Mike Mentzer revolutionized bodybuilding together with his Heavy Responsibility philosophy — temporary, intense, and rare coaching designed to stimulate development with surgical precision. In contrast to the high-volume routines of his friends, Mentzer’s method centered on most effort, not most time.
When it got here to constructing his iconic arms, Mentzer didn’t depend on countless curls. His favourite bicep train wasn’t even a direct arm motion — it was the underhand (supinated) lat pulldown.
Key Factors You Want To Know!
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Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Responsibility Coaching
Mike Mentzer’s Heavy Responsibility system was constructed on logic and effectivity. He rejected the high-volume routines widespread in his period, arguing that extra work doesn’t imply extra development.
As an alternative, he emphasised temporary, rare, and brutally intense periods, ultimately performing what was often called rest-pause coaching.
- Every exercise used one or two warm-up units to arrange the muscle tissues.
- When prepared, carry out a single all-out working set taken to momentary failure.
- Place the burden down and relaxation 10-15 seconds
- Carry out a mini-set, performing reps to failure once more.
- Repeat 1-2 occasions.
Mentzer believed progress got here not from doing extra, however from doing sufficient after which permitting full restoration. Heavy Responsibility coaching grew to become a direct problem to the marathon periods of the Nineteen Seventies, focusing as an alternative on precision, goal, and restoration.
Mike Mentzer’s Favourite Bicep Train: The Underhand Lat-Pulldown
Heavy Responsibility Coaching didn’t simply have an effect on the rep scheme used, however workouts as effectively. Mike didn’t wish to use a ton of workouts to hit each muscle; he wished one of the best train, so he solely wanted one which bought the job completed.
For him, it was the underhand lat pull-down.
When choosing the right biceps train, many individuals will level to an isolation train. This is particularly true throughout fashionable occasions. They imagine the isolation helps produce extra activation.
Quite the opposite, Mentzer considered train choice as a matter of effectivity. As such, he preferred compound movements as they labored a number of muscle teams. Going additional, he most well-liked people who;
- Used a full vary of movement
- Allowed managed motion beneath heavy masses
- Had minimal threat of harm.
For these causes, when it got here to coaching the biceps, Mike clearly had his favourite train.
Mike Mentzer most well-liked the underhand lat pulldown to hit his arms and believed it was clearly one of the best to construct mass.
Why Mike Mentzer Cherished The Underhand Pulldown
In comparison with a traditional lat pulldown with a pronated grip, utilizing a supinated grip modifications the motion mechanics considerably.
1. The grip is mostly narrower, and the biceps are available entrance of the physique.
2. This places the bicep in a stronger place because it sees higher activation within the supinated place (Leslie & Consolation, 2013)
3. The lats are nonetheless concerned, which permits heavier masses to be positioned on the biceps.
This mixture of mechanics theoretically ends in an intense biceps exercise by 3 mechanisms;
- Heavier weights, which maximized stress and activation
- Higher time beneath rigidity (mechanical rigidity) on account of massive ROM (Roberts et. al, 2023)
- Extra full stretch and contraction
Mentzer believed that the pulldown maximally activated the biceps, leaving no cause so as to add one other biceps train. Keep in mind, in his view, as soon as a muscle has been educated to failure, it can’t be educated “extra.”
He additionally preferred the train’s stability and security. With a cable-guided bar path, a lifter can keep excellent management all through the movement and focus completely on muscular contraction.
Effectivity Over Quantity
The underhand pulldown match completely together with his Heavy Responsibility framework. It allowed him to coach each the again and biceps effectively in a single motion, minimizing general coaching time with out decreasing effectiveness.
Mentzer would sometimes pair it with one different again train, reminiscent of a Nautilus pullover or a row, and that was the whole workload for these muscle tissues. Every train consisted of a single rest-pause working set.
Carry out the Underhand Lat Pulldown (HIT / Relaxation-Pause)
Performing the underhand lat pulldown like Mentzer requires two explanations: the directions for the train, as effectively as a proof of Rest-Pause training.
