The first Bodybuilder to get a Perfect Score

[@mrski4945]

Amazing physique, but apparently he didn't kiss enough Weider ass to win!

[@moor2k136]

mrski most truthful comment!

[@MerlinDeLyon]

Mike Mentzer is the most underrated bodybuilder ever

[@ecelectro]

Mr FZ no charles clairmonte is. The king of aesthetics

[@Mancattan]

Jason genova

[@PinnaclePete]

I don't agree. Mike was regarded as one of the best bodybuilders ever. I never heard/read anyone underrating him.

[@nycwizrd8348]

FACTS

[@parkergriffith2507]

Jeff King and Bob Paris most underrated imo

[@InfiniteAthletics]

Mike's physique was on point. He deserved the perfect score

[@Cannonbombtv]

Infinite Athletics i agree it was perfect for the time but id say a perfect score now is the gift without the gut

[@BrimsHL]

To bad he was a whinny biatch about Arnold coming back and winning the Olympia. I've taken a look at the photos and Arnold at his least impressive was still better than Mike and that rest of the competitors that year. Arnold in his prime a few years earlier was way past the other bodybuilders by a decade, so Arnold felt that he didn't have to come back that far ahead to win and he was right. Arnold was better, take a look at the photos everyone. Mike Mentzer should have just not been a biatch and given Arnold the credit that Arnold deserved.

[@68bobba2]

BrimsHL-Bill Pearl was asked where he would have placed Arnold at the 1980 Olympia....Bill said 5th. Arnold only won(in 1980) because of Joe Weider...not because he was the best on stage,that night. If arnold was still better than the rest...Why was he booed off stage after the winner was announced?

[@ちゅんちゅん-b1w]

Infinite Athletics Jesus christ I see ur ass on Ericsurf, Mike cheng, nick's strength, Chris jones Jesus u watch fuckin everything

[@ksayhey]

Its al fixed unfortunately...

[@39Hundred]

They need to make the vacuum a MANDATORY POSE in the Mr. Olympia.

[@PMGTraining]

Marshall Street definitely agree

[@neehime6]

Phill Heat may beg to differ...

[@umeshhemanth2770]

Very well said

It's just too bad they can't. They can't bring back the vacuum pose as long as the competition all look like they're in the third trimester.

[@Jacob-cm6ws]

Too many bubble guts for that to be a thing lol

[@mikerieck306]

That leg shot at 5:05 is fantastic. I can see the entire Iliopsoas including the tendon and the gastroc build is incredible. As his brother Ray once noted......"those aren't calfs.....they're cows". And yes....he could have won Olympia more than once.

[@badhabitz69]

*Mike Mentzer was probably the most gifted bodybuilder genetics wise. Perfection!!!*

[@Stingray775359]

Mike Mentzer, one of the best ever! He was known for that Crucifix pose with the midsection vacuum. Totally awesome and done like no other!!

[@MRALAINMICHAEL]

RIP Mike and Ray. You’re both legends.

[@ArjanMeijer-HIT]

The one and only Mister Heavy duty , Mike Mentzer

[@ShaneChilly]

Arjan Meijer H.I.T I see you all over the heavy duty and Mentzer videos, much love to you dude!! Mentzer rules!!

[@ArjanMeijer-HIT]

Shane Childers reading his books opened my eyes, and h.i.t. is perfect for me.

[@praveenmenon1109]

Mike was a brilliant body builder and his HIT method is legendary. Very underrated. Definitely deserved a lot more than was handed out to him. Salute

[@discostoo]

Still what I consider to be the perfect physique.

[@TrueFilter]

discostoo Yeah you could walk around with that physique and people wouldnt stare in horror. You'd look good and normalish.

[@IronWarrior86]

"Normalish"...? He would stand out amongst 99% of people even today. He was genetic freak and achieved that physique on minimal amounts of Steroids.

[@отпирайте]

Iron Warrior probably meant like wearing clothes walking down the street he would look pretty normal. Not like the bodybuilders we have now

[@отпирайте]

discostoo chest was too small and in 79 he apparently lost because he wasnt holding his stomach in as well as frank in the final posedown

[@miguelrivera2458]

Arnold is the best ever man

[@chaoticdays]

This is how a bodybuilder should look like !

