Does Mike Mentzer's training style actually work?

Mike Mentzer is known to have one of the most controversial training styles when it comes to building muscle. Is there any truth to his claims or is his style complete nonsense? Let me know what you think in the comments.
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Mike Mentzer
Mike Mentzer training
Mike Mentzer training explained
Does Mike Mentzer training work
Mike Mentzer explained
High intensity training
HIT workout
Mike Mentzer high intensity training

[@AH23794]

I've been doing it for the past 6 or so months. YES it works. I'm 44 and not only has it helped with new growth, its been AMAZING on my joints!!

[@a-s7623]

Ofc it works, try it. You dont lose anything, in fact the intensity is addictive af, and your day is not totally fucked up by overtraining. But you won't look like him or anyone else on elite level, unless you take juice, let's be honest. It is preferable to maintain a physique similar to Reeves or Grimek and take care of your health, guy was ahead of its time, a true beast, no politics, no shit..

[@jayjay1974Herbs]

Tried it to the tee.. didn't work for me.. the long rest periods in-between training again on a different body part just didn't work for me at all.. I responded better to PPL 3 days on 1 day off repeat

[@captainforty573]

How many sets per workout?

[@zoy13]

Well Dorian Use it so it works

[@dolan4709]

It works, but you have to be very strict and not cheat. You have to push yourself to the edge of each workout. It's very hard to do. Most will fail. Most cannot restrain themselves and tend to over train. I am on Mike's routine and the gains are unreal. I am so glad I tried it.

[@dolan4709]

O, and by the way, I only take creatine and whey powder with collagen peptide powder and I drink lots of water....lots.

[@jerrycall2121]

Does it work? Look at the subject, Mike Mentzer. Kind of answers the question for you

[@martinw245]

Except most of his mass was built with a higher volume approach. He adopted HIT when he was already well developed.

[@jasonglessner1932]

It works

[@adammac4960]

If your reps and weight is going up then it’s working. The physical side however comes a hell of a lot later I’m afraid if you’re a natural. You’re talking 3-4lbs of muscle in 11-12 weeks. And that’s if you consistent across the board. You might look at certain people and think fuck me he’s grew but most of the time it’s because they have reduced their fat percentage. It’s a long painful process but like I say if your reps and weight is going up and you’re progressing then why change it. It’s obviously working for you. For me ive done high volume training and I often hit plateaus and even begin to get weaker when I train 5-6 days a week PPL or Arnold split. I started doing HIT Dorian Yates style and I began to progress. However there’s people who trained with me tried HIT and they stopped growing and went back to high volume training and they began progressing 🤷. All depends on your genetics and what your body is accustomed to. If you look at Rio Ferdinand. He’s a big bloke, fast strong and is good at getting the ball off other players. But he couldn’t play as a winger could he? We are all different and that’s why it’s essential you track your progress because you won’t know what works for you.

[@zebbie09]

I wouldn’t consider myself a disciple of Mentzer, but I employ some of his concepts. I basically go more intense with fewer sets. I do an extra set or two if I enjoy the exercise. I rest more now. I try to do exercises that hit the most muscle groups to spend less time in the gym…

[@jmgonzales7701]

What i do is i incorporate drop sets. I go 75-80% of 1 rep max in the first set then reduce it by 10-15 percent and so on with 3rd set. I go to failure with each set. So in a way its a bit HIT but i still have some volume.

[@dendanskehelt4296]

It works. If somehow it DOESN'T work for you, you're doing it wrong. Period.

[@lancehunter7938]

This was not a H.I.T workout, was not Intense, or was trained to failure which is a key element to H.I.T This concept can not be compared accurately to High Intensity Training. If you want to see results, then take a look at Mentzer's clients results!

[@michaelweizemann2076]

High intensity training works as long as you Young.. The older you get, the easier you get injuries from high intensity workouts, what is actually logic... So basically, your younger than 30 years you will be fine. You get older you have to be careful. You have to use less weight and maybe more steroids instead.😊

[@Major.Tom.1973]

I'm doing Mentzer style HIT at 50 and still making new PRs, never had an injury. Warmup sets are essential, and mastering the technique before adding weight.

[@shahidlucky6903]

I don’t believe that if you warm up properly you won’t get injuries

[@shahidlucky6903]

I am 34 I am doing it and I get results

[@themetalhead1463]

@@shahidlucky690334 isn’t “older.” You are only a few years out of your 20’s.

