There are many stereotypes surrounding muscular people. In 2023, American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman and comedian Tom Segura connected via a podcast uploaded on YMH Studios’ YouTube channel, where they discussed these stereotypes. Nonetheless, Huberman drew on an anecdote about his encounter with bodybuilding icon Mike Mentzer, who bestowed on him three significant pieces of fitness advice.
Huberman recalled his time as a high school student in the podcast. To confer with Mike Mentzer over the phone, he saved up $100. Hearing about the brief HIT programs piqued Tom Segura’s curiosity, much as hearing about Mentzer’s 30- to 40-minute exercise regimes surprised him.
The fact that Mentzer used amphetamines was something else that Huberman remembered. Bodybuilders who opt for HIT, use this kind of stimulant because it keeps them from getting fatigued and boosts their self-assurance. Even though the neuroscientist was young when he took Mentzer’s advice, he emphasizes that teens are more likely to take such counsel seriously.
Mentzer warned Huberman against anabolic steroids, the first of his three main pieces of counsel. Anabolic steroids are used for a wide variety of purposes, including but not limited to boosting sports performance, increasing muscular development, and many more. The icon further stressed this:
“You’re not going to become a competitor and it’s just a waste of your health.”
The bodybuilding legend then told Huberman to take pleasure in his workouts. This was also immediately applied by the neuroscientist:
“So I’ve come to develop this thirst for training hard and I look forward to it. It doesn’t feel like a pain to me. It feels like an adventure and I love it.”
As per Mentzer, the last piece of advice for Huberman was to excel at something else. When the neuroscientist was a teenager, the bodybuilding icon saw his enthusiasm for information. Mentzer advised him to follow the path of knowledge and excel in it, as Huberman eventually became an associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Mike Mentzer on the intensity of effort in a workout session
Back in the day, Mike Mentzer was in a league of his own. To maximize recovery, he exercised for brief intervals, but he worked out at an unprecedented intensity throughout those intervals. Nevertheless, the icon brought attention to the fact that the intensity of one’s activity determines the body’s reaction to muscular development.
Every person follows a similar phenomenon when it comes to physiology. The role of recovery in promoting muscular development was emphasized by the late legend. He emphasized the need to give one’s maximum effort when exercising, as the process of recovery is the same for everyone.
