testosterone and ur natural growth hormones. it's way too good not to do at least once in a while.
Nah bro dont replace it it's a foundation in heavy duty
The reason why I substitute shrugs for deadlifts is because the amount of lower back injuries I heard from people doing deadlifts and I’m trying to immitigate the risk.
I’m going to try this and see how it goes
I took a full 7 days off, then started this plan, and man! Let me tell you, this is the way to do it. My first workout was so intense, that after I was vibrating my whole body, never had I felt this level of nevous system shock. Today I finished my second session following 2 days off, and I almost throw up, and can bearly walk to the car, and back home, my legs were jacked. Thank you Mike!
Great video John, I've been using this routine for a few weeks now, and most of my questions and doubts were answered in this video. I do have one question though regarding the chest/back workout. Why is there no isolation movement for the lats, such as a pullover?
Good question. I had debated about putting in the straight-arm pulldown (an isolation exercise for the lats that Mike advocated if one didn't have access to a Nautilus pullover machine). He actually recommended this in his final book and in his first Heavy Duty training booklet for Chest & Back in the late 1970s. I didn't include it because he dropped it from his program from 1993 on. However, like the ab workout, I should have included it as an option for people. As exercises are discarded as one gets stronger, the best time to use the pre-exhaust combination of straight-arm pulldown and close-grip, palms up pulldown would be in the beginner or beginning of intermediate training and it would be one of the exercises later to be discarded as superfluous as you progressed. Now that you brought it up, I'm mad at myself for not having included it in the video. Apologies. Bad call on my part.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Thanks for the quick and thorough reply, I was kind of imagining that the pre-exhaust combo of pullovers into the pulldowns would make sense given the other workouts in the routine. I think that I will do that for now, until the weight starts to increase.
Personally, and it could be because of age and actual vs perceived ability, I work out every 8th day, usually a full body workout. After a year, I have gained substantive strength, relative to where I started. When I was doing a workout every third day, it was clear that I was not recovered enough to keep moving up in either weights or reps. So I added a day of rest until I could move up in every single muscle group that I worked.
Yes. He said that if you could only ever do negatives it would work you better than the positive rep. He also said that your static hold strength is stronger than your positive rep strength, and your negative rep strength is stronger than your static hold.
Went to working out every 72 hours vs 6 days a week. Night and day difference in strength gain
First I got to say this is the best video on the whole internet about this topic, I can now fully and successfully incorporate these exercises in my workout plan. There is just one thing that I did not quite understand, how does Mike interpret failure? Does that mean not being able to do one more rep of the given exercise, and does that represent the end of the set? Or should I do only negative part of the exercise, static holds and thing like that.
In this case it means simply being unable to complete one more rep in strict form - and that's the end of the set. No additional negatives, static holds, etc.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE thanks man.
I just started this routine. I have mine planned out like Mike instructs, to do the 96 hours (4 days) of rest between the exercises. So in that case it would be Monday, Friday, Tuesday, Saturday… In this video you mention doing it every 3rd day. Quite frankly I like the idea of doing it every third day better but I’m trying not to break off of Mike’s system. I would appreciate anyone’s advice on this matter Thanks.
Which Is the routine?
Hello, what Mike say about exercise change after some time(muscle shock)? I mean individual exercises... for example... first go with Peck Deck superset with dumbels.... after some time.....
Dumbbell Flyes with incline Bench...is there some information about this "shock" the muscles? or is okay to go with same exercise for years?
I knew Mike. Great guy!
However, one thing I never quite had the opportunity to talk to him about was this "ideal routine.". When I became one of his clients, he had me move from his '92 HD book routine, which I'd used with great success for over a year, straight into his first version of the consolidation routine.
That's a discussion for another time. Right now, I was going to zero in on his pec routine as outlined here and in HD2:M&B -- notably, the extremely low rep count on the incline press.
Given the pre exhausted/superset nature of the routine, I can see a lower rep count on the press, but what's the rationalization for but 1-3 reps?
I might understand 5-8 reps, but one to three?
