Mentzer - only trained 2h/wk?

[Joltan]

I prefer to do pullovers the good old fashioned way using a heavy dumbbell and a flat bench. Get a good stretch and range of motion - works the chest and lats. Helps expand the ribcage and make your chest appear bigger too. Used to be a staple back in the day...

 

[D2]

... his share of wacky ideas about training frequency.....

if i rmbr correctly his last heavy duty book, he was advocating training once every 7 or 14days? ??

 

[Ash Housewares]

I prefer to do pullovers the good old fashioned way using a heavy dumbbell and a flat bench. Get a good stretch and range of motion - works the chest and lats. Helps expand the ribcage and make your chest appear bigger too. Used to be a staple back in the day...

Banded DB pullovers are my favorite and then barbell pullover presses from time to time which I haven’t seen anyone else do in a long time.

 

[juggy38]

I only count the seconds under the bar. So I lift for about 7 minutes

 

[Joltan]

Banded DB pullovers are my favorite and then barbell pullover presses from time to time which I haven’t seen anyone else do in a long time.

Thanks! I am going to try this... looks like a good way to get more ROM and activate the lower lats too.

Do you use a training partner to hold the band or how does that work?

 

[Mufasa123]

Never read that article before. Thanks for that if true.

I have spoken with Mike on the phone twice post competition and Nautilus days and the subject was never mentioned. He did have his share of wacky ideas about training frequency (he went off the deep end) and drinking your own urine, etc. so I guess he is capable of rationalizing about anything

That's not the sole or isolated article or only time its mentioned. As I said most complete with his own discussion for sure. I searched Google under Mike Mentzer Amphetamine End of World for a reason as one of the old stories of this period and maybe best known was him in robes coming into Golds Venice talking about the end of the world or some such (I wasn't there but it's been repeated ad nauseum). That period and mental breakdown/severe psychosis is well known.

Not tearing him down at all just to be clear. For him in that period I'd assume his use of amphetamine was very much akin to PEDs. His main philosophy was Ayn Rand inspired and he worked about as hard as anyone to live accordingly and to that standard. Much to admire. The issue is that logic and objectivism philophosy are reliant on clear mind, purpose and thought. Once paranoia and psychosis creeps in you basically can't trust yourself and the foundational logic which underpins and drives all essentially gets cancer. We are all susceptible to that but amphetamine use... this is the major side effect so it made it a lot worse or potentially even caused it. Read his words and you'll pick it up. Basically had to come to grips, rebuild and put reality back together. Which is part of the process for everyone I'd guess and maybe not take their "self" so seriously. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger but that seems to have been his path. Much to admire in his motivations and implementations to lead a life of values he believed in but cautionary as well.

 

[alfresco]

I prefer to do pullovers the good old fashioned way using a heavy dumbbell and a flat bench. Get a good stretch and range of motion - works the chest and lats. Helps expand the ribcage and make your chest appear bigger too. Used to be a staple back in the day...

Even earlier, straight armed barbell pullovers between sets of 20 rep breathing squats was de rigueur.

Maybe that is why we don’t see any real side chest poses any longer. Used to be a pose that separated the men from the boys.

 

[qbkilla]

Even earlier, straight armed barbell pullovers between sets of 20 rep breathing squats was de rigueur.

Maybe that is why we don’t see any real side chest poses any longer. Used to be a pose that separated the men from the boys.

I love the db pullover for triceps, I think called pjr pullover or pjr press, feel it in long head for days. Wondering if it may be better with a barbell? Any one done both or an anatomy guru have an opinion? My plan was to progress with the dumbbell then when can't get stronger switch to barbell, assuming I can use more weight with a barbell

 

[w8tlifterty]

Dad was a good guy. We had some good discussions behind the scenes. Wish he was still contributing. He is missed.

Dad was awesome to me in my younger years here.

 

[Muay Thai]

dorian actually just made a post right now on IG about he doesn't believe in the 10-15 sets per body part, only 1 -2 working sets. and he posted pic with mentzer and attributed to him as being one of his biggest teachers to his olympia success

 

[alfresco]

I love the db pullover for triceps, I think called pjr pullover or pjr press, feel it in long head for days. Wondering if it may be better with a barbell? Any one done both or an anatomy guru have an opinion? My plan was to progress with the dumbbell then when can't get stronger switch to barbell, assuming I can use more weight with a barbell

Barbell pullover / press on a flat bench will fry your tris. At least it does mine.

I have never done db pullovers.

Barbell pullovers for chest / rib cage were done on a ‘half moon bench’ which most people are not familiar with and are as rare as saber tooth tigers in New York City.

