Plague of Strength

A high-intensity training advocate who apparently lifts in Auschwitz.

So, Mentzer was a fucking whackjob, which we know right off the bat. But how whacked?

He applied Ayn Rand’s “Art of Non-Contradictory Identification” (i.e. logic) to weightlifting. This theory hold that contradictions cannot exist in objective reality. Thus, there can only be ONE best system of weight training. Somehow, in Mentzer’s drug-fueled ramblings, he failed to notice that the “best” is an entirely subjective determination. He believed, as an extension, that a contradiction is mistaken reasoning, which is amusing, because the fact that he lost to many, many bodybuilders who followed training regimes that were the total obverse of his own should have tipped him off to the fact that his conceptions of proper training and nutrition were retarded.

Mentzer believed:

1. That heavier training through progression took more of a toll on the body as one progressed. (Wisdom of Mike Mentzer p. 50) He apparently failed algebra, as had he done the math, he’d have recognized that 90% of a 1RM is still 90% of a 1RM, even when the RM increases drastically, and that training at that intensity takes the same toll on the body, no matter how low or high the RM (rep max).
2. That the more intense the workout, the shorter it should be. “For every slight increase in intensity, there has to be a disproportionate decrease in volume.” (WMM p. 50) At the time, the Bulgarians were drastically increasing the volume of their programs, and began training up to 8 hours a day. Elite athletes found that the stronger they became, the more they needed to train in order to get results, rather than less, as Mentzer believed.
3. Mentzer believed that “intensity” was defined as “how hard you train”, a completely subjective concept. Everyone else in strength training and physical culture knew (and know) that “intensity” describes the amount of weight used in relation to one’s limit lift. Thus, 90% of one’s 1RM (one rep max), is a far greater intensity than 60% 1RM.
4. “The full completion of the recovery process may take anywhere from one day to a couple of weeks.” (53 WMM) Sport science would disagree, claiming that individuals’ training capacities may vary widely, but that most trainees recover in between 6 and 72 hours, depending on the volume and intensity of one’s workout. He also thought that “up to 3 months might be required in order to recover from a high intensity workout for the biceps”(54 WMM) in spite of the fact that BROKEN BONES HEAL FASTER THAN THAT.
5. “Anatomically and physiologically, every human being is essentially the same” (33 High Intensity Training), in spite of the fact that he believed in somatotyping, and the fact that it’s been widely demonstrated that no two people are “essentially the same”, exhibiting widely varying metabolisms, enzymatic processes, organ location and sizes, and muscle fiber compositions.
6. That one should consume massive amounts of carbs, and no more than 100g of protein a day! HAHAHAHAHA.
7. That one needs only to do one set for each bodypart to total failure every week and a half, though he regularly exceeded this volume by an order of magnitude.
8. Lastly, Mentzer believed that “the mind can alter any physiological system (200 HIT). This is hilarious, given the fact that he didn’t believe that one’s recovery EVER adapted to training, hahahahaha.

The verdict? Mentzer was a fucking retard, and I’m glad he’s dead. With any luck, his legions of HIT jedi will fade into obscurity (rot in hell Ellington Darden and Stuart McRobert), and we can all train like fucking animals without hearing about “overtraining” and “hardgaining” ever again.

The badass physique of a drug crazed asshole, bold-faced liar, and bonafide retard.

Destroy the weak.

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