I’m pretty sure I touched on this in the video. It was simply that if you use a weight that you could perform five, six, or 10 reps with, you are simply recycling a lot of the same fibres you already activated/stimulated in the isolation exercise. The idea, as I understand it at least, is to simply squeeze one to three more contractions out of the pectoral muscles that otherwise would’ve been impossible without using the compound exercise and the fresh strength of the triceps and anterior deltoids. For this purpose, one to three reps is sufficient. This is not to say that the world will stop revolving or your progress dramatically fall off if you went with 3 to 5 repetitions, just that this was Mike’s reasoning behind the lower reps for the incline press.
I now workout every other week.
How has growth been
@@castleenterprises23 steady
Hey can i use these routine for cutting..
Hey John, hope you doing well. I am little confused about the rest period. In this video you say take 2 days off, I some other videos Mike states you should take 4 days off. Can you clarify this to me? Greetings from Germany and thanks for your awesome work on youtube - helped me a lot!
Thanks for the kind words. This video covers the use of Mike’s Ideal Routine for beginners through to advanced trainees. Consequently, you start out with 2 days off in between workouts and (as the video indicates) add rest days as you progress. The beginner isn’t strong enough to be using the kind of weights and outputting the kind of energy that would require more than two days off. However, as he grows stronger and outputs more energy, he needs more days off in order to fully recover and grow. So, the beginner to this routine would take two days off in between workouts. As he progresses into the intermediate and advance stages; that is, as he gets closer and closer to his genetic potential, he needs to insert additional rest days.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Thank you for quick and detailed, also very helpful answer. All the best 🦾
What cadence do you recommend? I know Menzter used a normal cadence while he was competing. Then he used a 4/2 cadence during the first part of his personal training career before transitioning to a 4/2/4 cadence towards the end. What cadence do you think works best overall?
I’d recommend a 4/2/4
That way you completely remove momentum and get the maximum amount of effort out of each rep
Also the negative part of the movement is the most productive part and also takes the least amount on energy to perform
Best of luck!
Hi, could I get some advice regarding this style of training?
I would like try this routine but I'm concerned about compromising my pressing strength (both overhead and flat bench). My concern is derived by the absence of any overhead movements in this routine and the only pressing is part of a pre-exhausted superset.
Is there anyway to follow the principles outlined in the video and integrate some overhead pressing without compromising recovery?
Thanks.
I would think you could incorporate a superset of overhead press after side delts.
Thank you for the explanation but I have a question, if don't have access to machines but I have only weights and a bench, wich exercises can I do instead? Thanks in advance.❤
Waiting because I have same exact question.
I have two questions about this routine. If you are starting this program on a diet, then should the frequency of workouts be lower or higher than if you started this program on a bulk? Also, on "Day 1: Chest and Back" if you don't have access to a close-grip palms up pulldown machine can you substitute it with barbell rows and then move on to the deadlifts?
With regard to your first question, it will depend on what your training chart indicates. If you are going up in repetitions, weight (or both), then, despite being in a calorie deficit, your body has the time it needs to fully recover and adapt from the workouts. This is why your training journal is crucial. If you find that you're getting weaker, then you need more time in between training sessions (assuming you've trained intensely enough to stimulate an adaptive response from your workouts). As to your second question, yes, barbell rows can be substituted for pulldowns. You may wish to use a palms up grip on your rows so that your biceps are placed in their strongest position and don't become a limiting factor in your lat work.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Awesome, thank you very much. This answers both of my questions perfectly. This also answers another question I had about "Day 1: Chest and Back" about the biceps as to whether or not they should be trained on that day. Because I don't have a pulldown machine, I know that I am neglecting the bicep portion of the close-grip palms up pulldown exercise and was contemplating whether or not adding a set of barbell curls to that day would fix that problem. However, doing palms up barbell rows sounds like a good solution to that problem and should stimulate the biceps enough.
I find that even the “Ideal Routine” is too much for me. I wish that I could but the once a week “Consolidated Routine” suits me best.
Good luck everyone 💪🏻
Good point. Mike found that it was too much for some people as well, which is why he created the Consolidated Program. As long as you're making progress, you're on the right track.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE thank you for your response, and I actually got the “athlete’s routine” from Mike himself in a phone consultation in 97’ or 98’.
I liken it to drinking beer, you can drink 8 beers and be ok the next day but the ninth or tenth beer was just “too much” and whoops now you’re polluted and went too far!
Simple analogy but you get the point!
