Ellington Darden: Over the last 25 years, I worked with a lot of major publishing houses, such as Little Brown, Simon & Schuster, Contemporary Books, and Putnam. Rest 2 to 3 minutes No one could motivate Casey the way Arthur could. As examples, you have a routine for thighs, calves, chest, arms, and waist. After Ray retired from completion he continued to workout with his high intensity training approach he called "Intensity For Immensity" and reached a peak body weight of 270 pounds in fairly lean condition. Here is a sample Ray Mentzer style high intensity training workout routine: Monday Ellington Darden: Arnold had a great peak on his right arm. His reps and negatives were similarly sluggish. But it wasnt until Jones started experimenting and writing about negative work in 1972, that any bodybuilder took it seriously. I found out in 2001, when Andy was selected to demonstrate the exercises for my book, The Bowflex Body Plan. And although their lights have faded, Ray and Mike Mentzer built some of the biggest muscles the world has ever seen using these methods. On our Nautilus leg-extension machine, Ray did 290 pounds for 10 good repetitions, Mullen said, as he paused and cleared his throat. But Ken often strength trained with the team and was significantly stronger than the top players. I think the major limiting factor to true isometrics is the lack of negative work which appears to be the most important part of the exercise for stimulating strength and size gains, and the lack of full-range strength improvement. But now, judging from the photo spreads in the magazines, its ridiculous. Sitting beside me as we watched the movie clips was a 69-year-old lifter from Kansas (yes, there were a few out-of-staters who attended). Drew Baye: Are you saying that you absolutely have to have help in applying high intensity training the Arthur Jones way? Mentzer is a man of enormous natural talentpotential no less notable than other bodybuilders who know little of high intensity. Viator trained himself and slowly lost muscle and gained fat. When did you go all absolutionist? Ray might actually have been the first bodybuilder to weigh that much and still be fairly lean. All rights Reserved. Of all the champions Ive known and trained with I probably get the most questions about Mike Mentzer and his brother Ray. Reverse curlStage reps Undergrip row We figured Cooper did not know how to define exercise clearly, at least not in the vernacular that Hutchins had conceived. Rest 2 to 3 minutes His breakfast includes: Half cup of orange juice; 1 cup of oatmeal; 1 cup low fat milk; 1 slice toast; 1 tablespoon butter; Lunch. He and some other guys would perform squats for hours on end. Recently, I attended a reunion of Texas bodybuilders and lifters from the 1960s, which was held at Ronnie Rays home in Dallas. He has a Bowflex Ultimate machine and he uses it two or three times a week. Did he ever do any amusing things around Nautilus? Important, you must have a clock or a watch with a second hand that you can place in plain sight. He consumed high-quality dairy, chicken, and beef as sources of protein. Ray was forced to wait for a different donor. Squat His left arm was 19 inches. In my new HIT book, I note that Arthur Jones personally trained Casey Viator for 10 months prior to the 1971 Mr. America contest. The 18-1/2 pounds of muscle occurred in 11 days, not 14. With each contest, his proportions swelled, and fans stated at every "heavy duty" photograph they could find in the magazines. Mike was 11 years old, while Ray was 9 years old. My original Nautilus book, initially published in 1980 and revised five times, sold more than half a million copies. Mentzer's dedication never wavered. A situation of increase and decline Less than 48 hours after Mikes passing, he passed away, leaving the bodybuilding community in complete darkness. Over the course of several videos, the brothers put Markus through three high intensity workouts: 1. Ray and Mike both visited their mother while she was in the hospital. He was always clear about his goals and diligent in pursuing them. It felt like we were in the middle of an old-fashioned tent revival. His name was Wilbur Miller and in 1964 he deadlifted 715 pounds, while weighing 245 pounds, which was a world record at that time. It was the essential basic Heavy Duty routine consisting of four to five sets per bodypart and broken into two workouts. It's easy to drift away from high intensity principles. Jones was briefly introduced to Viator at the 1970 Mr. America contest in Los Angeles, where Casey placed third. To this day, Im a firm believer in strength training the neck, for both athletes and nonathletes. Ray Mentzer's experience is it. That question will go down in history with Who really killed JFK? Mike Mentzer's brother, Ray, put three-eights on an inch on his presumably larger upper arm in six weeks, performing no more direct arm work that chins and dips. Yates' drug routines have been published and were an earlier version of today's polypharmaceuticals - far beyond the relatively lightweight stacks of the 70s. And when an almost unbelievably muscular Mentzer materialized in 1979, once again it was due to another application of increased intensity. Calf Raise Breakdown (two drops) McCutcheon trains by himself in his basement. I have repeatedly come across trainers asserting that static contraction is a good second-best for those with limited mobility or other disabilities; I have not seen the research to prove that it should be regarded as second-best at all, nor have I seen anyone cite such research it seems to be just a belief thats out there. He also has several bars and 400 pounds of free weights. Once