Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.

site
 Original Heavy-Duty
Recommendations
Mike Mentzer’s Recommendations On Sets, Reps, Workouts,
Training Volume, and Frequency

For Sets
Train each major muscle with 4-6 total sets per workout.
Perform 1-2 sets to positive failure on each exercise.
Contrary to popular belief, Mike did not prohibit anyone from
doing two sets on some exercises and did this himself regularly
for some movements.
Do one set each if you are doing pre-exhaust supersets (an
isolation exercise followed by compound).
Repeat that no more than two times (a total of 4 sets).

For Reps
Keep warmups to a minimum.
1-3 sets of moderate reps with a light load should be sufficient.

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

For Reps
For Upper body, he recommended the 6-9 rep range typically,
although going to 10 reps was perfectly acceptable. Remember
these are not Absolute rules.

For lower body, Mike recommended slightly higher reps, due to

safety and the large number of muscles involved.

For lower body isolation like leg extensions, he recommended

12-20 reps, for compound movements (like a squat) 6-10 was
suggested.
If you could do 12 reps, you needed to increase the weight by at
least 10-20% to return to the 6-10 range.
Be advised that 6-10 reps is a guideline. If a trainee wanted to
train with higher reps, they could.
Because Mentzer wanted a very strict rep tempo, doing very high
reps was typically not needed. Mike did not care for “pump style”
training with lots of momentum
This 6-10 range is heavy enough to stimulate the large type 2
fibers, accrue enough effective reps per set, and facilitate
progressive overload without the sets becoming overly
cardiovascular.

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

On Workouts
Select productive exercises that place the muscle in a
pre-stretched position and allow for the greatest Range of Motion
(ROM) without causing injury.

For Exercises
Select 1-3 exercises per muscle. Train each muscle with
appropriate exercises that train the muscles' major anatomical
functions.
Both isolation and compound movements can and should be
utilized. Most muscles require 2 to possibly 3 movements for
sufficient stimulus.
Machines and free weights are both effective and have their place
in training. Don’t be controlled by dogma when selecting
exercises. The best exercises put mechanical tension on the
target muscle and allow for proper biomechanics and muscular
failure to be reached.
Super-setting isolation with compound movement is an effective
way to achieve true muscular failure in a target muscle and not be
limited by the weaker muscles in the kinetic chain (for example,
the back will fatigue before the legs do during squats, so do leg
extensions and leg press first)

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

On Training Volume
Always start with the minimal effective volume, which in most of
Mike's workouts was 2-6 sets per muscle per workout.
For those individuals with low recuperative ability, 1 set per
exercise is recommended, with a minimum of exercises
performed. Working Sets for a muscle could be as low as 1-2 in a
workout.
The weekly volume of sets per muscle was typically in the 2-8
range, with the average being about 6 sets, although it could be
8-12 if someone trained their entire body twice.

On Frequency
Train each muscle 1-2x weekly. Rest at least 4-7 days before
training the same muscle again.
Total body routines can work for beginners, but half-and-half and
body-part splits are more advisable for advanced trainees. They
will need more rest because of the much greater levels of fatigue.
For the most advanced trainees, try training 4 times every 9-10
days, always resting a day between workouts. There are no hard
and fast rules that a training week must be limited to 7 days.

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

Who Was Mike Mentzer
Mike was born in 1951.
He was of German extraction and grew up in Germantown,
Philadelphia, PA.
He got into bodybuilding in his teens and won several contests in
his late teens and early 20s.
At this time (early 1970s), it was the Arnold Era, and high volume
was the norm.

This was the era of 2 hr workouts, high volume, training twice a

day, and Weider Principles were heavily marketed.
Mentzer trained this way in the beginning, but he found it
excessive.

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

And there was a NEW method on the scene, High-Intensity
Training, from Arthur Jones.

Mentzer adopted HIT and developed it into his style, Heavy Duty

He trained, on average, no more than 3 total hours a week, using

a low volume approach, all sets done to failure (or beyond), only
1-2 sets per exercise, and 4-8 sets per muscle group

His Heavy Duty model ran completely counter to the high volume
style.

Over a 5-year span, from 1975-1979,

Mentzer placed in the Top 3 of every
contest he entered.

● Won the Mr. America in 1976

● Mr. Universe in 1977
● He came in 2nd at Mr. Olympia
in 1979 to Frank Zane

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

Mentzer was a high IQ, very articulate, and his intellect set him
apart.

Mentzer had elite genetics—no question.

But he also demonstrated that low-volume, high-intensity training

WORKS.

Muscles don't grow in the gym, they grow at rest.

You only need consistent, sufficient stimulus, not excessive

stimulus, trying to hit a maximum of training.

Mike's downfall would be the 1980 Mr. Olympia, where he came

in 5th.

Arnold placed 1st.

Arnold’s "victory" was entirely booed. The contest was called a

scam.

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

CBS Television was filming and decided not to air the contest on
broadcast television as intended.

Mike quit bodybuilding but continued to write.

He authored several books on bodybuilding and fitness.

His most notable works are:

● High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way

● Heavy Duty by Mike Mentzer

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site

Who Is Alexander J.A. Cortes?
My name is Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes. I am a writer, dancer,
and personal trainer.
I have an obsession with the art and science of self-actualization.
I believe everything in the body and mind can be trained to be
better, faster, and stronger.
Here’s my website: https://cortes.site/
Follow me on Twitter: @AJA_Cortes
Follow me on Instagram: AJA_Cortes
Learn about my other training programs.

Alexander Cortes - www.cortes.site