STEVE REEVES: WHY MIKE MENTZER WAS RIGHT

[@boro.zyzz7]

Rest in peace Mentzer brothers, you did a lot for us, people that want to grow. I started heavy duty with a little changes, but damn, its a lot better than training 4 5 times a week, i feel far less exhausted. My body is functioning so much better. Shame that not a lot of people think about what he wanted us to understand. He stated facts about the human body. Respect.

[@shaswatasengupta8094]

Yes very true. Saw insane gains when I trained twice a week using HIT. Did compounds with a 4-1-4 cadence. Had to cut back on my training due to work load and to optimise my recovery. Now I train once every week using a full body routine and it's keeping me quite fit without taxing out my recovery ability. Will always be grateful to Mike Mentzer for showing me the way.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks for your post.

[@regprofant8609]

Yup I agree and I will be 78 September 14 and have been training that way since 1978

[@monge1266]

@@regprofant8609 thanks for sharing, very inspirational! 💪🏻

[@aarondavid5866]

Did Mike use steroids?

[@jalander8817]

@@aarondavid5866 of course. Everyone he competed against did as well. They all trained 10x more and Mike got arguably better results than them. I think Mike’s principles translate better to naturals than the normal bodybuilding dogma of more is better. 20 sets per body part per week is a waste of time and effort for anyone; especially naturals.

[@scotchbudmeister9018]

I do lower body on Monday and Thursday. Upper body Tuesday and Friday. One exercise per muscle group, one set to failure. I'm 62 and this is serving me well for recovery and gaining strength.

[@nolan555]

Do you mind if I ask your upper body routine? I’m disabled and like trying new things

[@99Gara99]

It sounds like you are doing it right. Keep it up, keep consistent

[@jaytherestless2117]

@@nolan555 would you like to try my routine for upper body?

[@quantumpotential7639]

I'm your age. Do you like to do a light warm up set for each exercise or do you just go straight into the exercise .. and how heavy are you going, how many reps away are you to total failure? Thanks

[@scotchbudmeister9018]

@@quantumpotential7639 I do a light warmup set and one work set. I've been going a bit lighter with a slower cadence. Anywhere from 12-20 reps. Hardest challenge is mental - "one more rep" lol.

[@shaunclubberlang2887]

I've been training nearly 40 years, and I wish someone had pulled me aside when I was young and told me - full body workout, 2 - 3 days a week. Oh how I wish I could see what that would have done to a younger me. And I almost forget to say.. Steve Reeves. One of the finest bodies ever.

[@naturalalways5270]

I'm 30 and been trying all sorts of different workouts out. Steve Reeves is my role model in bodybuilding, and fitness... I walk into some gyms and see such roid freaks, arms bigger than their head and immediately think of steve reeves interview stating how he was against that. My dream physique would be Steve Reeves. I'm on a high frequency training workout atm, but wanting to focus on a proper workout plan more intense, less frequent, 3-4x a week. Would you suggest 2-3 full body workouts a week still? And what sort of workouts would that be? Original heavy duty stated 4x a week, 4-6 sets, hitting each muscle twice a week. Atm, even with my workouts I always try and push hard and failure mostly. Would be very interested in some tips and help, been training for 10+ years, but only seriously for probably a few. Sitting on 71KG, was about 45KG when I started, but not nearly what I want to achieve, (naturally)!

[@awakenotwoke6930]

Checking in 7 weeks after implementing an every 4th day HIT session, spending at the most 15-20 mins in the gym per session hitting 1 set to failure for a max of 4 targeted exercises, and I’m loving it. 10 lbs gained and only .5” in the waistline, Strength increased, and nagging injuries healing up superbly. All of my clients are on this approach as well. The science backs it up and anecdotal data from 20 clients does as well. I had a few people ask “What do I do on the other days!!?” My reply: be active, take walks, read books, learn a language, go back to school, dial in your nutrition, sleep well, recover 😂😂

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks for your post - and congratulations!

[@truongsinh9955]

Hey Awake, I'm on the 4th week of HIT and hope you could indulge the following question. If you train by yourself, how do you make sure you reach complete muscular failure? Do you just do the standard 8-12 reps, each rep takes roughly 10 seconds and that's that for the set, or do you also incorporate other means like rest pause, drop sets, etc? If you do incorporate rest pause, how many do you suppose is enough to reach complete failure? like 2 rest pause reps, or 4, or even 6, etc?

[@awakenotwoke6930]

@@truongsinh9955 I keep about a 4 sec lowering/4 sec/1sec contraction-hold for every rep so with 8-12 reps set it would last between 60-100 seconds under tension. As far as failure, I go until I can’t do another good rep if I wanted to (positive failure). I opt for unilateral machines so that I can truly go to failure. Barbell Deadlifts and Squat I only take until my form breaks down. Some of the trainers at my gym didn’t understand what I meant by effort until they did sessions with me and soon realized that they probably were leaving 30% effort on the table in their own training. I won’t do any rest-pauses or other tactics until I’ve spaced my sessions out to 7-10 days apart, and have also hit a plateau with increases. I would probably take away a couple of exercises as well before I used any of those techniques. I’m not a bodybuilder so for me it’s about metabolic health. I track my metrics thoroughly and have either added weight or added reps every session with ease. My clients have as well. What I have noticed is the clients who do not adequately rest between our sessions have the slowest gain of strength. I have two guys who train together and they both were adding strength like crazy for a month. One of them added sessions at the gym between our training sessions and his rise has lost slope for sure. The other guy sticks to our two sessions over a seven day period, and has now surpassed the other one in strength and fat loss. He has increased every session. Rest is mandatory. I hope this helps.

