She was intending to do a series of instructional videotapes and wanted to check out the studios in Lake Helen. "For a while Mike and I strayed from our high intensity, heavy poundage workouts into a program using lighter weights and higher reps. Hutchins was going to ease over and take a seat beside Cooper. Mike believed in training with a partner who can assist when reaching failure. Ray kept up his arduous training in 1983 while utilizing different programs. However, a number of trainees seem to suffer overtraining even from such brief workouts once they genuinely achieve an intense level of effort. 8/2/53 Died: 6/12/01 !,especially now that hes dead and kept on raving about Casey Viator. But in my experience, sooner or later, youre going to have to train alone and youre going to have to push yourself. The entire movement needs to be fluid and controlled. Finally, it was the middle of April, a month before the Jr. Mr. America, and Jones realized that if he doesnt return to training Casey, Casey might get beat at the national event. It wasnt unusual for Jones to discuss various deals with well-known athletes, or their agents. Ray continued working out diligently behind the scenes even though he was no longer in the spotlight on the bodybuilding stage. Ellington Darden: I certainly did. According to Ray, he got more attention at the airport than Martina did, the dirty car turned her off, and the ride back to Lake Helen was hot, both in temperature and in conversation. Ellington Darden: The right training partner or supervisor can make a noticeable difference in overall results. The reason his workouts were referred to as HIT (High-Intensity Training). "The secret, if there is one, is high intensity. This would not be a problem with quasi-isometric protocols like Static Holds and Max Contraction which follow isometric failure with a full or partial negative. He performed one set of 11 or fewer HIT upper-body exercises, three times per week. About 75 of my old friends were there and we had a great time reliving the good old days. One of the highlights was a film that Terry Todd, of the University of Texas, had assembled that showed black-and-white movie clips from the AAU Mr. America contests, 1940 through 1954. . It happened to me, to Flanagan, to Boyer Coe, to Ray Mentzer. My name is Val and I am Mike's close friend, pupil and protg. Actually, the personal-training part was much less than that. The only possible mechanism I can see working against isometrics is if the load is needed to shock the muscles into contracting more strongly than is possible voluntarily, even where the isometric trainer is very experienced and determined. After some small talk, he was going to ask him bluntly to define exercise. Hey Fred, glad you like the interview. Twenty reps, Arthur repeated, after asking us about his progress, hell, he can do 50 with each leg. Over the next three minutes, Viator not only did 50 reps, but 2 more for good measure. Theres probably a few more, but I cant recall them right now. My first response is to say that intensity is more important when youre younger (from 15 to 40 years of age), and form is more important when your older (over 40). . Dip Our double-team plan had failed. All of these champions were drug-free and I must emphasize that there were some very well built men in the 40s and 50s. Surely, with the correct instruction and motivation, we can turn a reasonable percentage of them into HIT believers. Chest & Back. This is where his training progressed. I remember one day, we had Casey on the duo-squat machine and our goal was 20 reps with each leg, which would be more than hed ever done with us training him. Do Your Hormones Affect Weight Gain and Loss. Ray, his brother, who is also suffering from illnesses, found him. Isometric training can be very effective when done correctly, however it appears strength improvements may be limited to the position or range of motion trained, so it may not be ideal when performed exclusively. He stood only 5'8 yet packed 215 pounds of rock-solid muscle on his frame. Ken and I had been involved in a Nautilus seminar and we were waiting to fly back to Daytona Beach. The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results by Ellington Darden. But it was no use. You can build up to it. A diversified man with broad interests, Mentzer has earned the reputation of "the thinking man's . Or a training partner with a watch can talk your through each phase. After Ray retired from completion he continued to workout with his high intensity training approach he called "Intensity For Immensity" and reached a peak body weight of 270 pounds in fairly lean condition. At a powerful 5'4", Franco was able to deadlift 750 pounds, bench press 525 pounds, and squat 655 pounds. He built a super, heavy duty hydraulic with a control that a training partner could operate. DB shoulder press - 1 x 8 reps the routines of Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates are really the only ones I can recommend to trainees with a straight face. Each set lasted more than 20 seconds longer as a result of the stutter reps. His overall routines include about 50-percent Bowflex exercises and 50- percent free-weight exercises. 