[@wayned6242]

Mike mentzer was one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time working for Arthur Jones and expounding upon Jones' Nautilus ideals and turning it into his own theory of heavy duty. Mikes workout philosophies were truly ahead of their time and are just as true today, his drug addictions later in life and radical behavior was such a shame, in a land of broscience he was a mental giant.

[@kirkplummer3507]

Jeez looking at them pics and watching that we forget how great he really was. Then getting a better score then Zane and still losing to him? That doesn't even make sense. It's like scoring more points in football but the other team wins. Whaaaaaat!!!

[@gragrn]

Yep!

[@Flexible_photon]

Yeah but the other team won the Superbowl last year so let's give them the benefit of the doubt.

[@javy-81]

Mike mentz physique is exactly like the HE-MAN TOY!!!!!!!! RIGHT?

[@cryptopirate8880]

robbed

[@kevinkidd7211]

Your history knowledge of bodybuilding is superb A1

[@wadayaduin5517]

If MM got a perfect score, & FZ didn’t, then MM won the overall. Case closed.

[@davesworld7961]

Dorian was saying on Joe Rogan that Mike was a huge influence on his training.

[@joeswanson6782]

"He had the perfect physique, BY DEFINITION."

[@ridingblues]

I was stationed in Germany in about 1977 and I got to meet Mike and have lunch with him too. Super solid guy and I'm glad about his success even though it ended on a sour note. Nonetheless, awesome dude

[@MrChuckwagon55]

I knew Mike, and spoke to him many times in the 90’s. He always knew it was rigged, but it bothered him less in his final years before his death. He was an extremely brilliant and cerebral guy, probably the smartest guy in bodybuilding. He was a really nice guy too, extremely friendly, very loyal. He was good friends with Dorian Yates and trained him during his Olympia years. Dorians success made him feel a little better about his disenfranchisement with the politics and BS of bodybuilding. I still can’t believe how prematurely he died. He was a really great guy.

[@aerobars9227]

MrChuckwagon55 Heavy drug use took him to young.

[@thomashunter7040]

Many in his family died young from heart problems it was a family genetic problem.

[@Mulezen]

I knew him through the 70’s first meeting him in early 70’’s in the military...then at U of MD where he was a part time student. A nice guy who would do Olympic lifting with me when he stopped by the gym...I would call him thoughtful rather than cerebral. The underpinnings of his Go Heavy training system was derived from my training partner’s scholarly research in academic journals (Al Starck...420 clean at 181). Other things I read in Weider’s rag about him being a pre-med student was pure fantasy...all of which leaves me with a nice guy who despite his huge arms could/would perform OL lifts with good form. Starck said he never would have believed someone with that physique could be so technically proficient (350 power clean).

[@Jayskiallthewayski]

Yates hardly knew him and trained with him just once for promotional purposes. But ofcourse they did have the same philosophy about training.

[@46FreddieMercury91]

I'm currently reading his book "high intensity training" which was released not long after he died. He comes across as incredibly intelligent , the kind of guy I'd love to have a coffee and a chat with- the friend I never had. His death was, and still is ,a huge loss to the bodybuilding community. I'm pretty sure either he or Zane should have won the 1980 Olympia, not Arnold. True, it WAS rigged !

[@richardbrake9454]

We have not seen a perfect build like that in a long long time....

[@hawaiidispenser]

Just a beautiful body on Mike. Huge, symmetrical, proportional, and manly.

[@Apollyon-sz9sn]

He retired through rigging, and was proven to be right the following year!

[@weighttrainingguide]

His proportions and symmetry are amazing.

[@naturaljourney2431]

Never heard of this guy till now, his chest genetics are insane.

[@felixramos3078]

Mike Mentzer was a Beast! He had one of the most symetrical physics ever. I remember as a young teenager, seeing him on the cover of Muscle Magazines. He most had some amazing genes.

[@johnnylalonde7542]

Mike Mentzer was an incredible bodybuilder,his physique combined great mass with outstanding lines.

[@nelsondeoliveira7076]

Most proportionate body builder I've ever seen,every things on point, the best thing is his fore arms proportionately flows with the rest of his entire body,just amazing.

