Underdog
When we think might Mike Mentzer we think forearms. Mr. “Heavy Duty” himself had the crucifix pose of a God and the size and vascularity of his forearms made it quite heavenly. A big component of the Arthur Jones HIT workout system, Mentzer believed high intensity combined with heavy weight and working until muscle failure was the key to recruiting as many muscle fibers as possible. Despite his impact on bodybuilding, insane physique, and deep analytical mind, many bodybuilders don’t know if his legacy. Which begs the question, was Mike “Heavy Duty” Mentzer one of the most underrated bodybuilders of all time?
While there’s no definitive answer to this question we’re going to present to you 3 categories, physique, posing, and impact on the sport to see if you can come up with your own opinion.
Posing
In our opinion, damn near flawless. He had the mind body connection to make his routines almost spiritual. Matching his insane physique with the cat like movements of a ballet dancer, Mentzer was something to watch.
Physique
Need we say more. Mentzer had the type of symetrical, massive, yet understated figure that make most people say “I want that.” That’s the thing about guys of this error, they still had the body size that the average man would want to aspire to. Mentzer walked the thin line of massive monster and aesthetic, and the world was better for it.
Impact
As mentioned before, Mentzer took Arthur Jones HIT system and ran with it. Through years of study, observation, knowledge of stress physiology, the most up-to-date scientific information available, and careful use of his reasoning abilities, Mentzer devised and successfully implemented his own theory of bodybuilding. Helping athletes reach their goals in the shortest amount of time without drugs.
Mentzer was also a huge proponent of the mind muscle connection as he felt “Man, is an indivisible entity, an integrated unit of mind and body.” Because of this many bodybuilders became intorspective in their workouts which lead the way for people like Mr. “thoughts become things” Kai Greene.
Mentzer also went on to write for Iron Magazine in his retirement years and trained many high profiled clients such as Dorian Yates.
While his dreamed was only partially realized at Mr. Olympia 1979, winning the heavyweight division with a perfect 300 score but losing in the “Men’s Open” category, he like Oliva maintains the system was rigged.
What can we say, Mike Mentzer was a pure soul in an less than ideal system. Either way his physique cannot be denied, and lucky for us we have the luxury of doing the research and being able to judge for ourselves.
What do you guys think of Mike “The Heavy Duty” Mentzer, is it all nostalgia or does the man have a legitimate case?