[@truongsinh9955]

@@awakenotwoke6930 Thanks for the detailed reply! 2 last questions if you don't mind. You say you train every 4th day, so let's say you train on Monday, then the next work out would be on Friday, then the next would be on Tuesday, and so on, correct? Also, once you get to the point of "not being able to do another good rep (positive failure)", do you do extended negative on that rep? i.e. say you got to the final rep of lat pull down, and you managed to pull the bar down half way, then you try to slow down the negative portion for as long as possible as opposed to the standard 4 seconds.

[@iang8169]

Is that 4 exercises for one body part or 2 for 2 body parts each ? Do you superset bi and tri together or keep separate ?

[@apachewraith]

A few weeks back I had missed about 2 weeks in between one chest day and the next. I thought for sure I would be weak as shit. Added 4 reps to the same load, and it felt much lighter from the unrack compared to the last time. Was pretty blown away that I needed that kind of recovery

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

As Mike said to me years ago, “we’ve been asking ourselves the wrong question all these years. The question should not have been how much exercise can I tolerate, but how little is required?”

[@dammi3138]

For me, I’ve noticed the same. My chest need more than 1 week for recovery. It was only after 2 weeks that I could gain reps and weights on chest.

[@williamj.dovejr.8613]

When I got bitten by the iron bug, I was in college and working... through a lot of reading, I decided to workout the body 3x a week...it didn't take long before I saw growth; when I returned to school, I had people asking what drugs I took! They refused to believe it was done in 3.5 months, 3x a week! Thank you, Mr. Reeves and Mr. Mentzer!

[@chriswaterman3823]

Two of my all time favorites, Steve and Mike.

[@paulaumentado1588]

You must be one of those people who respond to training phenomenaly

[@sirvaant]

Training only twice a week now with awesome workouts and results! Recovery is so important!

[@HDLifter]

Nice to hear a legend backing up a legend.

[@espendahl9719]

Steve Reeves was the man.I train 2 fullbody workout per week with 1-2 sets per muscle and it works perfect for muscle gaining and recovery wise. I did the three day fullbody split for years when I suddently was forced to cut it to 2 times per week due to school and work,it did not slow me down but made me feel better recovered and more muscles/strenght in shorter time. 😎😎💪💪

[@darksolara6750]

wow! 34 yrs in AND i have never heard steve reeves Reference to mike! just fantastic as always… Thank you

[@farhanhussain_]

I always make my best progress with two workouts a week. Training a muscle group hard and heavy (but not like Mentzer style) and leaving it for 7-10 days works great for me. I squat and deadlift every other week and got my best results. Now I am planning the same for upper body lifts as well. I hope positive results here too. I am 43, natural, and have poor recovery so longer rest days actually aid me instead of bothering me.

[@koganin9]

Hey! Would you mind sharing your workout details? Similar situation as you and I'd be interested in giving your routine a try!

[@farhanhussain_]

@@koganin9 Yes sure. My workouts are not fancy at all, and I focus on just 1-2 main lifts or exercises for a weight/reps/sets PR in each session. Other 1-2 exercises for some moderate volume in same session. I was using squat and deadlift in same week, but recently I've noticed better progress and recovery by using one of these each week. Upper body pressing include weighted dips as main press, and OHP as secondary. Main pulling is weighted chins ups or weighted pull up. secondary pull is barbell rows or Bent Over shrugs. I also use bodyweight chins, pull ups, and HSPU on 1-2 days but for limited volume and for some recovery. Workout-A (Monday): Weighted Dips for PR, Weighted Chin/Pull Ups for PR, Barbell Rows (30° angle) or Bent Over Shrugs for moderate volume Workout-B (Thursday): Back Squat or Deadlift for PR, RDL or front squat for moderate volume, Standing Dumbbell Press volume. I may try to alternate weighted dips and dB or barbell OHP each week and see how it works. Same thoughts for weighted chins and barbell rows. It would allow me to go all out on it and not face any overuse or pattern issues.

[@billschmidt4192]

Yup! I always trained Full Body/ 3 Days a Week going back to the mid 1970s. Still Training today. Be 63 on September 15th. And never Took the Steroids... Best feat of Strength + endurance in the Gym was Squatting 315lbs - starting with 17 reps and a total of 100 reps in 1 Hour. Deep Squats with no Belt or Knee Wraps.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Congratulations, Bill. Thanks for your post.

[@Pulsonar]

Sounds like you enjoyed a very good training run, but I wouldn’t be too proud of the deep squat without belt and knee wraps just because you got away with it. I know plenty of people without knees through similar heroics.

[@billschmidt4192]

@@Pulsonar I always used perfect form. Today we have most members doing Short,Fast, + Cheating Reps. My Training Run is not done. Still walking around with 18" Arms.

[@terryhill4732]

Dangerous to do squats without a belt and knee wraps

[@billschmidt4192]

@@terryhill4732 Never a problem over the Decades...

[@adrianmorris1767]

Wow thanks John, absolutely loving your videos, I trained in a gym for 2 years on split routines 15 to 20 sets per bodypart, I was absolutely exhausted then by chance I read an omd magazine whith Steve reeves , so I had a 2 week holiday then tried fullbody training 3 times a week , wow I started to see results and that's all I've really done for 30 years and I still love training thankyou mr reeves without your article I would still be spinning my wheels getting nowhere.

[@steelphantom9105]

Can you share your full program? Thanks

[@Magneticlaw]

Steve referencing Mike - very cool. 👍

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Hi Sean. Yeah, I thought so too.

