Want to know why most people are wasting 70% of their time in the gym?
It’s because they’re following the same old “more is better” approach that has been used since the 1970s.
But there’s one man who challenged this conventional wisdom and turned the bodybuilding world upside down: Mike Mentzer.
Here’s the deal:
While everyone else was grinding out 20+ sets per body part and training 6 days a week, Mentzer was building his Mr. Universe physique with just 1-2 sets per exercise and training only 2–3 times per week.
See, Mentzer wasn’t just another jacked dude with a theory. He was a former pre-med student who applied scientific principles to bodybuilding.
He understood something crucial that most people miss: muscle growth happens during recovery, not during training.
In this post, I’m going to break down Mentzer’s revolutionary workout routine step by step. You’ll discover:
- The exact workout splits he used to build his legendary physique.
- The simple trick he used to cut his workout time in half while doubling his results
Let’s dive in.
Mike Mentzer’s Workout Routine Principle
Mike Mentzer, a legendary bodybuilder, believed that for bodybuilding to be considered a true science, it had to be grounded in reality and guided by principles based on noncontradictory facts.
This would allow bodybuilding progress to be predictable instead of in small, irregular increments. His book, High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way, outlined seven foundational principles essential to his “Heavy Duty” training system. He believed that intensity was the key to constant muscle growth. Research also supports this.
Mentzer saw these principles as interconnected, each critical to achieving consistent muscle growth and strength gains.
7 Core Fundamental Principles
- Identity (knowing exactly what you’re dealing with)
- Intensity (the real driver of gains)
- Duration (how long to train)
- Frequency (when to train)
- Specificity (training for your exact goals)
- Adaptation (how muscles actually grow)
- Progression (constantly pushing forward)
Mike Mentzer’s workout involved going beyond failure, utilizing forced reps, negative reps, rest-pause, and pre-exhaust supersets. What does each word mean?
| Term | Meaning |
| Forced Reps | A spotter helps to move the weight for additional reps |
| Negative Reps | Do a set of isolation exercises before a set of compound exercises for the same body part without resting. |
| Res-Pause | A spotter helps on the positive halves of reps, and the lifter slowly lowers the weight for about 6 seconds |
| Pre-Exhaust Supersets | Do a set of an isolation exercise before a set of a compound exercise for the same body part without resting. |
Want to know the exact workout splits and how to implement these principles? Let me know.
Mike Mentzer Initial Workout Routine
In a manuscript he had given me to proofread for him prior to the publication of his book Heavy Duty II: Mind and Body, Mike had selected seven exercises.
He then split them into two workouts of four and three exercises with one set each, to be performed seven days apart.
This initial split includes more exercises but was later simplified to avoid overlapping muscle fatigue and promote optimal recovery.
Workout One
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Squats or Leg Presses | 1 | 6-10 |
| 2. Standing Calf Raises | 1 | 6-10 |
| 3. Barbell or Machine Rows | 1 | 6-10 |
| 4. Dips | 1 | 6-10 |
Workout Two
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Regular Deadlifts or Shrugs | 1 | 6-10 |
| 2. Close-Grip, Palms-Up Pulldowns | 1 | 6-10 |
| 3. Presses Behind Neck | 1 | 6-10 |
Heavy Duty II (1996) Workout Program
By the time Heavy Duty II: Mind and Body was published in 1996, he had experimented further and had reduced the number of exercises to six, performing three in each workout once every four to seven days between Workout One and Two.
Workout 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Squats | 1 | 12–20 | Alternate periodically with leg presses |
| 2. Close-Grip, Palms-Up Pulldowns | 1 | 6–10 | Perform until failure, focus on proper form |
| 3. Dips | 1 | 6–10 | Perform until failure, keep range of motion controlled |
Rest 4–7 days before performing Workout Two before performing Workout Two. As you grow stronger, insert an extra rest day or two randomly to allow optimal recovery.
Workout 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Deadlifts | 1 | 6–10 | Alternate periodically with shrugs |
| 2. Presses Behind Neck | 1 | 6–10 | Perform until failure, focus on controlled movements |
| 3. Standing Calf Raises | 1 | 12–20 | Perform with full range of motion until failure |
For more focused stimulation, the workout was reduced to three exercises, one set per exercise to failure. As strength increased, more rest was added to optimize recovery.
Mike Refined Workout Routine (1998)
Further refinement in the routine occurred in 1998, after Mike had experimented with more clients, resulting in Mike reducing the number of exercises to be performed per workout again.
This time, he reduced the number to just four exercises in total that, in his estimation, emphasized all the major muscle groups of the body and removed the liability of overlapping muscle stimulation.
Based on the information you provided, here’s a structured presentation of Mike Mentzer’s refined Consolidation Routine with his focus on reduced exercises and the effectiveness of the approach:
Workout Routine 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Deadlifts | 1 | 6–10 |
| 2. Dips | 1 | 6–10 |
Workout Routine 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Squats | 1 | 6–10 |
| 2. Lat Pulldowns | 1 | 6–10 |
- Rest Period: 4–7 days before performing Workout Two.