Setup
- Sit on the pulldown machine and safe your thighs beneath the pads.
- Take a shoulder-width underhand grip on the bar, palms dealing with you.
- Sit upright along with your chest barely elevated and your decrease again naturally arched.
Execution
- Start every rep by miserable your shoulder blades earlier than bending the elbows.
- Pull the bar down by driving your elbows down and barely ahead, retaining your higher arms near your sides.
- Contact the bar to your higher chest and pause briefly for a full contraction.
- Decrease the bar slowly over 4 to 5 seconds, permitting a full stretch on the prime.
Each rep needs to be managed. There needs to be no jerking or leaning again to maneuver the burden. The purpose is steady rigidity and precision.
Additional, exaggerate the pull, attempting to maximise flexion within the elbow.
How To Use the Relaxation-Pause Technique
- Choose a weight you may carry for about 6–8 strict reps.
- Carry out reps till you attain full failure with correct type.
- Relaxation for 10–15 seconds.
- Carry out one other 1–3 reps to failure.
- Relaxation once more for 10–15 seconds.
- End with 1–2 ultimate reps or a single sluggish adverse lasting 8–10 seconds.
That sequence counts as one working set. Mentzer would typically do one or two mild warm-up units earlier than the primary set, however by no means multiple rest-pause set per train.
He believed this degree of effort was greater than sufficient to stimulate development. Doing further units would solely cut back restoration capability. As soon as the working set was full, the train was completed.
Mike Mentzer Type Arm Exercise
We’ve all the time been followers of the chin-up and lat-pulldown for bicep activation, and it’s humbling to see that Mike Mentzer has all the time had this similar perception.
If you wish to construct large arms, get away from “isolation-only” type coaching. Use massive compound workouts that maximize load and ROM;
- Triceps – Triceps dip, close-grip bench press.
- Biceps – Underhand grip lat-pulldown, chin-up
You may then use some isolation coaching in case you don’t wish to use a 100% Mike Mentzer-style exercise.
Right here’s an instance of what an superior arm exercise, impressed by Mike Mentzer, would possibly appear like. To be clear, this just isn’t Mike’s exercise. It’s merely utilizing his concepts, merged with different kinds of coaching.
Mike Mentzer-Impressed Arm Exercise
- Pull-Up – 2 Units
- Triceps Dip – 2 Units
- Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown – 2 Units
- Shut-Grip Bench Press – 2 Units
- Tricep Pushdown + EZ-Bar Curl – 1 Set
- Overheads Tri Ext + Spider Curl – 1 Set
For two units, you’ll first carry out your preliminary rest-pause set. You’ll then drop the load by 10% and repeat.
Mike Mentzer And Bicep Coaching
Mike Mentzer has a ton of superior coaching recommendation to supply the bodybuilding world. Even in case you don’t agree with every little thing he stated, there’s undoubtedly one thing you may apply to your coaching and see a profit.
For us, his capability to take a look at the mechanics of an train is a big profit all of us want to contemplate in train choice. There are such a lot of examples the place an train is simply thought-about to be good for a sure muscle and vice versa.
Reference
- Mentzer, M., & Little, J. R. (2003). Excessive-Depth Coaching the Mike Mentzer Means. McGraw-Hill.
- Leslie, Kelly. L. M. BSc (Hons); Consolation, Paul MSc, CSCS*D. The Impact of Grip Width and Hand Orientation on Muscle Exercise Throughout Pull-ups and the Lat Pull-down. Energy and Conditioning Journal 35(1):p 75-78, February 2013. | https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2013/02000/Article.12.aspx
- Roberts, M. D., McCarthy, J. J., Hornberger, T. A., Phillips, S. M., Mackey, A. L., Nader, G. A., Boppart, M. D., Kavazis, A. N., Reidy, P. T., Ogasawara, R., Libardi, C. A., Ugrinowitsch, C., Sales space, F. W., & Esser, Okay. A. (2023). Mechanisms of mechanical overload-induced skeletal muscle hypertrophy: present understanding and future instructions. Physiological opinions, 103(4), 2679–2757. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00039.2022