[@laynelo-p7p]

I started taking more rest days on my own accord to eventually come across mike and within the two months I started it I had made intense gains unlike anything I noticed in a 6month even year cycle. My shirts went up a size as well as pants. I barely ate extra calories too as I was on a budget and was wondering why it felt as if my gains had increased and strength too. Truly this guy knew what he was talking aboit

[@adrianwalker5415]

Been working out for the last 12 years. The first 6-7 yrs did more of the conventional splits bro splits etc. Working out 6-7 days per week 1-1:30 hrs per day and saw great awesome results. Great strength and put on good amount of size. I also always had something aching though. Stumbled across mike, Doug mcgouff, super slow etc. And have reduced my training volume from roughly 10 hrs a week down to less then 1 hr per week and increased the intensity. I feel I do more in that 1 hr total then the 10 hrs of the previous way I trained. Feel better and seeing similar progress in a 10th of the time such a more practical way to train forever.

[@treasurethetime2463]

I think the necessity of reduced volume is more predicated on ones strength level increasing than anything else. Meaning, I don't believe strength is 100 percent relative the way it's presented in training circles. So a guy who can bench 450 pounds working out with 300lbs is still tapping into his bodies recovery ability despite it feeling "easy". Meanwhile a guy who can bench 250 working out with 135 is also, but possibly by a lesser extent.

[@WhyTheHorseface]

I got almost nothing from bro splits for 15 years.

[@thatsjohn3938]

Hi John. I didn't know you had a KZbin page. This clip came up as a suggestion. Watching it now.

[@joevelasquez2757]

Thanks John for all of this Content. This is the best channel

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks for the kind words, Joel!

[@MrJocky82]

God I miss Mike. To me he had the absolute perfect, classic Greek statue physique. Legend

[@fender1000100]

When he did the crucifix pose. It's was the most magnificent sight I've ever seen. Pure perfection.

[@TheRogueJedii]

Yep. And natural too, you can tell

[@MrJocky82]

@@TheRogueJedii natural or not. He still shits all over every modern era bodybuilder.

[@gillettrandy]

Just like maximizing frequency and volume are not necessary or healthy, neither is maximizing intensity. In my experience going all-out on a set is not the best option most of the time. I believe they should be used on a cyclical basis. Most of the time it’s better to leave reps in the tank and spare the stress on your nervous and endocrine systems.

[@sosministriesrev1412]

I am 51 years old and decided to go back to the gym and not work out at home. I do 4 days a week early in the morning. 5am Monday (Chest Biceps Abs) Wednesday (Shoulders Triceps Abs) Friday (Legs Abs) and Sunday (Back Abs). My work outs are 45 mins and high intensity with 8-12 rep range 3-4 sets progressively heavier and last set to failure. By week 4 l lighten the load and drop the intensity to moderate so l can recover and do that for one maybe two weeks but l listen to my body. I am a fan of HIT and when l work biceps or triceps l only do 2 different exercises. Chest l only do 2 different exercises but legs and back 4-5 exercises. You should be absolutely pumped but exhausted from that type of training and you have plenty of time for recovery. I have in 7 weeks put 4 kgs of muscle, tightened my mid section and l feel fantastic. Now l am training with purpose and have more equipment to use then the gym l have at home but not complaining about that because it is very good back up but going to the gym and paying a membership has brought discipline to my busy life and reeping the benefits. I am a fan of HIT workouts.

[@r.e.4640]

Mike Mentzer was NOT THE ONE who was right, RATHER, it was REALLY STEVE REEVES, WHO WAS THE ONE, WHO WAS REALLY RIGHT! Steve Reeves was and REMAINS, the GREATEST NATURAL BODYBUILDER of ALL TIME EVER!!! Period!!!💪🙂

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You will get no argument from me on that point, R.E.

[@jomon723]

Agree, in shape and looks

[@jmgonzales7701]

​@@jomon723 did he slim down for his movies? he looked smaller in some of his movies?

[@WhyTheHorseface]

Was he natural though?

[@jmgonzales7701]

@@WhyTheHorseface most likely, he aint that big. Infact if you looked at him from the side he looks "small". he is more of width than thick.

[@Agui007]

Hi John, firstly, Steve Reeves had a superb physique and an aesthetically pleasing one! 2nd it's nice to come across another bodybuilder who felt the same as Mike and I concur with both on my own experiences. Last November (after five or six years of absence) I decided to train at a decent gym and I only train once a week!! Being a typical ectomorph of 6ft 6" I set myself not to mass build as such but reduce the number of exercises (six at most) and the recovery and development have improved!!

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Nice going! Thanks for your post.

[@TheWokeMachineIsGone]

Out of curiosity, you do full body with 1 set?

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

@@TheWokeMachineIsGone It depends. Sometimes I will use Mike’s ideal routine, other times a big three, other times a consolidation type program.

[@TheWokeMachineIsGone]

@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Funny that's me, just a little modified. I like hearing people's methods, just for fun i guess lol.Thanks for all the great info sir.

[@drewdavies1176]

Dorian Yates did a modified version of Mentzers program while he was winning Olympia too.

[@kenkramer6761]

Excellent video Some people will always think more is better. We who have experienced the success of Higher intensity infrequent training know better.

[@chad55675]

Used to workout 5 times a week, now I’ve cut that down to 3-4 max. Bench press PR went up 25 pounds within a month. Blew my mind how strong I felt by taking more rest days.