Today was my first day in the gym since 1989. Just fapping about I fell into pretty much this routine I leaned in college in 1982. I think I will go with hanging L-sits for abs, but otherwise Mike had it. Mobility and cycling on the off days, and some calisthenic skills too.
According to the referenced book "HIT the Mike Mentzer Way" you missed an exercise in the Chest and Back workout. After completing the Chest portion the Back should begin with Straight-Arm Lat Machine Pulldowns followed by Palms Up Pulldowns. In another version of the Ideal Routine the Dumbbell Pullover is used instead of the Straight Arm Pulldowns. Not trying to nit pick but I'm trying this for the 1st time and thought other newbies might want to know.
I had debated about putting in the straight-arm pulldown (an isolation exercise for the lats that Mike advocated if one didn't have access to a Nautilus pullover machine). I don't recall in any of his writings or recordings recommending a dumbbell pullover (not to say that it couldn't be used for this purpose). He did recommended the straight-arm pulldown/close-grip pulldown in his final book as well as in his first Heavy Duty training booklet for Chest & Back in the late 1970s. I didn't include it because Mike dropped it from his program from 1993 on. However, like the ab workout, I probably should have included it as an option for people. As exercises are discarded as one gets stronger, the best time to use the pre-exhaust combination of straight-arm pulldown and close-grip, palms up pulldown would be in the beginner or beginning of intermediate training and it would be one of the exercises later to be discarded as superfluous as you progressed.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGEIn the Heavy Duty 2 book the Ideal Routine shows chest/back day to include Nautilus Pullovers or Dumbbell Pullovers
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGEAlmost forgot to thank you for your hard work and great vids. I'm 56 yrs old and getting back into lifting after a 12yr hiatus. Started with an old school high volume approach. After about 5 months I had no gains to show and felt broken and beaten. Then I stumbled across your vids. Started off with Dorians Blood and Guts version of HIT and made some gains in size and strength. But the best part was i found myself enjoying working out. I'm now moving on to Mike's Ideal Routine and hope to see even more progress with the slight reduction in volume and a bit more time between workouts. So thank you for showing me the light and bringing back the enjoyment. Please keep up the great work.
@@shaunfrederick4909 thank you very much for the kind words and for your posts.
I stand corrected. The pre-exhaustion pullover/pulldown combo was in “Heavy Duty I” as well. Now you’ve got me thinking I should’ve included it in the video. My bad. Brain cramp on my part.
Did Mike ever talk about eccentric muscle failure? Defined as concentrically assisted reps with controlled negatives, until the weight cannot be lowered in a controlled manner anymore.
Yes. He said essentially if you could ONLY do the negative it would be the best workout possible. He spoke often that your strength for holding is better than positive reps, and that negative rests were better than holds.
Thank you for a great video and workout plan I'm really interested in this workout style because listening to Mike makes so much sense and in reality I want to train as little as needed to stimulate muscle growth. However, listening to mikes tapes he says 4 days in between workouts with a minimum of 72 hours rest, how come this video is train on the third day with only 48 hours rest? I just confused which would be best for optimal growth stimulated
This video was geared to walk someone from beginner through to advanced. Beginners aren’t lifting as heavy weights for as many reps, consequently they don’t need the same recovery days off as those who are. As mentioned near the end of the video, you will need to begin inserting additional rest days as you grow stronger. Mike indicated a wide range exist within individuals with regards to recovery ability, with some recovering quite quickly and others not so quickly. As long as you do the workouts and make sure to keep an accurate progress chart, you will know when to insert additional rest days. If you are more advanced, then take four days off in between workouts and progress from there.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE this make sense thank you for your reply and again thank you for spreading Mikes work and keeping his legacy alive great job 👏🏻
Thank you very much for the kind words.
Is there any video for like biceps and arm workout
It's in this video. Biceps specifically Mike preferred close grip palms up pull downs, according to him it uses the full range of motion for both ends of the biceps.
In terms of the days of rest, how do we know if we are ready for the next workout? Is it by not feeling anymore pain and being fully recovered? Is it also completely fine if after day one, you rest for an example 2 days, and then after day two you rest 4 days and so on, having a little bit more of a randomized rest range?
So far I've rested for 4 days like Mike said and usually my body is fully recovered and I feel no more soreness or any slight pain anywhere. Should I continue resting in this manner?