1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps. Yates Barbell Row or One Arm Cable Row. But since Hutchins had his back toward me, it was difficult to gauge what was happening on Kens side. That curveball sent Martina scrambling for a phone. Also, Ive worked out with Ken Leistner, Pete Grymkowski, Robby Robinson, Jim Haislop, Richard Baldwin, Chris Dickerson, and Lee Haney. Leg Curl Breakdown (one drop in weight) When a trainee thought he was finished, Jones could always get at least two more reps from that individual. Ellington Darden: Hes Andy McCutcheon and hes been using HIT principles since 1988, when he trained at Dorian Yatess gym in Birmingham, England. For more than ten years, Mentzer's Heavy Duty program involved 7-9 sets per workout on a three day-per-week schedule.With the advent of "modern bodybuilding" (where bodybuilders became more massive than ever before) by the early 1990s, he ultimately modified that routine until there were fewer working sets, and more days of rest. He died in 2001 from heart complications. He achieved the same in the AAU Mr. America competition one year later. There were several times when he appeared to be interested, but it quickly faded. Im not sure why he permitted it because he certainly understood what proper form was. Perform the exercises in this routine back-to-back, except where a rest is indicated. If you have not developed the metabolic conditioning to follow these routines, then back off. First off, if I may say, what an exceptional interview, Drew: you clearly went out of your way to make the most of the opportunity. The insurgent 28-year-old Mentzer finished a controversial fifth and, in the aftermath, retired. (Creamy, Classic Taste), How to make Brown Sugar Grilled Peaches? Take the hips and thighs as an example. Jones predicted that Casey would be more massive, with even more definition, by the 1971 Mr. America contest, which was 6 months away. Press Behind Neck. Ray frequently rested completely for 34 days after his rigorous training sessions. . So were all the negative reps, extended sets, stutter reps, rest pause and hydraulic assisted reps any more productive than the traditional set training? Ellington Darden: Great question, in fact, I could make a winning case for each one, or the idea that they are equally important. Drew Baye: Ken Hutchins, the architect behind the SuperSlow philosophy, and you grew up in the same town in Texas. Perhaps during the early 1970s, when he was training so many bodybuilders, it was simply easier to drive home intensity, than be so concerned with form. There is this rumour going on that Ray had squatted as much as 900 pounds, with Darden confirming Ray could almost certainly handle 700 odd pounds in powerlifter form. But both are real killers, maybe try it sometime. . I guarantee . Jones was briefly introduced to Viator at the 1970 Mr. America contest in Los Angeles, where Casey placed third. Stay focused and keep the tension and the movement smooth and slow. Look at the workout accompanying this article for a few minutes. Now, youll experience some of the reasons why this is my least favorite routine. On June 12th, in York, Pennsylvania, at the 1971 Mr. America, Casey weighed 218 pounds and displayed his dominance by winning the main title and five of the six subdivisions . Upright Row He was that strong. Stump later introduced me to the guy who eventually became the editor of The New High-Intensity Training. Ellington Darden: Actually, I understated the time period. Rodale also is behind a number of magazines, such as Mens Health and Prevention. Squat Having trained on Mike Mentzer's Heavy Duty 1 Routine (find that book on Mike's site as well) for 2 years before losing my mind and training on the more popular 3 day on/one day off routine for 5 or 6 years, it was a blessing to get back to the lower volume and ultra-high intensity type of routine*** My Cellar-Dweller Experience Is there a study you can cite on this? So long as full effort can be engendered, 100% of strength and endurance capabilities can be exhausted with isometric exercise. Leg ext - 1 x 16 reps Interestingly, I replicated the 14-day experiment with another Gainesville Health & Fitness subject, Michael Spillane. Undergrip row Out of curiosity, which one do you like the best? The advanced and super advanced techniques were fully researched and tested by Mike in the late 70's, but following the infamous 1980 Mr.Olympia . Let me explain. 