[@SuperSREEVES]

Thank you Mr little for sharing this video have always enjoyed all your work. Your work on Steve Reeves books, Mike Mentzer books, and Bruce Lee and your Static Contraction training a great book. Thank you again

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks for the kind words, Paul. 👍

[@Naturalhit]

This is awesome. Hearing from my other idol, Steve Reeves, really confirmed my beliefs in HIT. Thank you John.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Hi Edgar. Yeah, I remember reading an interview Reeves gave to Muscle and Fitness in the 80s, and thinking that his training was very much like Mike's when Mike was preparing for the Mr. America contest in 1976. They both believed in high-intensity (Reeves told me this himself when I interviewed him). Mike, however, actually refined it for use by people who didn't share the genetic endowment that both he and Reeves enjoyed, so that even non Mr. Universe candidates can obtain the benefits from proper weight training.

[@pollepuzzle2626]

Been using Mike's 4 days-a-week consolidated routine for 2 month now and haven't looked back. Before that I used to do full body 3 days a week spending 4.5 hours. I now spend 3 hours a week in the gym and the results are just as great, and better than those coming 6 days a week!

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks for your post, Polle Puzzle.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

@@user-SonicTheHedgeGoD Mike Mentzer‘s program is Mike Mentzer‘s program; Steve Reeves’ program is Steve Reeves’ program. However, as this video makes clear, both men shared the same principles with regard to training intensity being more important than training volume. If you want a full presentation of Mike’s system click on this link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKHYYWhvgLSsma8

[@Thomas-bf7to]

What’s mikes 4 days a week consolidated routine?

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

@@user-SonicTheHedgeGoD Nine sets total is not “extreme volume.” 20 sets a bodypart is extreme volume (as Arnold and Franco recommended) or 40 sets a bodypart (such as Roy Callender advocated). When Mike was competing, he did up to seven sets a body part. Everyone else was doing 20 sets plus a body part. The reason he did less (A number if sets more in line with what Steve Reeves did) is because the intensity of his sets was much higher. And you must remember that this volume, whether it be six or seven sets, was for professional bodybuilders (guys whose full-time job was training for competition). The average person cannot tolerate that much exercise and still produce growth.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

@@user-SonicTheHedgeGoD incidentally, Mike was doing a full body routine when he was training in preparation for the Mr. America contest that he won in 1976. Full body, three days a week, high intensity.

[@j.p.westwater2334]

Wow. My two idols brought together in one video. Your work is truly an n of 1, John. Thank you.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Haha. Glad you liked it, J. P.

[@regcatdog]

still some people won't get it.

[@FulanaRestu]

Bro please explain it to me, i don't 100% understand

[@regcatdog]

@@FulanaRestu work less gain more .

[@terimaakigaand5857]

@@regcatdog For drug users maybe.

[@shortfusedynamite5166]

It's me I'm people

[@regcatdog]

@@shortfusedynamite5166 as i said .

[@mauricefaulkner455]

Train to live, don't live to train and yes, enjoy life, great advice

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Well said!

[@03redrubi]

Thanks for this golden age clip sir!

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You are most welcome.

[@Demane69]

Because I stay lean and muscular, I've been asked several times: "Do you work out every day? "Do you live in the gym?". My answer: "I workout 2-3 times a week for an hour, sometimes less". I've done high intensity for over 20 years. Also, one does not lose fat lifting. Lifting makes you hungry. I keep slim (6 pack at 50 and look a healthy 40) by fasting. Use the gym to BUILD your body. Live a healthy lifestyle to keep slim. 99% of you eat too much, too often, the wrong food, and at the wrong times. You can stay slim without ever hitting the gym. In fact, if you haven't mastered that 1st, your gym experience will only let you down.

[@MikeyzFunLair]

Umm. Ok. Lol.. u wish u look like u say

[@Tasmanaut]

you absolutely can loose fat by lifting. You are talking out your a$$ mate

[@Dna1490]

Cuanta razón tenes en primero dominar el arte de comer...

[@aspe7187]

Generally agree but “slim” without resistance training looks and feels a lot worse than slim with resistance training. And if one doesn’t want to fast, one can do short but intense cardio, 10-20 mins., 1-2 days a week.

[@ClassicPhysique27]

@@MikeyzFunLairloser alert

[@catyear75]

Steve Reeves and Mike Mentzer...! R.I.P. Legends !

[@scottlapointe9682]

Awesome!! I always look forward to the next video! Just great stuff .

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks, Scott!

[@youtubecreators384]

I used to do splits. Six days a week workout. I was always tired and saw no gains. Then I switched over to full body workouts, three days a week. Seeing some hard gains as well as an increase in energy levels. We need to bring back the classics.

[@abatv1346]

Steve Reeves the GREATEST ACTING AND FITNESS PERSONALITY to date. In the next 5000 years wont be another one Like Steve Reeves The Hercules.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Agreed.

[@SeptemberChild1835]

Arnold.

[@UAP-UK71]

@JohnLittle thank you for these uploads they are brilliant ⭐️🙏🏼

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You’re welcome!

[@JustCalum]

Now imagine if Mentzers knowledge was well known, you could have a nation of people finding an hour a week to train as hard as possible to completely change what we have today.

[@CaneFu]

100% Agree

[@golfprocrastinator9519]

A lot of folks wont even attempt it as I believe it's the hardest training they will ever do..... most folks are not built for it...... mentally I mean, to keep pushing is not in most folks nature...... this makes me happy.

[@tylerolbrich9785]

That's incredible I didn't know Steve reeves was so knowledgeable on this topic. Joe Weider can't fool everyone.

[@mattrakhmanov1333]

Wow that's a rare clip. Good stuff.