Mike typically based recovery on measurable performance - which is why keeping a detailed training journal is important. If you are going up in reps or weight (or both), then you know you have recovered and adapted; if you are staying the same, then you have allowed enough time for recovery but not for adaptation; and if your performance declines (doing less reps, not able to handle the same weight successfully), then you haven't allowed enough time to recover.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Thanks for the quick reply, " if you are staying the same, then you have allowed enough time for recovery but not for adaptation" What do you mean by "adaptation"?
@misko933 Adaptation in this context means a strength increase (up in reps, weight or both) and muscle growth (to what extent your genetics permit).
I've pretty much listened all i can from mike and i gotta say his vocabulary is vast, which makes me wonder did he intentionally sought to widen his vocabulary on purpose or was it just a byproduct of engaging in books and seminar speeches and writing in muscle magazines and or people around him influencing his speaking abilities.
Does this workout routine only work for bodybuilders who’ve hit a plateau. Or can this also work for people who are skinny fat?
Is no warm up needed ?
I feel if I jumped straight into heavy weight for one set id fail earlier than if I’d have done a few build up sets
The warm-up prescription appears near the end of the video.
Any explanation about performing the wide grip for the Deadlift?
Not from Mike, as he didn't advocate a wide grip on deadlifts to my knowledge.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE
Actually mike said, it's the most important part to use a wide grip without arching your back for sure, which makes the exercise uncomfortable using heavy weights.
@@alexhassan4802 I'm familiar with his saying use a "slightly wider than shoulder width hand grip," but not a wide grip, per se.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE yeah that's what I meant ! Still a wide grip by the way if you notice watching the video right ?
@@alexhassan4802 More a regular grip (in my opinion) as it wouldn't be much different than the grip used in a barbell curl (slightly wider than shoulder width - key word being "slightly"). The explanation, then, which you requested, is in the narrative and the accompanying visuals for the exercise provided in the video. Or you could listen to what Mike says about performing the exercise in these two videos: czcams.com/video/Ej_FJaew_cE/video.html and czcams.com/video/Z0c1xi3FF_0/video.html
I have a question if you should train every 4 days to properly allow the muscle to recover then wouldn't it be beneficial to just train everyday so that you are hitting the same muscle every 4 days, or is it too much because its hard to resupply all of the biochemicals needed everyday for a workout
The latter.
Are there any warm up sets. E.g - it says pec dec 1 set, what about warm up sets?
Warm up sets are covered in the final part of the video.
I think Ron Simmons may have followed this fitness routine. There's countless anecdotes about him entering the gym with other wrestlers, doing 3 bench presses with a crazy amount of weight on the bar and a few other exercises with similarly high intensity but low reps, and after roughly twenty minutes shouting "I'll wait for you in the car" while the other wrestlers worked out for 2-3 hours lol. This guy was known for his insane "country boy strength", but maybe he had just figured out the secret to getting that strong
How much weight should be used for beginners, seriously i have incorporated this but I pyramid the weight. Because I still have a lot left to give.
Why was Mike against the rope for triceps work?
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Correct me if I wrong I watch another video few month ago where mike was talking you don't need to train your abs in this workout program ,,, what should I do should I train my abs or not please reply i am little bit confused
He did not recommend training abs generally while starting this program. However, for those who did want to train abs, he recommended that if you are going to train then, do them at the end of your leg workout, which is why I included his instructions for this (just for those who wish to train their abs) in this video. As you will have to modify the program to better suit your response, you can either do abs directly or not - it's up to the trainee. This is why Mike said he couldn't "off a sure-fire prescription for everybody;" i.e., because of the wide-range of genetic difference in response to the program. He presented the principles that must underlay a productive exercise program, and then offered a "suggested" routine that incorporated those principles. But the routine is not chilled in stone and is subject to individual variation.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE thank you sir for your reply
Sir, in the book there is a Pullover or Straught arm pulldown before the Underhand pulldown isnt it?
The short answer is that this video isn’t simply a repeat of that particular chapter in the book but more of an overview of Mike’s consolidated program (including the common denominators from his various iterations of the program), taking into account beginners coming to the program for the first time. I had debated about putting in the straight-arm pulldown (an isolation exercise for the lats that Mike advocated if one didn't have access to a Nautilus pullover machine). He actually recommended this in his final book and in his first Heavy Duty training booklet for Chest & Back in the late 1970s. I didn't include it because he dropped it from his program from 1993 on. However, like the ab workout, I should have included it as an option for people. As exercises are discarded as one gets stronger, the best time to use the pre-exhaust combination of straight-arm pulldown and close-grip, palms up pulldown would be in the beginner or beginning of intermediate training and it would be one of the exercises later to be discarded as superfluous as you progressed.