2022 Sugar Zam. Pullover Ken and I, for several years, had tried various approaches during Nautilus seminars to debate people who believed they needed daily aerobic activity to be healthy. Drew Baye: When Jones trained someone, was he a stickler for form? . Much of the credit goes to its nature as a big, three-joint exercise (hips, knees and ankles are all involved). HIT training w/deads can be brutal, squats are equally brutal. The amazing thing about Miller was that he never worked out in a commercial gym and never had a training partner. Answer: Mike trained very, very intensely as did Ray. Today, that percentage of involvement has shrunk by half, which leaves approximately 8 percent. Miller cant understand why anyone interested in lifting and bodybuilding would want to get involved with drugs. "Many bodybuilders sell themselves short. Here's what he would have for lunch: Mikes significant cardiac problems were discovered during a checkup, ruling out the possibility of a kidney transplant. Ray Mentzer had a different viewpoint. Today, if you walk into any serious gym in the United States (or in the world), doing negatives is a regular part of a lifters vocabulary. I once read about Ray Mentzer training legs once a month! Mike Mentzer. How much of an effect an unexercised muscle receives from an exercised muscle depends mainly on two things - the size of the worked muscle and its proximity to the unworked muscle. Ray Mentzer who was the brother of Mike Mentzer was born in Pennsylvania on August 2, 1953. Net Worth, Partner, Biography, Who is Paris Berelc? When Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu visited the Nautilus headquarters in mid-November 1970, Viator weighed 215 pounds and impressed both of the professional champions. Ellington Darden: Actually, I guess what Im saying is that if you want to get the best-possible results from HIT, you must have Arthur Jones as your personal trainer. Joness personal form when he trained himself was impeccable. None of the suggestions (including exercise, diet, products or services) mentioned should be performed or otherwise used without clearance from your physician or health care provider. Among these regimens was the well-known Heavy Duty Training.. Ken always came back for more, and perhaps most importantly, asked intelligent questions. . Of course Ell writes and says a lot of the same things Arthur did it was his job. Mike eventually decided to call it a day and go to bed as exhaustion set in. Roy Hilligen (51) impressed me with his overall muscle density combined with extreme definition. To this day, Im a firm believer in strength training the neck, for both athletes and nonathletes. Best arms: three-way tie among Casey Viator, Sergio Oliva, and Boyer Coe Best chest: Arnold Schwarzenegger Best shoulders: Scott Wilson Best back: Dorian Yates Best thighs: Tom Platz Best calves: Chris Dickerson Best forearms: Casey Viator Best abdominals: Frank Zane Most muscular: Sergio Oliva Best overall first impression: Boyer Coe at the 1965 Mr. Texas contest Strongest during multiple workouts: Ray Mentzer Best consistent workout form: Robert Berg, a bodybuilder and a medical doctor from Stuart, Florida. For 90 percent of his exercising, he never used an Olympic barbell. Here is Mike Mentzer's chest routine: 1. My hamstrings seem very stubborn that way, and isometric exercise produces virtually no soreness there, as if Ive done next to nothing despite willing a 100% exertion. An erudite man, Mentzer recorded his training thoughts in journals not normally given to science, publicly crediting his improvement in 1976 to an increase in training intensity. Use about half the weight (50 percent) that youd normally use. Learn all you can about what motivates you. In my mind, Im thinking . You take your normal weight or resistance and instead of going to failure or beyond, you simply quit two reps short of your previous best effort. With Arthur Jones Supervision, a Little Goes a Long Way. Rest 2 minutes Then again on things like squats they trained more traditional (but of course very heavy). I offered to drive her back even told her Id run the car through a Jiffy Wash, Ray deadpanned afterward. Pulldown Behind Neck Ray will be remembered for his incredible strength and never-say-die outlook on training and life. # posted by Paul @ 10:00 AM. During one of these squat meetings, Ray accomplished a remarkable achievement by performing two reps of a 900-pound squat. It's part of bodybuilding legend how the squat affects overall body strength and size. HGH . Actual experience on this routine will reveal a growth-indicating pump in the upper arms and forearms every workout. Not only was Dr. Darden kind enough to do an interview for this site, he also lent me a recent draft of The