[@zeppafloyd]

I was at the 1979 Olympia and from what I could see it was very close between Zane and Mike for the overall. Zane had a way of making himself look bigger than he actually was and his conditioning was insane. Mike had perfect structure.

[@aggie7756]

Wow! Mike never ceases to amaze with his physique; I've seen many pictures of Mike and read one of his books and I don't recall ever seeing the pic shown at 4:45 of this vid (with Winston Roberts). His physique in this pic is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, in my opinion. You're right Nick.....imagine what Mike could have accomplished had he not retired. Incredible! RIP Mike...a true legend and titan of bodybuilding.

[@Intect2013]

Mike Mentzer was truly a "Arnold-Killer"

[@Jason-me1bs]

Intect2013 Negative. Arnold destroyed his upper body in 1980 and that was without being anywhere near his best and also with very weak legs. I like Mentzer but he’s not in Arnold’s level but then who is.

[@007stopjockin]

Great piece Nick! Mike Mentzer was AMAZING! And he was also a highly intelligent man. I enjoyed reading his work and listening to him speak with the few pieces of audio that are still around. 007

[@christianchandler6973]

Mike Mentzer has one of the most inspiring phisques to me. I wish there were more hardcore training vids of him.

[@SDA0271]

Thank you for the video on Mentzer! He absolutely got screwed big time at the '79 Olympia. No way was Zane better. Such a shame he retired, but who could blame him. I got the chance to meet and talk with him briefly back in the early 90's during a "Heavy Duty Tour" he was doing. Real real nice guy who changed the way I looked at training. I still have that copy of Heavy Duty that he signed.

[@jackjackson721]

The 1980's should've been a huge rivalry between Mentzer & Haney with some epic battles!

[@geraldmauthe7296]

What a joke he was beaten by Zane then Arnold, The man was dense and cut.

[@Mingo31194]

arnold sure not deserved it in 80 but Zane was arguable, he was more crispy

[@nycwizrd8348]

Gerald Mauthe and arnold was Juicy!

[@Coolrockndad]

So what? Big is not the only thing that matters. Don't forget that Zane edged everyone out with his posing.

[@cryptopirate8880]

was robbed

[@dc110770]

Coolrockndad zane was cut to death and Arnold was massive. He was in great shape but not quite good enough

[@hrollins999]

I called him once for training advice in the mid-90s. He yelled at me, and then hung up on me, twice. But I don’t hold it against him. Brilliant guy. And still my all-time favorite physique. That pose at 2:50 is just unreal.

[@ThorandSharon]

Your video makes several excellent points. At the 1979 Mr. Olympia, Frank Zane was 37 years old and in my opinion, the best shape of his professional career. Zane brought the right combination of mass, symmetry, and definition that year and he was the right winner. The 1980 Mr. Olympia was a different story and Mike Mentzer deserved a higher placing. Mike Mentzer should have competed at least another two or three years and probably would have won a Mr. Olympia or two!

[@donaldthompson8328]

His build was also used for alot off comic book character's phenomenal build

[@grimmer2005]

You forgot to mention that both Mike Mentzer and Ray Mentzer (brothers) died almost same day. Only 2 days apart, and in the same year of 2001. 47 and 49 years young. Liver decease and heart decease.

[@danielfetchak1865]

Due to steroid abuse!

[@pbrtaskforce116]

THE STEROID DISEASE KILLED HIM

[@gwentchamp8720]

Dude was a legend. Respect.

[@MRRIllustrations]

Agree with you 100%, Nick! Mike was def one of the best ever. Such a shame he didn't push through and keep going. His reaction is totally understandable, but I'm sure he would have won out in the end if he'd kept going.

[@cashcowslave8001]

Videos have been on point lately

[@jamilabuharthieh5508]

He was one of the best. Wish he continued to compete.

[@TheTektronik]

No other pro can pull off a crucifix pose like Mike Mentzer.

[@fender1000100]

He owns that pose the way Sergio owned the Victory pose.

