SPIKE1257

MIKE MENTZER

Mike Mentzer was born in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and was something of a bodybuilding renaissance man. Renowned as much for his vocabulary and propensity to quote the philosophy of Aye Rand as he was for the dimensions of his Herculean physique, Mentzer established himself first as a bodybuilding champion and then as a scholar of the sport. Having placed 10th at the 1971 AAU Mr. America contest, Mentzer came in contact with Arthur Jones, who at that time was promoting his less-is-best training theories along with his Nautilus exercise equipment.

From that grounding, Mentzer eventually evolved his own Heavy Duty training philosophy, which espoused brief intense workout sessions and spawned countless articles, many books and videos. In 1976, Mentzer won the IFBB Mr. America, and in 1978, after relocating to Los Angeles, he won the heavyweight division at the IFBB World Amateur Championships with a perfect score.

The following year, he was second to Frank Zane in the IFBB Mr. Olympia. In 1980, after tying for fourth at the IFBB Mr. Olympia, which Arnold Schwarzenegger won in controversial fashion, Mentzer quit competitive bodybuilding. For years afterward, he would rail against the outcome of that contest and Arnold’s part in it. In recent years, Mike learned he had serious heart problems, and he and Arnold spoke, patching up their differences. The day after completing the filming of his latest training video, Mike was found dead by his brother Ray at the Los Angeles apartment they shared. Two days later, Ray, who had been undergoing regular kidney dialysis, was found dead at the same apartment.

ABOUT MIKE

Nickname: Mr. Heavy Duty
Born: November 15, 1951
Died: September 6, 2001
Birthplace: Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 225 lbs


TITLES WON

1976 IFBB Mr. America
1977 IFBB North American Championships
1978 IFBB USA vs. the World (Hvywt.)
1978 IFBB World Amateur Championships
1979 IFBB Florida Pro Invitational
1979 IFBB Southern Pro Cup
1979 IFBB Mr. Olympia (Hvywt.)

GSXR750

Spike, just want to give you props on researching/knowing so much about bodybuilding history. I like reading all your posts.

min0 lee

Ditto, I'm glad someone is finally doing this.

It's a shame I never really got to learn much about him, he's a favorite among alot of IM'ers.

musclepump

Aye, indeed a good guy.

Let's all join together and SPEAK ENGLISH IN AMERICA.

BigDyl

Nevermind, i was thinking of Tom Platz as the "leg guy." Good post anyways. Can you do a custom request? Do a peice of platz?

Total ownage.

Doublebase

Yes I would like to see that also. I remember my Uncle telling me about him. 1200lb squat? Is that true?

Duncans Donuts

No, Platz did not squat that much.

Mentzer rocks, I miss him greatly..

"in the howling bleeding nights, the dogs plunge into the Volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. The nights of Stalingrad are a terror for them. Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure."

musclepump

Platz was the squat man!

Let's all join together and SPEAK ENGLISH IN AMERICA.

P-funk

I like Mentzer.

http://pwtraining.blogspot.com/.....come and see what is on my mind!

http://ivonneberkowitz.blogspot.com/....check out Ivonne's new blog!

Optimum Sports Performance

"In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the experts there are few."
-Buddha's Little Instruction Book

musclepump

Still, Zane is my favorite from the past, Cutler and Dugdale are my favorites of "now"

Let's all join together and SPEAK ENGLISH IN AMERICA.

Musclebeach

I dont mean to make people mad, and I know he is big, but he looks small in that lineup picture. Although I dont agree with his training ideas I think he influenced a lot of people to start working out with abbreviated regimens.

BigDyl ~ are you saying that Mentzers legs are better then Platz's?? If that is what you are saying, I totally disagree. Platz had in my opinion the best legs ever.

-Jeff.

Read my journal:
Wheelchair? So what... Impossible is Nothing