[@gavinmoskovitz7391]

Thank you John for these videos they are amazing quality and great content. Ive read steve reeves building the classic physique the natural way and trained just the way he did but I eventually got burnt out after a year just way to many sets. Goes to show you Mike Mentzer was right your genetics determine how much exercise you can tolerate varying on the individual. When you asked steve if he ever felt overtrained he said never because he got 4 days of rest. It would take me a week just to recover from one of his fully body workouts where he did 9 sets a bodypart, what genetics steve had! I still think Steve Reeves and Mike Mentzer are the top 2 bodybuilders of all time with shape and symmetry. Thank you again for these amazing videos

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You’re very welcome. I had the same experience you did with Steve’s routine. I tried it after interviewing him once I return to Canada. I simply found I could not recover from that much volume with only one to two days rest in between workouts.

[@gavinmoskovitz7391]

That must have been an awesome experience to sit down with reeves and have a conversation like that with him.When you read all the silver era guys like steeve. clancy ross and alan stephan all trained the same way full body 3 times a week you have to wonder man these guys have to have felt overtrained at some point as all of them from the silver era were quite strong, Mike Mentzers advice to them would have allowed enormous gains beyond what they already had gained.@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

1-2x a week full body intense workouts are all that I can do as I am super sore and need more recovery time as I get older.

[@Keranu]

Do you have more recordings of the late, great Steve Reeves? Audio like this is exceedingly rare.

[@RJ-is9ko]

Steve Reeves was not a dumb man. Very smart and gifted.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

That he was.

[@warrior3214]

Great video, THANKYOU John 🙏

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You're welcome, warrior3214.

[@mikeyboy8127]

Loving this channel.

[@channel1800dumb]

Oh wow....coming from Steve Reeves to Mike Mentzer.......honour.

[@ronki23]

Don't mistake volume with frequency. High Intensity Training is low volume but medium frequency (3x a week) while Heavy Duty is low volume with low frequency (1x a week). The most extreme version of Heavy Duty was only one exercise per bodypart whereas Mentzer's earlier works and Dorian Yates' workouts were multiple exercises per bodypart and working out 2-3x a week but with only 1 set

[@reddchan]

I go every 3-5 days I do 3-5 sets of 3-30 reps @ around 85% of my 1 rep max. I focus on form and adjust the intensity, volume, frequency often

[@jacksongents4993]

Dick Dubois(Mr.A 1954) costar Athena, told me Reeves did bicep curls with 100lbs. in each hand ! 8Days Carlo

[@carlranger8060]

Steve was bang on as usual. Exercise is for enhancing your life, it isn't life.

[@RyanPackard]

I’ve been training once per week. Deadlifts and Dips are workout 1. Squats and palm up chin ups are exercise 2. I’ve increased muscle mass and strength every single week for 8 weeks. I’m going to keep going and see if I truly can avoid any sort of a plateau and continue to grow.

[@martuni1539]

How’s it going so far?

[@RyanPackard]

It’s still working. Though there are areas that are beginning to under develop and the obvious concerns are aesthetics and strength gaps. For example I’m failing on pull-ups now almost exclusively because of biceps and / or grip strength. Still no plateaus, just possibly more potential. I anticipated needing to begin to do spot work once I reach a certain point. While I do not see this as a plateau and Mentzer’s principles are still spot on it’s importentnfor me to add workouts beyond the 4 so I can develop arms and shoulders, calves, etc... I should also disclose that I have been doing some spot work the whole time when I notice week links. For example, when I can feel my lower back struggling in a deadlift warm up session. Then, for that workout instead of going to failure on deadlifts I would focus on that one muscle to cause growth and get it to catch up with the rest of my posterior chain. So I’d isolate rather than risk injury. Then I’d come back next time and see deadlift increase and lower back no longer weak link. Thanks for asking.

[@RyanPackard]

It’s still working. Though there are areas that are beginning to under develop and the obvious concerns are aesthetics and strength gaps. For example I’m failing on pull-ups now almost exclusively because of biceps and / or grip strength. Still no plateaus, just possibly more potential. I anticipated needing to begin to do spot work once I reach a certain point. While I do not see this as a plateau and Mentzer’s principles are still spot on it’s importentnfor me to add workouts beyond the 4 so I can develop arms and shoulders, calves, etc... I should also disclose that I have been doing some spot work the whole time when I notice week links. For example, when I can feel my lower back struggling in a deadlift warm up session. Then, for that workout instead of going to failure on deadlifts I would focus on that one muscle to cause growth and get it to catch up with the rest of my posterior chain. So I’d isolate rather than risk injury. Then I’d come back next time and see deadlift increase and lower back no longer weak link. Thanks for asking.

[@RyanPackard]

It’s still working. Though there are areas that are beginning to under develop and the obvious concerns are aesthetics and strength gaps. For example I’m failing on pull-ups now almost exclusively because of biceps and / or grip strength. Still no plateaus, just possibly more potential. I anticipated needing to begin to do spot work once I reach a certain point. While I do not see this as a plateau and Mentzer’s principles are still spot on it’s importentnfor me to add workouts beyond the 4 so I can develop arms and shoulders, calves, etc... I should also disclose that I have been doing some spot work the whole time when I notice week links. For example, when I can feel my lower back struggling in a deadlift warm up session. Then, for that workout instead of going to failure on deadlifts I would focus on that one muscle to cause growth and get it to catch up with the rest of my posterior chain. So I’d isolate rather than risk injury. Then I’d come back next time and see deadlift increase and lower back no longer weak link. Thanks for asking.

[@RyanPackard]

It’s still working. Though there are areas that are beginning to under develop and the obvious concerns are aesthetics and strength gaps. For example I’m failing on pull-ups now almost exclusively because of biceps and / or grip strength. Still no plateaus, just possibly more potential. I anticipated needing to begin to do spot work once I reach a certain point. While I do not see this as a plateau and Mentzer’s principles are still spot on it’s importentnfor me to add workouts beyond the 4 so I can develop arms and shoulders, calves, etc... I should also disclose that I have been doing some spot work the whole time when I notice week links. For example, when I can feel my lower back struggling in a deadlift warm up session. Then, for that workout instead of going to failure on deadlifts I would focus on that one muscle to cause growth and get it to catch up with the rest of my posterior chain. So I’d isolate rather than risk injury. Then I’d come back next time and see deadlift increase and lower back no longer weak link. Thanks for asking.