[@rectbosun]

I'll tell you a story about Mentzers HIT...I am a merchant seaman. I started when I was 19 and I am now 49..In 93 I bought a copy of the original heavy duty..Soon after I got on a container ship running from Singapore to Quan and Diego Garcia..The ship had little in the way of equipment so I tried Mentzers heavy duty for my entire work tour which was 6 months..The union said I'd you quit or get fired before your time is up, you pay your own way home so most of us did our time..I did one set of dips 1set of chins 1 set of rows..3 days later I did 1 set of shoulder presses 1 set of curls one set of close grip benches..3 days later I did 1 set if squats and 1 set of stiff legged deadlifts...That was it..I wrote it all down..Mentzers said you can have a positive response on even a near starvation diet, and since I was kinda fat when I got on the ship I stopped eating..I ate very little..I went up in reps or weight on every single workout for over 6 months. I had a buddy workout with me so I went to failure on everything..Towards the end when it was almost time for me to fly back home, I was dipping with four 45pd plates around my waist..Shoulder pressing205 pounds for 6 reps. curling 135 pounds for 10 reps. chinups with a 25 pound plate tied to my waist for 10 reps...Anyway, when i got to the airport people were staring at me constantly..I had been isolated on the ship for 6 months and didn't go ashore much, but now I am out..When my girlfriend picked me up at the airport, her jaw hit the floor...I lost a ton of fat and must have put on at least 10 pounds of muscle..I was in my mid 20'S then..I am old now at 49...Anyway it works.

[@dubbled7286]

Captain Mantastic , can’t you at least respect the man for sharing his experience and results? Sheesh

[@BXBZ88]

Some of those pics show a body that was outstanding. But in 1980,he lost too much pec mass cutting for that comp..... But that one pic standing straight on (2:40) and the last one (5:05) on the vid shows an awesome powerful physique.

[@jameshardalong423]

Mentzer one of my all time favorites. Headed over to watch his competition posing.

[@israelitereign2824]

If there was ever a man I'd want to look like in body building it would be this man!!!!!!!

[@MasterMindManipulator999]

Amazing bodybuilder. Congratulations again on your channels success.

[@carpediem6568]

That crucifix pose by Mentzer belongs as one of the best poses ever, along with the iconic ones by Arnold and Sergio Olivia. A video of Mentzer later in life showed how he had deteriorated, and seemed addicted to cigarettes.

[@fshsunlimit21]

Mike was the shit, and had the balls to call it for what it really was! He spoke the truth! He truly deserved the perfect score!

[@krijnnl]

I witnessed the following conversation when Mike was in Holland. A guy asked Mike Mentzer; "sir, can I ever look like you"? Mike; "in 100 years we all look the same"

[@cakabey3323]

This is what i call. " precious video " Thankyou very much ✊️

[@sidheshroks]

Whenever i saw the thumbnail image on the internet not knowing who he was.. i just felt thats a perfect physique 👌🏻

[@matthewellis8626]

Excellent Video Mike Mentzer was a Champion and Pioneer in the sport undoubtedly. Deserves far more credit for his achievements and merit.

[@boo-leeproductionsinc3501]

His forearms are insane!

[@sol31957]

I Had some training sessions with Mike about 20 years ago, in my opinion he had the most compact herculean pyhsique while at the same time having a classic look that was very unique

[@mmafan8407]

My all time favorite bodybuilder

[@bubba195776]

Mike is my favorite bodybuilder of all time. I’ve got his books videos and poster. He was my inspirational in my home gym. A great bodybuilder.

[@JesusOnlySavesEternally]

One correction to the statement “he could have had great potential”. Mike Mentzer had great potential. He then developed that potential to its greatest end.

[@fitlawnguy]

That crucifix tho!

[@EnduringAestheticsBodybuilding]

Legendary, I always think of him when I think of that pose!

[@jamespalmer5679]

Hybrid Athletix rrriigghhtttt. Man just awesome

[@dominoyess5408]

Hello Nick, greetings from the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Well, first of all I really enjoy your videos, for obviously and simple reason... YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT BODYBUILDING HISTORY, and your knowledge about every person such as Sergio Oliva, Larry Scott, and for my surprise the athlete Chris Dickerson, which I never knew that he was gay (which is ok with me)...but you see, little details like these make you think about your dedication and love for this sport and art. Going back to the topic, Mike Mentzer !!!! WOW the philosopher, the thinking man of bodybuilding!!!! NICK you just nail it... Unfortunetally he was so overlooked like the genious guitarrist Roy Buchannan (who basically was just like Jimmy Hendrix), long story short thank you very much for all this great material and please ... KEEP posting more, Chers , Rafael Strugala.

