One did not need to practice high-intensity workouts daily, and Mike Mentzer popularized that thought. Since muscles were frequently pushed to failure, recovery was crucial to ensure growth. While Mentzer would slam anyone spending too much time at the gym, he aimed to propagate logical ideas that helped with efficient workouts.
In a recently resurfaced video, Mentzer revealed an entire training plan for the benefit of those who wanted to dip their toes into HIT. This plan contained the schedule and list of workouts for each body part that one could follow for enhanced results.
Mentzer prefaced the plan by mentioning how HIT involved working out every 72 hours. So if one exercised on Monday, they’ll hit the gym next on Thursday, and finally on Sunday. Throughout these three days, all body parts will have an intense amount of work to do.
Training starts with the chest. Mentzer recommends a set of flat bench dumbbell flies and close grip inclines. Then, he suggests training the back after some rest. For this, he recommends close-grip pull-downs, bent-over barbell rows, and shrugs. Altogether, the workout must have just five sets in total.
“How do we evaluate progress? In terms of strength increases. You will be stronger on your next workout I can almost guarantee you with 100% certainty.”
For the next day, Mentzer suggests working the shoulders and arms. With the help of exercises such as dumbbell laterals, reverse working the rear deltoids, straight barbell curls, tricep press downs, and dips, one can have a successful arm day at the gym.
Lastly, leg day is marked by leg extensions, leg presses, leg curls, and calf raises. Throughout this program, Mentzer warns fitness enthusiasts to not work on abdominal muscles since the routine maintains them for a month or two anyway.
The program seems too simple to be effective, but Mentzer prioritizes recovery for gains. He champions the idea of rest giving rise to muscles with such fervor that he once slammed bodybuilders for not taking enough breaks.
Mike Mentzer chides bodybuilders testing their endurance at the gym
Mentzer suggested a 72-hour workout routine because he believed that one didn’t need to spend the entire day at the gym. Intense training combined with rest led to growth in muscles. However, those who spent a lot of time at the gym focusing on a greater number of sets faced the late icon’s wrath.
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Bodybuilding wasn’t an aerobic exercise. Neither did it require endurance to build the desired aesthetic physique. What it did need, however, was strength, intensity, and rest. HIT efficiently provided all of it, while volume training only led to potential injuries. That’s why Mentzer’s methods are widely popular to date.