 

[lookslikesausage]

Barbell pullover / press on a flat bench will fry your tris. At least it does mine.

I have never done db pullovers.

Barbell pullovers for chest / rib cage were done on a ‘half moon bench’ which most people are not familiar with and are as rare as saber tooth tigers in New York City.

I just googled it. The Half Moon bench would make doing DB or Barbell Pullovers a million times better than doing them perpendicular on a flat bench.

 

[Ash Housewares]

Thanks! I am going to try this... looks like a good way to get more ROM and activate the lower lats too.

Do you use a training partner to hold the band or how does that work?

If there’s a bench or machine behind me and close enough I’ll attach it there. Otherwise, I loop it through a 45lb plate laid flat on the floor (you could use a dumbbell too, just position it so it doesn’t roll as the band stretches).

 

[Hatchet]

Mike got his physique from training the old-school way with volume, etc.
Only afterward he switched training styles.

 

[FK86]

dorian actually just made a post right now on IG about he doesn't believe in the 10-15 sets per body part, only 1 -2 working sets. and he posted pic with mentzer and attributed to him as being one of his biggest teachers to his olympia success

Dorian did plenty more sets before his Blood & Guts video. A quick Google for his '87-'92 workouts will show that. He didn't leapfrog in stage weight from '92-'93 because of his workout. It's because he upped the dose and added GH, plain and simple. His workouts regarding the amount of sets gets lost in the many conversations we've had here and on other boards about counting warm-ups and semantics. His back workout was damn near 20 sets and he wasn't doing his warm-ups like Jordan Peters of only a few reps, so they were taxing him more. He's also become very narrow-minded when it comes to training. He thinks the routine he did from '93 onwards is the only routine. That it's perfect and everyone should do those exact exercises in that exact order for that exact rep range. He puts every one of his clients on it and charges them a bundle when FLEX magazine printed it over and over and you can find it anywhere on the net for free. He never talks about these two routines despite the fact that they're responsible for the majority of his progress.

Dorian Yates' Workouts from 1982-1985 - Physical Culture Study

Yates in 1986 Known as ‘The Shadow’ in bodybuilding circles, Dorian Yates was the goliath of early 1990s bodybuilding. Winning the Mr. Olympia six straight years in a row from

physicalculturestudy.com

Dorian Yates's Body Part Split (1987-1992) | Fitness Documentation

Body Part Split (1987-1992) training program in Hypertrophy category by Dorian Yates

fitnessdocumentation.com

 

[A50#]

Regardless if he was right or wrong, I always was entertained by Mike Mentzer. I probably read everything he ever wrote and seen just about every seminar and training video out there. I know for years when my training time was very limited using a HIT style of training produced gains for me. This thread here made me ask myself if the 2 hrs in the gym I'm doing now is producing any better gains that I made with a much more abbreviated routine

 

[frankwhite]

Mike got his physique from training the old-school way with volume, etc.
Only afterward he switched training styles.

Yeah it's kind of ridiculous to argue otherwise, way too many success stories using volume training, heard the Germans were big fans of it too

 

[frankwhite]

Regardless if he was right or wrong, I always was entertained by Mike Mentzer. I probably read everything he ever wrote and seen just about every seminar and training video out there. I know for years when my training time was very limited using a HIT style of training produced gains for me. This thread here made me ask myself if the 2 hrs in the gym I'm doing now is producing any better gains that I made with a much more abbreviated routine

I think this is where Phil H's ideas, if they were his, of hyper acceleration and hyper adaptation comes from, of stressing the system with volume for three weeks, then deloading with low volume high intensity until gains slow down and then it's back to the sweet pumps of high volume

I know when I used the OTS systems it was very productive, for years

 

[jaxino]

And the story repeats on and on ...

X pro took 100mg weekly and won nationals
Y pro eat yogurt daily and got ripped
Z pro trained 10min a day and got huge

I don't believe in aliens.

Never saw ANYONE HERE doing almost NOTHING and have results.

Those threads should die as soon as someone starts them.

 

[frankwhite]

And the story repeats on and on ...

X pro took 100mg weekly and won nationals
Y pro eat yogurt daily and got ripped
Z pro trained 10min a day and got huge

I don't believe in aliens.

Never saw ANYONE HERE doing almost NOTHING and have results.

Those threads should die as soon as someone starts them.

supposedly Tom Platz would regularly train legs so intensely with high volume that he would have to take weeks off from training before he felt recovered enough to do it all again, so who knows? What a fascinating endeavor to be a part of