[@1aneeshsivan]

Priceless!....Thank you.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You're welcome, Aneesh.

[@saraths4150]

great video

[@timpeacock9820]

Everyone is so different from diet to training and how they respond. I've always responded with higher Volume but I also switched every so often went to lower volume, much heavier weights and less reps. Your body wants to be in a state of homeostasis so it's good to switch things around. I can no longer do real heavy compound lifts as well as a lot of the best compound lifts so now I rely on higher volume with less weights and stagger sets and super sets etc. Almost circuit train. I miss the lower volume heavy ass weight to failure but my joints can't take it. Switch things around when you plateau and find out what works for you. I had the honor of working with the late great Larry Scott and learned so much. I also learned even though doing Scott curls aka preacher, he recommended completely straightening your arms at the bottom. I found out after the first time doing it that my body got injured doing this even with a light weight it damaged my elbows. I still do these curls but I keep some tension on the biceps during the eccentric and never straighten my arms. We are all built differently so try them all and stay safe and healthy.

[@aspe7187]

Why not still go heavy but only 1-2x per week instead of 3-4x?

[@timpeacock9820]

@@aspe7187 I agree with this and it helped me in the past but now for me, my joints are messed but I'm in my 40's joints in their 80's lol seriously though according to my dr. If you have no injuries and lift smart go for it. I feel pain just watching somone use more than 3 plates on each side of the bar for any excercise sadly lol.

[@aspe7187]

How’s your nutrition? Are you taking any anti-inflammation supplements and incorporating anti-inflammatory foods?

[@timpeacock9820]

@@aspe7187 I use a lot of turmeric and cumin in my foods but during the holidays I tend to slip a bit. I have some stomach issues to so it's difficult to eat, I use pancreatic enzymes etc. I really wore my body out younger doing MMA and weights. I mean aside from a 10 hour laboring job either in the heat or cold I'd train an hour an a half lifting, the same amount boxing or kickboxing and the same jujitsu 5x weekly and I'd even do sprints 5 days a week around the ball field. Didn't have much sleep time.

[@mojesus680]

Mentzers Circuit Training push pull squat was the Best 🏆 3day week Training ❤️

[@davidhooper259]

Steve Reeves, Bill Pearl, Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer…classic, obtainable and just plain pretty and still could wear normal street clothes without looking stupid. Their training philosophy was on to something

[@99Gara99]

Steve Reeves, Bill Pearl, Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer were all on steroids on their prime. Some photos of Zane and Reeves may display achievable physiques, but other photos of them will show bodies that aren't achievable at all. None of mike Mentzer known physiques are achievable, he was too muscular all his career I don't really like Bill Pearl's physique but the others are indeed some very harmonic ones

[@krystofodehnal9448]

None of them did HIT, mate

[@davidhooper259]

@@krystofodehnal9448 HIIT is overrated, mate

[@chestnutsev7]

Thanks John!💪🏼

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

You’re welcome, chestnutsev7👍

[@christineseldon3979]

Remember reading many years ago steve reeves on location making a film ,all he had was a 50lb dumbell for the duration of the movie.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Hi Christine. That is absolutely true. He told me that himself.

[@robmen1402]

Yeah, but I imagine that was just to help get pumped for the scenes.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

@@robmen1402 Not really. If he wasn’t training for a bodybuilding contest, Steve did not train that regularly with weights. He rode horses, he cross-country skied, etc. He lived in Europe for a number of years and when he would get a call to make a film he would resume weight training to build up his muscles once again for the role, depending on what the role required. According to a recently published interview with Steve, he sometimes went two years without working out with weights.

[@robmen1402]

@@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE Right, but that's not what I'm talking about. You think he's going to build a significant amount of muscle while he's shooting a movie? A movie typically only takes about a couple months to shoot give or take. If he had one dumbell on set, I'm pretty sure it was just as a tool to get himself a nice pump before shooting, lol. It wasn't there for him to grow muscle. I'm sure that he spent some weeks training right before he shot a movie, also even if he did a bunch of other activities it's not like he's going to lose all his gains while he is not training. If you stop training and your'e natty as long as you're eating properly the time it takes to lose significant amount of muscle is a long time. People greatly exaggerate muscle wasting away when you don't train.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

@@robmen1402 His Dumbbell training wasn’t done on the set but several months before a movie started. I think he had the dumbbell (or dumbbells) at his chalet in Switzerland, not on a movie set. And Steve was always in pretty good shape from his other activities.

[@oldjohn1744]

Ι workout twice a week at home because i cant afford a gym. At my day off and at Sunday because they the only days i have time. I do full body workout, one set to failure with resistance bands. The other days i do some quick isometrics because i work at a super market and i walk about 10km per day and push a lot of weight. I have seen gains and strength with this routine. HIT totally works but you have to give it all in each set. Slow cobtroled movements, control

[@seraphx26]

In context Steve was saying that Mentzer was right about people training with too much volume in response to 6 day splits, he wasn't saying that HIT is great and he certainly didn't build his body with HIT training. Steve believed in recovery to a larger extent than the guys from Arnold's time, but by HIT standards he was massively over training with each of his 3 weekly sessions going to nearly 3 hours in length and with intensity.