I saw her creative design and layout, I realized that she had leapfrogged significantly my other bodybuilding books. Drugs, hormone injections, implants, and who knows what else, have destroyed professional bodybuilding today. One reason the squat is considered such a great overall exercise is the sheer volume of muscle the movement exercises. Thus, he simplified his routine to upper body only. He retired at age 29 and switched to training other bodybuilders. Drew Baye: When Jones trained someone, was he a stickler for form? I remember one day, we had Casey on the duo-squat machine and our goal was 20 reps with each leg, which would be more than hed ever done with us training him. I could feel myself actually growing during and after the workout.. Drew Baye: Besides Casey Viator, Sergio Oliva, and Mike Mentzer, who are some of the other big-name bodybuilders that you worked with? In late 1967, Alexander invited Hutchins and me to his wedding and at the reception afterward, Ken began talking to me about strength training and bodybuilding. Mentzer joined the US Air Force after graduating from High School. With Flanagan and me pushing him, hed have stopped at 20. To be specific: Hit: 100kg- 140kg squat 4 reps - long time Starting strength: 100kg - 170kg squat 5 reps - 4 months. Do you want to As a bodybuilder, your goal is to increase your muscle mass. Today, that percentage of involvement has shrunk by half, which leaves approximately 8 percent. But I dont think Arnolds triceps, nor forearms, were in the same category as Viators, Olivas, and Coes. Drew Baye: Dr. Darden, which do you think is more important in getting the best results from HIT, intensity or form? Who is Paul Johansson? I would love for it to be wrong, but hey, it might be right. On a beach, Ray and Mike Mentzer engage in some joint flexing. that would be a real eye-opener. Ray Mentzer who was the brother of Mike Mentzer was born in Pennsylvania on August 2, 1953. One of the greatest bodybuilders of his time was Ray Mentzer. Drew Baye: What did you think of Mentzers Heavy-Duty books? Mentzer, however, was only warming up. He seldom even trained again. He stood only 58u2032 yet packed 215 pounds of rock-solid muscle on his frame. When I found out that Dr. Darden had a new bodybuilding book coming out I was very excited. Evidently, her interest in seeing the video studios had vanished. Ellington Darden: Negative work (eccentric muscle action) was kicked around haphazardly in the physiology world before Jones came on the scene. I believe that after you read The New High Intensity Training, you will be too. So long as full effort can be engendered, 100% of strength and endurance capabilities can be exhausted with isometric exercise. I guarantee . I also read that much of his depression was related to Arnold Schwarzenegger defeating him in the 1980 Mr. Olympia, a contest Mike thought he should have won. Mike Mentzer helps brother Ray go beyond failure on machine shoulder presses. This article is from 2003 to read a more updated article on how Mike Mentzer had a "Heavy Duty" mindest and workout regime Click Here. Thats an average of 2.85 pounds of muscle a day for 14 days. Instead, the book was assigned to Carol Angstadt, of Rodales womens publishing group, who had never before been involved with a bodybuilding book. Wrist curl1 1/4 reps During the 10 years that Ken worked at Nautilus, he and I were involved in four major strength-training and fat-loss projects, as well as dozens of Nautilus-related seminars and workshops. Mike Mentzer was focused on High Intensity, Low Volume training, capitalizing on a six to nine rep range. Ellington Darden: A NTF session is where on each exercise, you stop the set two repetitions short of an all-out effort. Many years ago, the entire bodybuilding world watched Mike Mentzer grow very large. Is there anything Im missing here? Isometric training can be very effective when done correctly, however it appears strength improvements may be limited to the position or range of motion trained, so it may not be ideal when performed exclusively. Without getting into the finer points of the SuperSlow philosophy, I want to say simply: Ken Hutchins carefully studied repetition form, which was and is a subset of HIT, and turned it into a full-fledged business. It had been a while since he had written a book on bodybuilding, and other than the late Mike Mentzers last book there hasnt been any books on the subject worth reading for quite a while that Im aware of. . Leg ext - 1 x 16 reps It was the essential basic Heavy Duty routine consisting of four to five sets per bodypart and broken into two workouts. I trained him multiple times. But one of my main problem with the book was that he seemed to put down Mike Mentzer!! No other training book has this type of history or background material, which I believe is worthwhile and meaningful in understanding the why of HIT. This was largely because of his new training regimen, Heavy Duty Training, which was developed by Mike Mentzer, his older brother by 21 months. Height: 5'9" Jones applied this concept frequently in the early 1970s, but seldom mentioned it in his writings and lectures. Interesting to see the split: Day 1. I dont believe Arthur really hired Ell for research and development, I believe he hired him because he knew he needed someone who was intelligent and charismatic and could write and speak well to be a spokesperson for Nautilus. Try this routine and let the detractors claim you do 'roids, sneak in extra sets after the gym closes or you're naturally muscular. Joness personal form when he trained himself was impeccable. After visiting the doctor for a checkup in 1999, Ray got some bad