Mike Mentzer - Discussion

[Tha Grim Lifter]

Saying he was robbed in 1979.....it was the flip of a coin in 1980 if he was better than a way below top form Frank Zane as Zane's structure was easily better. Cannot see how he could beat Zane at his best in 1979. Pictures are one thing the video's tell the whole story.

[_bruce_]

yeah he shouldve spent all his day in his basement logged on to getbig instead


 

 

[dj181]

yeah he shouldve spent all his day in his basement logged on to getbig instead


 

 

[Rambone]

Source?

Ray Mentzer via Ouija board

[Kwon]

I always felt Mike Mentzer was overrated.

I know he was pretty popular with the fans and had a catchy training gimmick, but for me he always seemed incomplete. When he is standing alone in a B&W photo, he looks good. Put him in a tough lineup with big guys and he would fade away. Like Danny Padilla to some degree. Alone in a B&W photo Danny looked unbeatable. In a lineup among mass monsters Danny just disappeared. Right or wrong, that was the truth.

Mentzer had below average calves, soft hammies, terrible flutes, weak inner back thickness, subpar traps, thin chest, and a wide blocky waist compared to the best of his peer group. That's not to say Mentzer was terrible, just the opposite, but it gave the Weiders what they needed to make sure Mike would never beat their Golden Boys.

Since when did you need to musically perform on the bodybuildingstage?

[oldschoolfan]

here is my experience training h.i.t now remember its been quite a few years.

my strength shot up quite a bit, but i followed it to a t, no cardio nothing,  so i had zero cuts.  i do think h.i.t works for limited periods of time.plus trying to go up in weight

and reps ever single week becomes quite taxing. i think h.i.t  works best for those who are naturally lean.  i will say this though the slow full motion of reps he prescribed

work great.     plus what mike prescribed later on isnt what he prescribed when he was at his peak. i have his heavy duty journal  he did alot of cardio when getting ready

for a show.  

[dj181]

he trained everything 3 days a week on a full body workout up until bout 78 or so 

[MAXX]

When I met him in the mid-'90s he was a chain-smoking lunatic. Just hanging around the front of Gold's mumbling nonsense.

In and out of reality.

He lived for a time on the beach, sleeping under the piers.

Great build during his prime and a very intelligent fella, but unfortunately prone to mental illness. Rec drugs, as mentioned, didn't help.

so sad 

I think people should have helped Mentzer more during his drugged years. You know like bodybuilding brothers.. Oh well..

[Rambone]

When I met him in the mid-'90s he was a chain-smoking lunatic. Just hanging around the front of Gold's mumbling nonsense.

In and out of reality.

He lived for a time on the beach, sleeping under the piers.

Great build during his prime and a very intelligent fella, but unfortunately prone to mental illness. Rec drugs, as mentioned, didn't help.

Living the dream!

[The Scott]

Since when did you need to musically perform on the bodybuildingstage?

Perhaps he was thinking of the backstage playing of the skin flute prior to posing?

[pkaz]

I would frequently meet Ray Mentzer for breakfast in Rocky Cola Cafe in Redondo Beach. His food intake was incredible and our discussion clearly pointed out that HIT was BS.. HIT included sets of increasing weight until max rep set was final. Meaning, slowly work up in weight and the hit maximum rep at last set. Ray was a very interesting person to know and speak with. At the time he was starting a rehabilitation center in Redondo Beach. A shame his mind and eventually his body rebelled.

[ratherbebig]

people dont talk enough about RAY

[Simple Simon]

here is my experience training h.i.t now remember its been quite a few years.

my strength shot up quite a bit, but i followed it to a t, no cardio nothing,  so i had zero cuts.  i do think h.i.t works for limited periods of time.plus trying to go up in weight

and reps ever single week becomes quite taxing. i think h.i.t  works best for those who are naturally lean.  i will say this though the slow full motion of reps he prescribed

work great.     plus what mike prescribed later on isnt what he prescribed when he was at his peak. i have his heavy duty journal  he did alot of cardio when getting ready

for a show.  

your lack of cuts was down to eating too much, not lack of cardio.