[@ionutortian5885]

All training works if you take steroids, grow hormones,supliments, etc

[@voodoochile333]

Learn to spell before you type

[@krainex]

Not really, some training is more optimal than other

[@stevemann1299]

Hit training rules. Im 60 and most of my peers can't even train now they have shot joints from years of volume. Im training 40 times a year with Mike Mentzers HIT. And im growing by the workout. It is incredible. My arms are nearly 18 inches at 5 7" tall. A year ago they were 16.5

[@simonhoareau7044]

Franco Columbu,once said that Mentzer was in the gym before him and Arnie and was still in the gym when he ( Franco) and Arnold had finished their high volume workouts.Interesting isn't it. Mentor admitted to serving both mastership volume and high intensity as insurance. Now why would someone that advocates strictly high intensity low volume protocol be doing otherwise.Its just one training concept,when progress stops, you need to switch up. Why would you quit a sport before proving your method? Wouldn't winning open more eyes and minds.Bad sportsmanship isn't healthy,compete in a different organisation,he didn't get second,place,third place,fourth place but fifth place? Science has dissected the rep ranges that train specific needs as in srenght,power, hypertrophy,endurance,training tempos,rest between sets,volume intensity,periodisation, supersets,pre exhaust,post exhaust,trivets,giant sets,drop sets and a myriad of split training programs. One size doesn't fit all.Progressive resistance is the key,consistency,regular training,setting goals. Training protocols for athletes on PEDS and naturals, recovery time is immensely different. Confusion is caused by articles written on training regimes in magazines or social media where the author mostly doesn't clarify that certain programs fail to give results if it were written for an athlete on peds and would not give much benefit to a natural athlete. Honesty and clarity would result eventually producing better results,if the author or fitness influencer was honest ,giving separate protocols,one for Ped users and anther for natural athletes. The problem is no one is admitting to Ped use and in these instances are giving out the wrong information to a lot of their followers. Unfortunately there's no regulation

[@danieltuval8879]

You make some very valid points about different approaches working for different athletes depending on many variables such as natural,peds etc.i also agree that mentzer was wrong to quit the sport before achieved what he was ultimately going to,but the reasons for that are c wide and varied and I don't think have much to do with his training methods, more his personality. I've heard alot of stuff that Arnold and Franco had to say about Mike.no secret they didn't like each other so I really would take those stories with bag of salt,arnold went out of his way to be incredibly nasty to pretty much everyone who represented competition to him,it was by his own admission part of his persona to exude confidence, Franco worshiped Arnold so he would pretty much agree with him on everything. The real problem is Mike and Ray are gone,so instead of attempting to denigrade their theories or beliefs or their honesty maybe we should look back at their knowledge they left behind as useful pearls of wisdom about efficiency and progress and understand that they can be extremely useful and effective in right circumstances and for the right people, if executed properly, they not the only way,but alot of those principles make alot of sense,particularly to do with recovery and efficiency.

[@danieltuval8879]

@BOSSREGcom absolutely 👍I actually made a very similar point ,he was a very intense guy and like everyone had his issues, he would have won countless times if he could look past 1980,but sadly he couldn't, problem is people are now using every negative they can find about him to negate his principles, he was extremely intelligent.

[@bushidofreakz]

If Franco said once Arnold tasted shit as preworkout and found out shit was actually a good preworkout, you’d take that as the truth too! 😂

[@bushidofreakz]

@BOSSREGcomLOL so many evidences have come out nowadays about Arnold and his “politics” and you still say it’s a possibility 😂 maybe youre a true empirist, if you have yet seen the earth is a globe with your eyes, youd still say perhaps the earth is round 😂

[@bushidofreakz]

⁠@BOSSREGcomthere’s no guarantee Mentzer would win the next year. As we seen 1981 was even more fixed by pushing the bitchtits Franco Columbo as winner. He fell flat compared to Platz. I dont understand how naive you guys can be. If Arnold can put Mentzer in 5th place to punish Mentzer who often challenged his status quo and his B.S., there’s no guarantee Mentzer would be put as winner in 1981. Even if they did that I cant see Mentzer would want that. I might have differing stance on training etc with Mentzer’s HIT, but man got a character I respect.

[@captainforty573]

I'm a fan of Mike's but he loses credibility in my eyes since he didn't actually build his physique with the workout he preaches. Plus he claims that his workout routine is tailor made for the natural lifter but yet all of his clients look like they're juiced up.

[@navi-charlotte]

Arnol training works only for roided individuals. without the enhanced recovery the exogenous steroids the only thing you get from high volume training is a burn-out body.