“Have Done Literally No Direct…Exercise”: Mike Mentzer Once Revealed the Secret to His ‘Highly Developed’ Forearms

Bodybuilding enthusiasts could take one look at the old-school days and weigh in on the importance that Mike Mentzer carried during that era. The late legend was the torchbearer of the high-intensity training technique and popularized it among the masses.

In a recent video on YouTube, the channel Heavy Duty College highlighted one of his articles on how he grew his forearms during training. Unlike other bodybuilders from his era who would’ve focused on specific training, Mentzer had a unique approach.

Forearms were one of his strengths across his whole physique because of how ripped they were. Yet, when it came to training them and increasing their muscle mass, Mentzer didn’t seem to have a specific plan.

“At times, it seems that my calves and forearms grow better with little or no direct work…I have done literally no direct forearm exercise for about three years now.”

His idea was to work on his forearms indirectly, through staple arm exercises that he would perform with dumbbells and bars. In fact, any exercise where he would hold or grasp a piece of equipment would work the desired part.

He clarified that while he didn’t mean to discourage the inclusion of direct forearm exercises; he wanted people to stay mindful of including them. If the indirect exercises were already taking them to the point of fatigue, then the direct ones could take a backseat.

“Two exercises that I like together, they more or less work the entire forearm, are wrist curls and reverse curls.”

According to Mentzer, assigning forearm workouts on upper arm days, following bicep exercises, would be ideal. He went on to explain the exercises in detail and stressed the technique. However, one must not forget to apply the high-intensity training method to this process.

Mike Mentzer rallied to train each set of muscles only a few times a month

Unlike traditional volume training that involved multiple sets of one exercise, extending up to several hours in a day, Mentzer’s technique was sharper. His heavy-duty plan focused on more intensity and more recovery, which eventually led to an increase in gains.

He often talked about maintaining a ten-day cycle instead of a seven-day one, where a workout session is followed by 2-3 days spent in recovery. He believed that each body part only needed two to three training sessions a month, which included both direct and indirect approaches. That’s how he formulated his routine and swore by it as a muscle-gaining technique.