[FREAKgeek]

here is my experience training h.i.t now remember its been quite a few years.

my strength shot up quite a bit, but i followed it to a t, no cardio nothing,  so i had zero cuts.  i do think h.i.t works for limited periods of time.plus trying to go up in weight

and reps ever single week becomes quite taxing. i think h.i.t  works best for those who are naturally lean.  i will say this though the slow full motion of reps he prescribed

work great.     plus what mike prescribed later on isnt what he prescribed when he was at his peak. i have his heavy duty journal  he did alot of cardio when getting ready

for a show.  

what Be There said.

HIT pairs well with compound exercise, and like you said, in cycles where you haven't done high intensity in a while. The 1 set of 20 reps squat is good too, but you'll find after a while with HIT your work capacity, endurance starts to suffer. You can do great first and second sets, but then you feel too obliterated. The endurance guy, while it was hard, can go back later and do more lighter work for the slow twitch fibers., cause he hasn't felt like he worked enough.

[Eric2]

what Be There said.

HIT pairs well with compound exercise, and like you said, in cycles where you haven't done high intensity in a while. The 1 set of 20 reps squat is good too, but you'll find after a while with HIT your work capacity, endurance starts to suffer. You can do great first and second sets, but then you feel too obliterated. The endurance guy, while it was hard, can go back later and do more lighter work for the slow twitch fibers., cause he hasn't felt like he worked enough.

Yes. When I gave it a go for a month or so I made gains then hit a wall. I went back to a higher volume program and the muscle began to respond again. Like mentioned earlier going back and forth between methods is a good idea. Keeps things from going stale. Sometimes mixing a pwerlifting program for a month is great too.

[Nether Animal]

people dont talk enough about RAY

Ray had a great build, more classic looking than Mike but lacking that trademark thickness in spots. Given that the coroner's report found potentially lethal levels of opiates in both brothers blood after their deaths, I believe Ray to have suicided after finding Mike dead.

[Eric2]

Ray had a great build, more classic looking than Mike but lacking that trademark thickness in spots. Given that the coroner's report found potentially lethal levels of opiates in both brothers blood after their deaths, I believe Ray to have suicided after finding Mike dead.

I thought about that with Ray as well. Even though his health was really bad the timing seemed suspect.

[oldschoolfan]

i read, ray was one of the strongest pros out there in the 80's as well.

[Straw Man]

Ray had a great build, more classic looking than Mike but lacking that trademark thickness in spots. Given that the coroner's report found potentially lethal levels of opiates in both brothers blood after their deaths, I believe Ray to have suicided after finding Mike dead.

I think Jerry Brainum wrote that he thought they both OD'd

[Eric2]

I think Jerry Brainum wrote that he thought they both OD'd

Wonder if they both opted out then. Mike with his mental health issue and Ray was near deaths door anyway according to Mike. Ray was getting dialisis done every week and not doing well.

[oldschoolfan]

the thing is mike didnt seem suicidal he just wrapped up making his training video that day .   and by all account he was still making good money off his books, and articles he wrote.   mike was one of those pros i was hoping to see, get it all back together, i always enjoyed his writings and he was the best bb writer out there.

the guy could get you to think and was smart.   joe weider did like mike quite a bit contrary to popular believe, he was paying mike more than any one in the early 80's.

and when mike got out of the hospital joe did let him advertise his heavy duty  books for free in his magazines until mike got on his feet again .

[Straw Man]

Mike's death could have been accidental OD or drug induced heart attack
Rays death seems more suspect

This is what Jerry Brainum wrote about it (found it on Dave Draper board and had posted it on a similar thread here a few years ago)

[Zillotch]

the guy could get you to think and was smart

lol

[dseiler]

the thing is mike didnt seem suicidal he just wrapped up making his training video that day .   and by all account he was still making good money off his books, and articles he wrote.   mike was one of those pros i was hoping to see, get it all back together, i always enjoyed his writings and he was the best bb writer out there.

the guy could get you to think and was smart.   joe weider did like mike quite a bit contrary to popular believe, he was paying mike more than any one in the early 80's.

and when mike got out of the hospital joe did let him advertise his heavy duty  books for free in his magazines until mike got on his feet again .

Wonder what he would have said about all the pregnant bellies in bodybuilding nowadays..

[oldschoolfan]

Wonder what he would have said about all the pregnant bellies in bodybuilding nowadays..

knowing mike he would have said they are eating and dosing to much