Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty Training Principals

[DROPTOP_GTA]

Anyone try his high intensity & long recovery time (96 hours between sessions)? How long did you stick with the program? Good results?

I be on my third week. The rest time is difficult. You feel you are not doing enough. But by the fourth day i felt more psychotically ready to go balls deep into max effort with total exertion to failure in these sessions Have noticed some decent strength and arm shoulder size with pressings. Weighted to failure pullups, then drop setting and repping to failure.

The low set volume doesnt seem enough though.

Menzerz believed that intense targeting of one muscle group with one or maybe two max effort sets + plus the long recovery period would stimulate gainz.

I will try this for a few months or until I plateau. I am kinda liking the “down” time only cause I am lazy with gym but this gives time for other pursuits.

thoughts on HIT?
long rest?
muscle naps on days off? Like when you wake up and YOU know you have retained some pump?

 

[Captain Redbeard]

I have never trained in the heavy duty style but the current literature seems to suggest that volume is the direct driver of hypertrophy. So, while you can get results on a low volume program, they will likely not be optimal. I have done a few blocks of DC training which is a low volume high intensity approach. It can be a nice change of pace to training and you do get in and out of the gym faster so you're right there is more time for other pursuits. That said, I've made my best gains while doing higher volume programs.

Only 1-2 sets per exercise is how I start my mesocycles. Then, depending on exercise and performance from last week, I'm adding weight to the bar, reps, and/or an entire set. Keep going for a few weeks until I take a deload and then start it all over again. Been seeing great results with this methodology.

IMO Renaissance Periodization has the best stuff on training these days including a new app. Note: I do not use the app as I have the excel spreadsheets that predated the app.

 

[DROPTOP_GTA]

I have never trained in the heavy duty style but the current literature seems to suggest that volume is the direct driver of hypertrophy. So, while you can get results on a low volume program, they will likely not be optimal. I have done a few blocks of DC training which is a low volume high intensity approach. It can be a nice change of pace to training and you do get in and out of the gym faster so you're right there is more time for other pursuits. That said, I've made my best gains while doing higher volume programs.

Only 1-2 sets per exercise is how I start my mesocycles. Then, depending on exercise and performance from last week, I'm adding weight to the bar, reps, and/or an entire set. Keep going for a few weeks until I take a deload and then start it all over again. Been seeing great results with this methodology.

IMO Renaissance Periodization has the best stuff on training these days including a new app. Note: I do not use the app as I have the excel spreadsheets that predated the app.

Nice, whatever works best dude.

I tried a 5x5x5 last summer but every other day was challenging to go all out at that volume. Mentally needed more time to get into it.

 

[Money & Muscle]

Mentzer was hit or miss. His thoughts on intensity were spot on, but his thoughts on frequency were off.

I like DoggCrapp, Fortitude, TBJP, and Blood N Guts as failure-based programs. I don't strictly run any of them right now, but my training is near identical to TBJP with partials to failure.

The effective rep theory states that the last 5 reps to failure are the most effective. Newer data via meta regression shows that not only is this accurate, the last 2 reps to failure are even more effective - with an even more significant uptick in effectiveness when on RIR 0.

 

[Money & Muscle]

IMO Renaissance Periodization has the best stuff on training these days

Question:
Why do they preach to keep reps in reserve for their normal clients, but they continually train their competitors to failure? Hmm

 

[Captain Redbeard]

Question:
Why do they preach to keep reps in reserve for their normal clients, but they continually train their competitors to failure? Hmm

You're talking about videos with them taking somebody through a workout yes? Hmm... which do you think is going to get more views? Watching somebody train with 2 RIR or the suffering of training to failure plus additional intensity techniques?

The theory is that you would only really be training like that at the end of your mesocycle, right before deload. The spreadsheets would have you start a mesocycle at 2-3 RIR and progress to 0-1 RIR over the weeks. I have modified that to always train at about 1 RIR and then dial up intensity techniques (drop sets, myo reps, etc) in the latter half of a training block. Their programs provide a good base for which to personalize.

 

[Ricky]

Mentzer style HIT was very effective for me getting stronger during grad school in a short amount of time.

its pretty fun from an ego standpoint as your lifts all go up and you spend less time in the gym. I was getting other forms of exercise in this time in the form of martial arts, tennis, running, walking and lots of sex so I appreciated saving time in the gym.

normally what i would do is a couple warm up sets where i would ramp up the weight then do one set at the highest weight i had progressed to, to failure.

I kept a rep range of probably 6-10 that i failed at. Once i could hit 10 or more with a set i moved up the weight.

 

[samuelson]

Been doing this program for about 3 months, seeing some impressive results. Its a simple program for a newbie at weightlifting and body building