I want to ask can Bent row or one rowing movement add into the routine
@@kwokanson5744 Yes, you can substitute barbell rows for pulldowns.
Should women follow this routine also
Absolutely.
Can someone explain the reps/sets more clearly for me?
For example: Incline Press: 1 set of 1-3 reps to failure
In this scenario am I really only doing 1-3 reps of the incline press for only 1 set but focusing on the static hold and negatives? Or do the warm up sets count as sets that must be done prior to these low volume sets? At what percentage of 1RM are we doing these at if it's such low volume of reps, 70-80%?
Thanks in advance
So here’s what you do.
For the peck deck followed by a superset of incline press
You want to warm up with the superset exercise so that way you can already have the weight set AND you already warmed up the muscles for that movement.
You warm up with about 2-3 sets starting off with light weight and moving up to your working set (remember you are only trying to perform around 3 reps because it is a super set ((performed right after peck deck)))
Those warm up sets DO NOT COUNT towards the one set principal since you ARE NOT taking it to momentary failure
After you feel warmed up, you then transition to doing a SINGLE SET of peck decks 6-10 reps.
If you get more that’s fine, if you get less that’s fine. Just make sure to TAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO MOMENTARY FAILURE. Then you write down how many you did with what weight and improve on it the next time you hit the same workout.
RIGHT AFTER WITH NO REST, you go into the incline press that should already by pre set with your weight and perform 1-3 reps or until you hit momentary muscular failure.
Write that down, however many you end up doing and how much weight and then take a break for 2 minutes and move on to the next exercise.
@@DaltonRosee Gotcha thanks for the explanation!
Ok💪
Is it 100% working in a skinny guy height 6'3 weight - 77kg
Do we know if sumo stance deadlifts will achieve the same result or should I just go conventional
Sumo is better, especially in the beginning stage. (According to Louie Simmons)
Lol turns out this was my normal routine 😅
Is Mike’s methods appropriate for beginners? Meaning not even doing any other style of weightlifting so not very muscular to start with. Or is it meant for people who are already moderately developed and looking to become body builders ?
It’s good for beginners through to advanced level trainees.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE ok thanks just wanted to clarify not beginner body builders (who have already been weight lifting) but beginner to weight training in general.
Do we add more weight on day 3 Dips if can do more than 5 reps? Did he do cardio?
In answer to your first question, yes. In answer to your second question, it will depend on what your goals are. If your goal is to build as much muscle mass as is genetically possible as quickly as possible, then do not engage in other activities that will drain recovery resources away from you in between workouts. If your goal is to build some muscle and also some endurance simultaneously, then yes.
Before the pulldown, didn't mike start with nautilus pull-overs? Followed by the pulldown?
It depended on the client he was training and that client's tolerance (a genetically mediated trait) for intense exercise. For most, he considered it superfluous, but there were those for whom pre-exhausting the lats with pullovers prior to pulldowns worked quite well. It is up to each individual to determine what exercise "dosage" works best for them, rather than following a cookie-cutter routine.
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
When they say, "perform one set until failure" do they mean to do a set, rest, then do another...etc. until you can't anymore? Or do they mean something different?
One set performed to the point where you cannot complete another repetition in strict form.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Thanks!
Am I missing something, does the routine recommend doing only 1 set per excersize?
You’re not missing anything. It is one set of each exercise taken to the point of momentary muscular failure.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE what about those saying the research says this is wrong and more volume is needed? I do like his approach to training though.
I did chage to a slower, heavier lift with a pause before lowering, including a two-day rest.
I noticed a total difference. 👍
Please explain the meaning of 3-5 reps untill failure. Never got that. Does that mean the lower range is 3-5 reps and upper range is failure??
Three reps is the minimum you should be able to do, and five reps should be the maximum you should do, given that particular repetition range.
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE thanks mate for the explanation
@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGEbut only one set or that one set means the last set usually from 2-3 sets and the last set is the failure which is the third
RIP