[@KeepEatingIt]

It was stupid to retire. He should’ve just taken a year off and then tried again. He let one disappointment define his career.

[@tjboy313]

Brian Varchmin he didnt really just stopped cuz he was dissapointed or sad he stopped cause he wanted a degree and so on and also wrote 5( or even more) great books about his Heavy Duty (High Intesity Training).

[@stratolestele7611]

Where do you get that?

[@stuartwilkie4887]

It's a very strong point to debate. When should somebody change direction, and when should they dig in deeper and pursue. What do we do when things are stacked up against us, and people don't seem to recognize what we are or what we've done. Why are people so quick to overwrite complainers as having "sour grapes." I think the reality of bias and rigging happens to nearly everyone - it's awful when it happens. The answer is by analyzing, listening and giving the best support and counselling we can. That way, people who are dear to us (or we) can have the courage to go out and get what they (we) are worth. In this case, it doesn't seem so much as giving up - but giving up trying to impress those who would most likely always see him as a second rate athlete. A person often knows when they have been cheated and when they have been beaten fair and square - with what we know today and the knowledge we can get from the internet and e-books. Hopefully we are all (slightly) better placed to deal with these things than in the past. Given the time and the day he seemed to have done better then most.

[@thugking5452]

I respect him..he didn't want to be a part of that rigged bullshit... bodybuilders work their ass off in the gym...they put their health at risk by taking all these drugs and supplements....their workouts and diets in the lead up to the competition is intense and brutual....so after all the effort and expense when you realise that the competition is rigged,they have every right to be disappointed....

[@zenrr1]

Awesome video. I really enjoy all your 1980's - 1990's era bodybuilding videos. I was just getting into bodybuilding and weight training at that time. Very interesting to find out more about that era.

[@percybyssheshelly]

Mentzer was definitely underrated. I remember watching him on TV and wondering why he wasn't placing higher.

[@tomchishko62]

Mentzer had unlimited potential. He was a genius. If you have a brain , you know he completely solved the mystery of hypertrophy.

[@paulhugo1623]

Mentzer was awesome... a loss to the sport.

[@unclemearl]

Always been my favourite and had a physique that anyone should aspire to have. His high intensity workouts were legendary!

[@abhishek5014]

Today most of bodybuilder have glute abs , Mike mentzer has really good body.

[@brianrobitaille4256]

I see Winston Roberts in one of the photographs. He passed away a couple weeks ago. Perhaps you can do a video on him?

[@jamesh1369]

Mike looked way fuller in 79 than he did in 80. In 80 he looked flat. The 79 version of Mike would have won in 80 (or at least should have).

[@carpetburnbloodyknees1633]

As a Bodybuilding judge back in the 80's I find your assessment of Mike Mentzer spot on. Many times I have used his build as a reference.

[@Stoian1992]

Nick, I rly love your videos man. A new idea for a video would be to show the world how Phil Heath won his 7 olympias and for the last 7 years he has lost a point (to Shawn Rhoden) in the 2015 pre-judging. All of the other years on prejudging and at the finals he had 5/5 perfect scores. Not to mention that in 2013 and 16 he was sent back from the stage and judges did not even want to compare him with the other top 6. This did not happen to any Mr Olympia champion (except for 1 time in 1989 when Lee Haney was not compared to the other guys)

[@mitchcornacchia968]

Well said Nick Mentzer was truly unbelievable One of my all time favorites died way too young.

[@erikrobinson3920]

Great bodybuilder. His book Heavy Duty is a great read. High intensity/ low volume works for me.

[@arroganceinvictus]

THE most underrated Bodybuilder ever in my opinion.

[@ShoNuffKMW]

1:08 No, not Santa Clause... That's Master Roshi.

