Heavy Duty College on YouTube posted a video featuring a resurfaced tape of Mike Mentzer. The bodybuilding icon demonstrated his success with clients who simply maintain a weight statically in the fully contracted position before gently and carefully releasing it. He also believed that static and negative strength were greater than positive strength.
In the audio tape, Mentzer emphasizes how gymgoers are constantly trying to lift enormous weights. However, given his knowledge in the field, he advises his followers to hold the weights they lift rather than pumping mindlessly. The entire lifting technique is the least stimulating to the muscles because it is the weakest element of the exercise.
Mentzer stresses that holding the weights in the contracted position is the most important component of the workout. He goes on to present an example of the entire procedure, using a result he discovered with his client:
“What I’ve been having my clients doing is holding the weights in the fully contracted position for up to 15 seconds, and then once they recognize their static strength is about to go, they start lowering the weight very slowly, and the results I’m achieving are literally phenomenal.”
Following this example, Mentzer says that the objective of the bodybuilder is not just about lifting massive weights. Powerlifters are responsible for the entire heavy-weight lifting phenomenon. However, as a bodybuilder, one should strive for the greatest contraction of the muscles throughout each workout session.
According to Mentzer, this can only be achieved when a bodybuilder is fully contracted. However, if one masters the specific position represented by the late icon, they will get the most out of any potential workout. The former Mr. America recalls performing the same approach with a client during a leg extension session.
The late icon used heavier weights than normal and also assisted his client during the most contracted position of the session. Mike and his client repeated the technique for 6 to 10 reps until failure, with the contraction being the primary focus of each rep. Mentzer advised his client to schedule a little recuperation period after each negative movement to maximize either regimen even further.
The bodybuilding icon observed instant improvements when a few of his trainees increased their rep count from 14 to 20 per session. This static movement, which was approximately 6–8 seconds into the contraction time, greatly impressed Mentzer. Yet, even though the complete negative movement is completely beneficial to muscle building, Mentzer once discussed how volume training can impair one’s whole workout.
Mike Mentzer’s concern over the downsides of volume training
Mike Mentzer, the pioneer of high-intensity training, was critical of numerous workout procedures. His contributions to the bodybuilding community remain outstanding since he was constantly ahead of his time. The former Mr. America has always highlighted the importance of recovery, or muscle hypertrophy, to enhance training results.
However, the late icon once demonstrated how volume training can have a significant impact on the recuperation process, resulting in a complete waste of time and energy for an exercise enthusiast. Since our bodies have limited resources, they can get depleted quickly, resulting in fatigue due to a lack of recovery. Rather than lifting large amounts of weight, the former bodybuilder advocates raising the bar with each set.
Doing HIT for a few reps is not a simple task. The entire training regimen produces a 100% increase in one’s ability to lift the same amount of weight. This approach, however, has no effect on muscle recovery, which is the most effective method of bodybuilding.
