The 1979 Mr Olympia was significant for many reasons. Apart from some of the most compelling competitors, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Sergio Oliva, and so on, Mike Mentzer was supposed to be one of the toughest champions to beat. The late icon had already won a bunch of pro shows, and now it was time for a final showdown.
In his memoirs, however, Mentzer confessed to experiencing one of his rock-bottom moments around that time. What should’ve been a consistent state of euphoria for the legend turned into something tragic. Between winning the Grand Prix in Miami and participating at the Mr. Olympia championship in Columbus, the icon faced a slump.
After his show in Miami, a small mistake of consuming a little more carbs than normal led Mentzer to lose the Pittsburgh Grand Prix. But what pushed him to the edge was learning about his mother’s terminal illness worsening a month later while he was in New York. Stress, demotivation, and performance pressure building up for months delivered the final blow to his morale.
His mother later passed away towards the end of May 1979. Mentzer then lost all his drive to workout and prepare for Mr. Olympia. His habits got so bad that the late bodybuilder recalled how he would hardly train, let alone plan his prep for the showdown.
“I was plagued for several weeks by a vague anxiety, which at times threatened to overwhelm me. For a time, life seemed to lose its luster…”
What made him bounce back was watching his brother, Ray, prep for the Mr. America championship, looking like a Greek god. It was like an instant switch. Mentzer soon got back to the gym and earnestly prepared for the title. The transformation was jaw-dropping.
“I experienced that ‘flip of the switch’ inside my head that always signaled transformation that would radically alter my psyche.”
Gym-goers immediately noticed Mentzer going through a mind-blowing transformation. From watching him throw his hard work down the drain to changing up his physique so soon, people even teased him for using ‘super-secret drugs’. Regardless, the icon began plowing through intense workouts and diets and soon enough attained his best physique.
What made Mike Mentzer quit bodybuilding?
While Mentzer won the 1979 heavyweight division, he lost the overall title to Zane. But that did not disappoint him as much as the fateful 1980 Mr. Olympia. At the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger made an unexpected return to the competition, much to everyone’s shock and disappointment.
Not only did he return, but the Hollywood star was crowned the winner. This was met with boos and jibes from the audience and frustration from fellow bodybuilders, including Mentzer. Watching authorities participate in some form of influential decision-making, Mentzer, Zane, and Boyer Coe boycotted the following year’s Mr. Olympia.
And when the authorities repeated their tweaked decision-making with Franco Columbu’s win, Mentzer decided to quit his beloved sport. His teachings, however, lived on in the routines of many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts.