[@DroppedMyMelons]

this channel has one of the best communities man

[@davidkurtz1706]

Awesome video Nick, i absolutely love this era of bodybuilding. The fact that Mike Mentzer received a perfect score in 1979 makes me believe even more that the 1980 Olympia was definitely rigged. How do you go from getting a perfect score and winning the over 200 class at the Olympia to placing 4th/5th? It just doesn't add up as we know judging tends to favor the current champs and unless Mentzer's physique was just way off in 1980, which it didn't seem to be, there is no way rationalize this. Sorry Arnold i love your physique and you are one of the greatest ever, but in 1980 you didn't deserve first, so obvious to me the fix was in, keep up the great videos Nick love learning bodybuilding history!

[@yannicat123]

I remember Mike. He was an impressive figure on stage. Great arms.

[@jeffp3926]

He was always one of my favorite!

[@sugarray6250]

Mike Mentzer had that superhero physique you would see in comics growing up.

[@concretegym1897]

I was a kid when I saw his picture and was amazed by it. Back then we had no internet and social media and I could not get any info about him. I remebered him as a bodybuilder with a mustache :) Truly a legend! good video Nick !

[@terrymurray9612]

That's freaky Genetics right there boy, and years of pushing and pulling. Respect Mike Mentzer RIP

[@Th3Siam]

Bloody hell, in the pic of him doing the vacuum bicep pose is just the best physique I've seen.

[@Big_E_247]

He would have just continued to be disappointed if he stuck around. Arnold should not have won in 1980 and Franco was rigged to win in 81. Too many politics...

[@josephdelledonne2098]

I had no idea Mike was the first bodybuilder to get a perfect score. I never would have guessed. I was underrating him all these years.

[@ujan_rudralove]

Great loss for bodybuilding fans, such a great physique retiring at only 29

[@diablowowfan]

he was one of best, totally underrated..+ Mike had unique approach to BB training..guy was rly something else, deserved much more.

[@attyeichholz]

Mike should have kept on competing! I understand why he was upset with the Arnold win...but the best way to overcome this problem would have been to bring a perfect a physique back year after year and thus force the judges to defend their positions! They would have looked like the clowns they were!

[@peterl.1574]

Sadly its all politics and you have to play the game, be likeable (well except Phil Health), be presentable, talk well, and have an excellent physique.

[@EnduringAestheticsBodybuilding]

I wish he would of kept on going too, who knows what we would have seen in the years after that Olympia!

[@aerobars9227]

He got hooked on Meth so he couldn't have continued.

[@Xerxez22]

Really? "would of" and "would have", both in the same sentence. Wtf, dude?!!!

[@NinjaSushi2]

Wow! Probably the best I've ever seen. This one and that legendary black and white arnold vacuum pose. Just amazing.

[@thedeadfuul]

Actually he wasn't the 1st one... Lost to hedge

[@jimmyrotten-seed3646]

Mentzer is very overlooked and under-rated. He help put high intensity training on the map more so than anyone in the fitness industry not named Arthur Jones.

[@olegariomartinez6807]

I saw Zane when he won all 3 Olympia's in Columbus, Ohio. I thought Mentzer was better in 79 than Zane.

[@olegariomartinez6807]

Come to central Pa and workout with me to see. I can still out lift most of the guys in the gym and I'm 61 years old. I have no problem with my joints. I have also been a martial artist since I was 14 years old. I take the time to stretch and loosen up.

[@koolkeithsdad]

Olegario Martinez where in central PA? My interest is piqued

[@questinfinity]

MIKE MENTZER WAS A LEGEND. HE WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BODYBUILDERS BACK IN THE DAY. HE HAD THE TOTAL PACKAGE.

[@charlestrotter5040]

What’s going on you guys? Nick here with Nicks Strength and Power. Boom, beat the intro

[@DylanFowler]

lol

[@mchlwilson1]

Actually it’s “All right, What’s going on you guys?”

[@BChrizZ94]

Too funny, just a few hours ago I searched and watched both of your videos about him, you know what I want to see Nick! ;D Nice video as always! keep it up!

[@mikechrister2736]

It’s a shame but I agree with Mike M. Yes he probably would have one an Olympia. After dropping to 4th he obviously wasn’t one of Joe Weiders “boys”. I respect the hell out of him for retireing. Arnold had no business placing as high as he did in 1980.

[@dalewilson8261]

he had the best of everything size shape and condition. the total package and that is exactly why he got strait firsts!