[@thedublintrail]

Your absolutely right thank you for posting this comment. I might also add that Steve stressed that one should balance intensity and volume, not burning youself out so fast that you can only do a couple sets, but also making sure you reach failure within the 8-12 rep range, and of course, perfect form every single rep. Steve recommended to perform either 2 sets of 3 excersizes per muscle group, or 3 sets of 2 excersizes per muscle group.

[@xIMxMCLOVINx]

This is GOLD!

[@boyccullen518]

I'm loving these videos john , I got both of the mike mentzer books you wrote and they are a great read 📚 👍

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thank you. Glad you like the videos and the books.

[@hugh2hoob668]

Exactly when you take 2 or 3 days off that Day 4 workout is AWESOME its true

[@fatmirtola-ok8me]

Steve Revees un fisico perfetto da vero nobel

[@dabeln1]

All manual laborers and construction workers would have bodybuilding physiques if proper rest was not required. Bodybuilding is a luxury, and if you want it and can afford it, then go for it.

[@bluelightmoon777]

I train 3 times a week at the gym 2x upper body and 1xlower body and 3 times i do wrestling/jiu jitsu. Works fine now but i used to do too much strength training and was always tired

[@keelanenns4548]

I don't know which is better, but whenever I train like MM and work up to one topes for 3exercises I feel amazing and get really strong

[@steveffuksake]

Weight training works as long as you put some effort into it,no matter which routine you use.

[@seraphx26]

This is the truth, and a recent study confirmed that whether you do heavy weight/low reps or light weight high reps the muscle growth in end is the same, no noticeable difference in results was shown regardless of approach.

[@aspe7187]

I disagree with that and would like to see your source. Heavy results in harder muscle. That’s why Dorian looked harder than his competition. It wasn’t merely his lack of bodyfat.

[@bxmully]

Didnt know about HIT when i started training again last october. Id hit the gym for exactly 20 mins during linch at the gym at work. They only have a bench, dbs that go to 70, and a pulley system rack that has a pullup bar part on it. Doubked my bench within 3 months. Was accidentally doing HIT type workouts without realizing it. Was using 30 and 35lb dbs when i started. Was using 70lb dbs exactly 3 months later for bench. And putting the pin on thebhighest weight setting for the oulley system for rowing exercises. Kept it simple and was doing this just to look good and for better daily functionality. HIT is legit. Everyone in my life is astounded at the amazing and quick progress. Ppl outside of work almost dont beleive I workout less than 100 mins total per WEEK. I go so hard tho. Nervous system is shocked by the end of each workout. I need a partner to be able to do forced and negative reps. Ive done these in the past to bust thru plateaus. Ive been gettijf creative tho. Please make sure u dont jerk the weight into position to do forced reps and negatives. I made that mistake ONCE and hurt my wrist. Now i do it smart. For example I will do a row as the concentric portion with explosive tempo, and then do the eccentric as a purely bicep curl type rep very very slowly. This way I can effectively do forced reps and negatives for bis and tris. Added a quarter inch to my arms in 2 weeks doing this. I weigh a little less than 140 rn btw. Next i will join a proper gym so i can use barbells. If i can do db press with 70lb dbs at under 140lbs for reps,then i should be able to do 200lbs barbell Benchpress for reps right? Ill find out soon. Thank you John Little. Youre the man for putting these on youtube! Oh also try doing farmers walks but try to keep the weights far from you as u walk as if ur doing a partial rep isometric side delt raise. It hellped with side delt strength tremendously. And delts were always a lagging muscle group for me in the past. Now they are my best looking muscle group.

[@anonymousalias.5059]

I train 4 times a week full body thanks to reeves. Not that hard to build a physique and I feel much better coming in on training days

[@ClassicPhysique27]

whats ur routine ?

[@anonymousalias.5059]

⁠@@ClassicPhysique27im doing an upper lower these days

[@arandomzoomer4837]

I love the low volume approach especially since I do conditioning and work a physical job, I do upper lower with a bro day containing some myorep arm work. I do like the strength aspect especially lower body strength, but it’s definitely had a positive influence on a lot of my training

[@jomon723]

I do feel a lot stronger when I am out of the gym a couple of extra days and come back to my workout, pump is better too 💪🏻

[@steelmongoose4956]

I’m using a low volume HIT program inspired by John Heart (taught by Mike Mentzer). It’s basically an upper/lower split done every 2-3 days, with cardio and light activity on off days. It’s been effective for me, and I’m natty and north of 50.

[@khalidamajoud4114]

One of the most beautiful physiques I have ever seen.

[@SeptemberChild1835]

Arnold.

[@ClassicPhysique27]

@@SeptemberChild1835one was natural

[@jlipari58]

Steve Reeves…the one and true Hercules!!

[@SaleemRanaAuthor]

That's exactly right. I used to exercise every day for an hour and got some good results. Last month, after learning about the HIT method, I started working out only every second or third day for 20 minutes. With far less effort, I'm getting the same results now. Since I've only been doing this for two weeks now, I'm curious to see what happens over time.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Thanks for your post, Saleem.

[@tomashorst9544]

I understand what he's saying but I disagree with Mentzer's view on training. It takes the idea of stimulus to fatigue all the way to the other side of the spectrum. For people who have a hard time training at high intensity it is a good change but it is far from optimal in my opinion, most natural lifters also seem to opt for higher frequency while not damaging recovery as hard.

[@davepazz580]

That is why Mike advocated for so many days off between sessions...

[@tomashorst9544]

@@davepazz580 I know that. Mike failed to understand the importance of volume which is just as important as intensity. If one of the two is not accounted for you'll inevitably stall at some point. Something that he forgot apparently because he built his physique with high volume and then changed his opinion on how to train forgetting that he got the way he was by the principles he criticizes.

