Mike Mentzer has developed a training methodology that is capable of giving a tangible increase in muscle mass in a short time. It's time to find out what V. I. T is according to Mike Mentzer, and whether it is so effective. Any of these methods are good in their own way. But which one to choose for a more effective result? Everything is clear with the first technique - it came to us from stubborn German bodybuilders. But the second is somewhat different.
HIT originated in Colorado, where Arthur Jones, a successful business tycoon, lived. We can safely say that this man "created" the great Mike Mentzer, so it is simply impossible to ignore him.
Jones was born into a medical family. He was a highly educated person, and even spoke eight languages fluently. Fate brought Arthur to Africa, where he made his first million on the set of films about wildlife. But the status of a rich man could not be preserved for a long time, and he had to leave the country of elephants and crocodiles.
Simulators "Nautilus"
Having survived the ruin, Arthur travels to America to visit his own sister, who gives him the initial capital to develop a new business idea. This time the man decides to bet on sports.
He invents the Nautilus trainer, which will soon pervade all fitness centers in the United States. In Russia, this entrepreneur did not receive his fame, since it is not customary for us to delve into who invented this or that simulator. Everyone is interested in the final result. Therefore, the HIT system itself gained its fame. By the way, it should have been called the Arthur Jones technique, but it was Mike who managed to leave his name in the history of bodybuilders.
The action of the simulator is based on the work of the roller, which evenly distributes the load on the muscle group. It resembles an ellipse in shape. Many people associated the appearance of the video with a submarine, hence the name.
Due to this non-standard form, the work of the entire muscle group is involved and the load is removed from the unnecessary muscle, which allows you to maximize the work of the body. In this case, the effect is more noticeable than when working with a standard barbell. All athletes know that it is more difficult to do an exercise in the beginning than in the middle. Because of this, many athletes could not guess with the right weight. If you overdo it, then you cannot make the initial movement, but when a comfortable weight is taken for the start, then the load is not obtained in the subsequent stages. The Nautilius ellipse was created to take into account the muscle potential at the beginning of the exercise and at the end.
When Arthur first showed his brainchild in 1970, the leading sports equipment companies just shrugged. On the one hand, they understood that this equipment could become progress for fans of power loads, but on the other hand, the risk might not be justified. Because of this fear, no investor was found for the release of a series of simulators. But there were those who offered to buy this simulator in a piece copy. Jones didn’t want to work this way, but he had to repay his sister.
So "Nautilus" began to appear in American gyms. Popular rumor was stronger than any advertising, bodybuilders wanted to train only in the hall where this modern unit was located. Gym owners quickly began purchasing them to attract athletes. Soon, not only professional athletes "saddled" this simulator. Novice bodybuilders also wanted to experience the result of the miracle trainer.
The essence of high-intensity training
Arthur traced the pattern that a large number of approaches does not always give the desired amount of muscle mass as a result. Hence, the statement was made that it is necessary to train to the point of exhaustion. That is, you need to feel rejection. This is when it is simply impossible to do the next repetition, the muscles stop contracting from fatigue. Of course, the system was effective, but there were flaws. For example, Jones did not account for the stop period after a set. And this nuance, as practice shows, cannot be ignored. There should be minimal break between sets. If it is more than three minutes, then the effect is lost.
I had to tell the audience about my training. To do this, the entrepreneur sent his letters about the theory of HIT to the editors of leading bodybuilding magazines. They all refused. But Arthur was not used to giving up, so he revised his text and added "peppercorns" - now the article was dominated by criticism of existing sports methods. The editor-in-chief of the Iron Man newspaper liked this approach to business. He invited the man not only to publish the article, but also offered cooperation on a long-term basis. Jones agreed: now the public will hear him and progress will be evident!
Subsequently, Arthur Jones became a coach, and gave a start in the world of sports to more than one athlete. But the sports world exploded with applause only when the Colorado experiment was carried out.
Colorado experiment
Casey Vaiator is an athlete who admired Arthur's performance and tenacity. He immediately agreed to participate in the experiment. The athlete's weight was 75.6 prior to training. Classes were held only on the Nautilius simulator for a month. Colorado Physical Education University was chosen as the venue.
Casey was not in the best shape when he decided to experiment - he received an industrial injury, training ceased to be regular. After a while, he wanted to return to his former athletic physique.
A training plan of 10–12 exercises was drawn up. Training took place every other day. The athlete did only one approach to complete failure. Plus, there were negative repetitions that the weightlifting world had never heard of. The bottom line was that the coach lifted the weight along with the pitching. But the projectile returned to its original position by independent efforts. In 28 days, the athlete gained 28 kilograms of muscle mass. A kilogram a day! This is a colossal result! At the same time, there was a fat loss, which was approximately 8 kilograms. Were there steroids? Presumably yes. Because it is unrealistic to restore your former athletic form in such a short time. After that, the line of those wishing to train under the guidance of Arthur stretched for a kilometer.
Among the successful bodybuilders was Mike Mentzer. He achieved great results, but the championship at the 1980 Olympia was won by Arnold. Frustrated, Mike begins training activities. He takes the well-known HIT method as a basis, and adds the amount of rest between training days up to three days.
Here is a detailed training scheme that was developed by Arthur, but improved by Mike.
This workout takes 16 days, and you will only train for four days. We see that the legs are pumped twice, and the other muscle groups are pumped once. Why was this particular scheme chosen? Because the athlete took into account the fact that during the period of pumping one muscle group, the auxiliary ones also actively work. For example, with emphasis on the chest, the triceps also trains. Therefore, the triceps will be pumped on the day when the arms and chest are straining.
Everyone is interested in the effectiveness of high-intensity training. The fact that the technique works has been proven during the period of the Colorado experiment. This is not to say that this is the best and most effective training. There are more convenient techniques that give a result no worse than this.
It is worth paying attention to the mistakes that bodybuilders make when choosing the Mentzer method:
- Load regulation. If there is a significant pause after training, this does not mean that you need to overload yourself. This approach will undermine the end result.
- Projectile weight progression. Start with light weights, but then increase the load. Otherwise, the muscle will stop growing, since it will not feel the need for it.
Athletes claim that if you practice for more than 2 months using this technique, then muscle mass stops growing. This is especially true for muscles such as triceps and biceps, since strength performance is important for them, that is, it is necessary to do strength loads for a long time. And in the Mentzer method, the emphasis is on strength power, that is, to do a lot, but once.
In any case, the effectiveness of this training can be tested on yourself, the main thing is not to abuse it. The body gets used to monotonous loads and stops progressing.
Video about the Mike Mentzer training program:
