Mike Mentzer Once Gave the Green Light to an Occasional Indulgent Beverage in 1991

Mike Mentzer changed the trajectory of bodybuilding with his innovative techniques. Learning from his mentor Arthur Jones, he introduced the fitness world to his heavy-duty training technique. Although he suffered an untimely demise, his insights on fitness and nutrition are still relevant to a huge extent.

In an old interview from 1991, reposted by the YouTube channel ‘Heavy Duty College’, he talks about where the indulgent drink alcohol stands on the calorie scale.

Often, people associate alcoholic drinks, such as beers, with weight gain. It is common knowledge that alcohol contains calories that could hinder an individual’s fitness progress. The Cable Sports hosts asked Mentzer how true this was.

The icon laughed and explained the amount of calories in each nutrient compared to alcohol. Carbohydrates and proteins have four calories a gram, fats have nine calories a gram, but alcohol has about seven. Therefore, it falls somewhere in between these nutrients.

As one of the hosts teased the other about cutting down on his beer intake, Mentzer clarified that an occasional beer was acceptable. Since alcohol is already a substance that one is supposed to be responsible for, moderation is the key.

“As a matter of fact, I truly believe that you can indulge in those things on occasion without any harmful effects.”

Apart from moderation, Mentzer also suggests keeping up a training routine that helps individuals stay fit. This way, one could always pack on extra calories without any serious consequences.

“As long as you’re taking care of yourself, training two to three times a week, and basically following a well-balanced diet, there’s always room for a few calories of beer.”

Mentzer has always vouched for the effectiveness of a well-balanced diet. Excessive intake of any element would result in harmful consequences. He once debunked the idea of adding too much protein to bulk effectively.

Mike Mentzer slams the over-consumption of protein and other nutrients

In a resurfaced video posted by Heavy Duty College, Mentzer talks about how fitness enthusiasts tend to consume too much protein in hopes of building more muscle. However, that’s just one of the several nutrients a bodybuilder needs to stay jacked.

He reveals how muscles are made up mostly of water. But it won’t make sense to pile up on gallons of water to bulk up. Excess consumption of any nutrient won’t result in the body utilizing more of it. The human body only takes what it needs and discards the rest. Therefore, a well-balanced diet is the key to staying ripped.