New High Intensity Training, which Ive read three times already. High Intensity Training For Muscle Growth Ray, like his brother, trained using Heavy Duty High Tntensity Training. Ray might actually have been the first bodybuilder to weigh that much and still be fairly lean. Triceps ExtensionSuper-slow And arm yourself with The New High Intensity Training. The last of the three exercises: extremely slow leg presses, 4 repetitions in 120 seconds, will rock your world but good. As a result, Hutchins and I improvised a plan. Is that correct? Home BLOG Products Online Courses Videos About Support Search. When Joe Cirulli, Jim Flanagan, Joe Mullen, and I visited Arthur Jones on July 29, 2004, some thought-provoking discussion took place concerning a new HIT concept. With one leg.. They have a New York City office, but the majority of their publishing house in located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, which is a quaint community in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. All rights reserved. Ray was concerned about this since he didnt want his brother to put too much stress on his body given that he knew he had cardiac issues. Someone somewhere should be doing a large-scale research project to help us understand more about their place in short- and long-term exercise. The latest statistics from the Sports Goods Manufacturers Association reveals that approximately 20,000,000 males in the United States are actively involved in bodybuilding and strength training. What was Ray Mentzer's arm training routine? Bill Pearl was a major influence on Rays bodybuilding. But as I look back on my 45 years of bodybuilding experience, combined with the thousands and thousands of individuals Ive trained (and observed training), I can say with confidence that more people would profit from an understanding and application of proper form, than from proper intensity. As much as any of those Mr. America winners, I appreciate and admire Wilbur Miller. Forced negs had the same effect. Thus, he simplified his routine to upper body only. Learn how to use high intensity training to build muscle! Overall, Im very pleased with whats happening with the book. It was starting to become a sideshow then. Drew Baye: How is your book, The New High-Intensity Training, different from other HIT books, such as those written by John Little, Stuart McRoberts, Brian Johnston, and Matt Brzycki? Generally, Mike Mentzers writings, success in contests, and inspiring photographs influenced bodybuilders everywhere to train harder and briefer. Created by, Ray Mentzer Diet Plan, Workout Routine, Exercise, Body Measurements, - Rate us if you are a Food Lover (Sugarzam.com). Your goal is for each repetition to take 30 seconds: 15 seconds on the positive and 15 seconds on the negative. In New Orleans, a month later at the Mr. USA, Viator weighed 210 pounds and was more cut than he was when he was 5 pounds lighter. This article is from 2003 to read a more updated article on how Mike Mentzer had a "Heavy Duty" mindest and workout regime Click Here. I never witnessed anyone else get a single rep with the entire stack and there were a lot of big, strong athletes who tried. Hutchins was a beginner and I had been training seriously for a number of years. Ray too, died within 48 hours of Mike's passing. Proper strength training, we felt, was more than an adequate way to work the muscles and heart. Not surprising to me, the addition of 18-1/2 pounds of muscle increased his resting metabolic rate by 530 calories, or 28.6 calories per pound of added muscle per day. Reduce your resistance 30% and your reps about half of normal. Photography: To illustrate the history, I also have more than a hundred photographs from the 1970s that are placed throughout the text. Family, Partner, Biography, How to make Garlic Dressing? Bodybuilding Titles Won Mike continued to train and excelled in the gym and his academic pursuits. No problem, he simply dropped down on one knee in front of Cooper and continued. They favored lower reps so it was different than the way someone like Platz and Casey generated intensity. Login. The stronger he is, the more a set of exercise can make an inroad into his existing abilities. Friday And Im glad he did. I read all the bodybuilding magazines from 1959 until 1972, and I never came across anything remotely similar to the emphasis and guidelines Jones placed on lowering a heavy weight. Let's start by acquainting them with you. Tag: Ray Mentzer. Soon after, the medical professionals started him on renal dialysis and added him to the waiting list for a kidney transplant. When a bodybuilder nears the advanced level, he's beginning to get pretty strong. Rest 2 to 3 minutes He prided himself in being able to keep a straight face, which threw you off, until you figured out his style.