[@davepazz580]

I've never bought the argument that "Mike built his physique with high volume training" so this automatically means he was somehow wrong for criticizing high-volume training later in life... When you're just starting out, *any* stimulus is going to deliver results even if it's a "bad" training program on paper... also, Mike has said many times in the past that *all* forms training will deliver some level of results (even if fractional), only that HIT is the best and the most time-efficient one. Even I used to train for over 2 hours a day, 6 or even 7 days a week and made *fantastic* progress as a beginner, but that sure as hell doesn't mean I'd train that way now and expect to get even close to the gains I did back then. I just don't see any way around the fact that as years went on, I'd progressively train harder and harder which (in turn) necessitated spending less time in the gym and training less often per week... the more I went in *that* direction in my later training years, the more progress I saw past my initial gains period. Sure, I could "ease up" and not go all-out on my sets, saving energy so I could do more sets and extend my workout time (and even add training days) but I don't see the point... every time I've tried doing this in the past, I end up stalling on progress and losing my enthusiasm to train entirely.

[@IvanM272]

@@tomashorst9544 this is very important. Mike Mentzer never built his body with HIT, he did it with high volume. Another thing is that in my opinion, Steve Reeves didn’t achieved his genetic potential, not even close. If he lived on our era, I believe he would achieve much more, because no matter who you are, as long as you can recover you will grow with more volume no matter who you are. What usually happens is that people try to jump to volumes they can’t recover from, it’s like jumping from a 200 pound bench to a 315 bench in a matter of weeks. So off course they will feel tired and not recovering from that. 🤷‍♂️ So I agree with you my friend! Cheers.

[@vohen7362]

True. I train legs on saturdays and everytime i go in, i blast my results. Strength goes up and muscle size and density

[@frankjgornickjr3676]

Yep and that's why the body building industry doesn't want you to know that! Mike mentzer was right!

[@Michael-fb1rl]

100% correct, you don't have to overwork yourself, just do what you can once a day for at least 4-5 days a week, you can gain more muscle than you think just being intelligent and shrewd with your timing.

[@harleyowens4203]

he says that twice a day, 6 days a week is too much and recommends half of that volume (single workouts, 3 days a week). Reeves doesn't even embrace heavy duty he just mentions that mentzer thinks most like him in the respect that they challenge the high volume workout routines of that time.

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

It depends at what point in its evolution you were looking at Heavy Duty. When Mike won the 1976 Mr. America competition, he was training the whole body three days a week, high intensity fashion, very much like Reeves advocated. Even when Mike went to a split routine, he found most success training no more than three days a week. There are parallels.

[@terimaakigaand5857]

There's many roads to the destination. Choose one or rotate between them. But to believe that only their way is the best and only way is naive.

[@ΑναστάσιοςΠαπαζαχαρίου]

Steve Reeves was beautiful

[@nolan555]

Hey, I’m disabled and love to hit the gym but can only go once or twice a week. What is a good upper body workout with this method? Thanks

[@HEAVYDUTYCOLLEGE]

Hi Nolal. This link will take you to a video that explains Mike’s system. The recommended workout comes near the end of the video, as does the specifics in terms of warm-ups, reps, etc. This would be the best place to start: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKHYYWhvgLSsma8

[@skorpione10]

MCU Herc better be on this level in the next Thor film, as This iteration was the clear inspiration for Jack Kirby's Hercules.

[@frankdegennaro6710]

STEVE REEVES...THE BEST EVER.

[@billybass4189]

Thanks for uploading these, it's interesting listening to different characters from the golden era talk about their own methods. Do you happen to have any audio from serge nubret at all?

[@BG-pd6os]

Great post John, Steve Reeves was the James Bond of bodybuilders, Men and Women alike admired his physique! Steve had an incredible frame to work with. He was very aware of his numerous strenghts! Very wide shoulders, very narrow hip, waist structure, and the best calves of his era. If a peak Steve Reeves was standing on the Olympia stage, i bet he would get as much attention as the winner!

[@tom6567]

Hit is so awesome. You can really feel the recovery. When you understand the laws of muscle growth, how can you think of volume and frequency?

[@c.galindo9639]

Yup. One thing people don’t account for is recovery. Sure multiple days of the week is fine but how you set it up has to have effective workout routines and effective recovery. Without both balancing each other out the results will not be as great

[@billsrippedfitnessover5047]

That's great. You can train long or you can train hard but you can't do both.

[@kentborges5114]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE !

[@SeptemberChild1835]

Today is not his birthday.

[@kentborges5114]

@@SeptemberChild1835 No kidding. OVER TWO MOS. ago.

[@SeptemberChild1835]

@@kentborges5114 I was joking.

[@techwood1233]

First used h.i.t from a friends copy of heavy duty, a small book with not many chapters but full of information that made sense. I saw physical gains in a few weeks along with strength increases. Unfortunately the problem was I used the mentality I had from traditional training and pretty much killed my gains through injury. I stupidly ignored Mike's initial message of more is just more

[@mohitrathi5324]

Can anyone please send a Mike Mentzer routine

[@thomasjefferson182]

My last name is a variation of Reeves so that’s pretty cool, I wonder if my grandpa was a fan of this guy. To reminisce a bit I credit my grandpa with my lifelong love of fitness and exercise. When I was little he would give my brothers and me one dollar for each push up that we could perform. I was the youngest and couldn’t do that many so I only made a couple bucks but if I ever have grandkids I’m gonna do the same thing 💪

[@thomasjefferson182]

Although maybe I won’t do a dollar a push up cuz then they’d probably be overtraining 🤔 haha