news. I think that a little articulateness goes a long way here; the standard is way above that of the average muscle-mag and the result is a more penetrating Q&A that the reader can draw useful conclusions from Darden expresses himself well. Im not sure why he permitted it because he certainly understood what proper form was. Chest & Back. Leg Press Jones had an interest in producing how-to videos on many aspects of sports medicine. I am in no way against slow reps a person is better off moving too slowly than too quickly during exercise I just havent seen any convincing evidence that moving any more slowly during exercise than necessary to maintain strict form provides any additional benefit in terms of strength or hypertrophy. Incline Flye Jim Flanagan and I trained Casey for several months in 1978, and helped get his body weight up to 220 pounds, but it was a real chore trying to get him fired-up for the majority of his training sessions. It was about 20 degrees outside and the Atlanta airport was the middle of an ice storm, so all flights were delayed. Ray learned that Mike had severe cardiac problems while he was waiting for the kidney transplant, and Mike passed away on June 10th, 2001 as a result. Mentzer won the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia titles with perfect 300 scores in 1978 and 1979, respectively. But his well-documented progress is nonetheless directly attributable to his well-organized increase in intensity and the attendant diminishing of exercise volume. The man seemed to project a mesmerizing spell on us and we soon found our heads nodding to concepts that were directly against what we believed. His conclusion was to accept exercise for what it is, hard work, and not try to make it recreation or fun. And of course, lets not forget about that middle 68 percent, the wishy-washy majority, who have trouble believing seriously in any training philosophy for very long. The #1 Source For Oldtime Strongman Training Secrets. We both should have discussed it more. Twenty reps, Arthur repeated, after asking us about his progress, hell, he can do 50 with each leg. Over the next three minutes, Viator not only did 50 reps, but 2 more for good measure. In the past, with my bodybuilding books from other publishers, I had always worked with a man on the design and layout. Ray made at least one appearance at the Ephrata Rec Center, signing autographs for fans. Serves coffee strong enough to stand an elephant on its ear. Conroes head football coach, W. T. Stapler, who had been there for 10 years, told me that Hutchins bench-pressed 50 pounds more and dealifted 100 pounds more than the strongest guys on the team. I never attended because I worked at a club. First, you need to have access to an efficient leg-press machine, one that you can adjust by moving the seat forward to prevent you from locking the knees. Olivas arms, from any angle or position, both relaxed and contracted, were absolutely HUGE. The next morning he instructed Ray Mentzer to meet Martina at the airport and escort her back to Lake Helen. Family, Partner, Biography, How to make Garlic Dressing? According to him, 1-2-3 diets (fat-carb-protien)aminos, vitamins, and a strict training routine is much much better than juice. Franco Columbu was also an amateur boxer, and like his good friend Arnold Schwarzenegger, a movie star. Day One At the planned 10-minute mark, I walked over. Rays brother Mike was the first and most obvious candidate for a kidney transplant. Ray found out he had kidney issues in 1999. This can be carried to a logical extreme. "A LOOK AT HIGH INTENSITY BODYBUILDING" is a professionally made film featuring the legendary MIKE MENTZER, one of bodybuilding's most massive physique champions and world renowned expert and teacher of HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING. . But Dave Hudlow certainly set my personal-training record for the most muscle built in two weeks. Your goal is for each repetition to take 30 seconds: 15 seconds on the positive and 15 seconds on the negative. Indirect effect can be thought of as a sort of ripple effect. Ellington Darden: Lou Schuler, who was recently appointed editor of Rodales newest magazine called, Mens Health MUSCLE, asked me the same question a while back. I have found it hard to generate an equal sense of intense stimulation using completely static exercises. I'd better leave this nut to the pipestem, get-in-shape, "muscle tone" crowd Well, before you click to another article, let me say that this routine isn't hypothetical. Some years ago, I saw all the records Jones kept from training Casey during 1970 and 1971. Maybe it was Martinas tone of voice, or maybe she forgot to say please, whatever it was, it didnt set right with Jones. Ray Mentzer was even stronger than Mike, right? Viators arms reminded me of Popeye, because his hanging forearms appeared disproportionately large and impressive. He started his fitness journey at the age of 12 and became a phenomenal bodybuilder. It will be reintroduced under the name of DrDarden.com, and it will include a lot of new and old stuff related to HIT. A similar result occurred when Arthur Jones put Ray on an eight-exercise, one-set-to-failure (drop sets being considered one set) exercise program in 1983. As you can see, my book is distinct from the others. Mike Mentzer Photo Album. Back. A major reason, I believe, is either ignorance, or a neglecting, of the principle of "indirect effect". The only possible mechanism I can see working against isometrics is if the load is needed to shock the muscles into contracting more strongly than is possible voluntarily, even where the isometric trainer is very experienced and determined.