- As you grow stronger and intensity increases, insert an extra rest day or two at random for optimal recovery.
- After completing Workout Two, return to Workout One to begin a new cycle.
Mentzer’s this routine focus on minimal exercises to stimulate maximal muscle growth. The shorter sessions (2–4 minutes) allow you to make big gains without doing longer, more frequent workouts.
Two-Set Routine for Stronger Bodybuilders and Hard Gainers
For those bodybuilders who were either very strong (and thus more prone to overtraining) or hard gainers with very poor recovery ability, Mike recommended the following two-set routine.
Workout Routine 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Squats (alternate periodically with leg presses) | 1 | 8–15 |
| 2. Close-Grip, Palms-Up Pulldowns | 1 | 6–10 |
Workout Routine 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Deadlifts | 1 | 5-8 |
| 2. Dips | 1 | 6–10 |
The routine is designed to be highly efficient, with long recovery periods between workouts to prevent overtraining. Mike recommended waiting 4–7 days before performing Workout Two, adjusting for individual recovery needs.
Mike Mentzer’s Most Productive Routine
Mike followed this essential basic heavy-duty routine, which consists of four to five sets per body part and is divided into two workouts.
The first workout would be for the legs, chest, and triceps, and the second would be for the back, shoulders, and biceps. He would start with leg extensions, six to eight reps to failure, and then continue beyond that with forced reps and negative reps.
He would then immediately move to leg presses, preferably on a Nautilus compound leg machine, which allows him to move from one exercise to the other without pausing.
After that, he would do one set of squats to positive failure, usually in the neighbourhood of 400 to 500 pounds, and then proceed to leg curls for two sets.
Then, he’d work calves—typically two sets of standing calf raises on a machine, followed by one set of toe presses on a leg press machine to failure.
Day One: Legs, Chest, Triceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Extensions Superset with Leg Press | 1 | 6-8 |
| Squats | 1 | 6-8 |
| Leg Curls | 2 | 6-8 |
| Calf Raises | 2 | 6-8 |
| Toe Presses (on Leg Press Machine) | 1 | 6-8 |
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Flyes or Pec Deck Superset with Incline Press | 1–2 | 6-8 |
| Dips | 2 | 6-8 |
| Triceps Pushdowns Superset with Dips | 1 | 6-8 |
| Lying Triceps Extensions | 2 | 6-8 |
Day Two: Back, Shoulders, Biceps
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Nautilus Pullovers Superset with Close-Grip Underhand Pulldowns | 2 | 6–8 |
| Bent-Over Barbell Rowing | 2 | 6–8 |
| Universal Machine Shrugs Superset with Upright Rowing | 2 | 6–8 |
| Nautilus Side Laterals Superset with Nautilus Presses | 2 | 6–8 |
| Dumbbell or Machine (Reverse Pec Deck) Rear Delt Rowing | 2 | 6–8 |
| Standing Barbell Curls | 1 | 6–8 |
| Concentration Curls | 2 | 6–8 |
Mike had not always advocated one-set training; in fact, during his competitive days, he would typically perform four to five sets per bodypart—which was just as shocking in an era when most of the top champions were performing upward of twenty.
Over time, Mike recognized that even two to four sets might be overkill. He once commented, “The one major training mistake I made was that despite having been the arch-advocate of lesser training, I was still overtraining, that is, training too long and too frequently.”
He later reduced his workouts to once every five to seven days, with each session lasting between six and fifteen minutes.
Mike Mentzer’s One-Set Heavy-Duty Workout
The key principle in this routine is training to failure, with no additional sets once failure is reached. This approach maximizes muscle recruitment in each exercise.
Monday’s Workout: Chest, Deltoids, Triceps
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Flyes | 1 | Until failure |
| Machine Incline Presses | 1 | Until failure |
| Nautilus Lateral Raises | 1 | Until failure |
| Nautilus Rear Delt Raises | 1 | Until failure |
| Nautilus Multi-Triceps | 1 | Until failure |
| Triceps Pushdowns | 1 | Until failure |
Wednesday’s Workout: Back, Traps, Biceps
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nautilus Pullovers | 1 | Until failure |
| Lat Pulldowns | 1 | Until failure |
| Hammer Rows | 1 | Until failure |
| Hammer Shrugs | 1 | Until failure |
| Nautilus Multi-Biceps | 1 | Until failure |
| Ninety-Degree Preacher Curls | 1 set to failure + 4 half-reps (partials) | – |
Friday’s Workout: Legs
| Exercise | Sets & Reps | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Extensions | 1 set to | Until failure |
| Leg Presses | 1 set to failure | Until failure |
| Squats | 1 set to failure | Until failure |
| Leg Curls | 1 set to failure | Until failure |
| Stiff-Legged Deadlifts | 1 set to failure | Until failure |
| Calf Raises | 2 sets to failure | Until failure |
