Does Mike Mentzer's method work?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2014-08-29

To begin with, let me say a few words about what this method is. Since not everyone is familiar with it. This method was described by Mike Mentzer (he's in the photo on the left) in his book "Heavy Duty". The essence of it is that it is not at all necessary, or rather, it is not mandatory to do several sets for any muscle group.

It has long been proven by physiologists that when we perform a set, only the last repetitions under extreme muscle fatigue are of decisive importance. That is, if we can achieve that extreme fatigue in just one set, then there is no need for additional sets. I studied human physiology at university for four years, and I can say that this is indeed the case. And from a physiological standpoint, Mentzer's method is ideal.

But that's not all. Mentzer decided not to stop there and went further. Again, based on physiology. It is a well-known fact that the greater the load on the muscles, the more time the muscles need for recovery and supercompensation. And our body does not care whether we did 5 sets or just one. The main thing is the final effect. And the final effect here is the degree of muscle fatigue, which, according to Mentzer, can be achieved in just one set.

But I still haven't said where Mentzer actually went. Based on all of the above, he concluded that each muscle can and should be trained once every 7 – 10 days. Why so? There were several experiments that showed that the first negative changes in the muscles begin to occur no sooner than 10 days after stopping training. That is, these are only the very first negative changes. And NOT EARLIER than 10 days. Therefore, Mike decided that 7 – 10 days is the optimal interval. The muscles will have enough time to rest, and degenerative changes will not yet have occurred. But note that this is true under the condition that you have pushed your muscles to maximum fatigue during training.

I think now you understand the essence of the methodology. We take some muscle group and perform 2 – 3 exercises for it. But with ONE set for each exercise and to complete failure. Then we let those muscles rest for 7 – 10 days. In other words, during these 7 – 10 days, we train other muscles, treating them in exactly the same way.

Does this methodology work?

From a physiological standpoint, everything is perfect. Everything should work brilliantly, and it indeed does! But, unfortunately, not for everyone. Why is that? The thing is, aside from physiology, there is also psychology.

Not everyone can push themselves to completely exert themselves in one set!

And in this one line lies the reason why Mentzer's methodology does not work for everyone. To make your muscles work until complete failure and exhaustion, immense moral and willpower efforts are needed. You need to somehow step over yourself. And our psyche is arranged in such a way that it is more comfortable for a person (in psychological terms) to do 3 – 4 sets, but not until complete exhaustion, than to "die" in one set.

I want to remind those who do not know that Mike Mentzer himself was a winner of the "Mr. Olympia" tournament. Moreover, he trained many outstanding bodybuilders specifically using this training system. I have applied this method on myself and on my clients. And this method WORKS! You just need to know if you are ready to step over yourself and make that super set?

Nuances of using this methodology

The most common technique that will allow you to reach exhaustion in one set is drop sets. The essence is that as you perform the set, assistants remove weights from the bar. So you perform repetitions without rest, but due to the decrease in weight, you can keep doing reps again and again. But you need to perform this drop set in such a way that you cannot lift even the minimal weight anymore.

You can also use cheating and help from a partner. You can read more about all these methods in this article. In general, feel free to experiment as you like, but after the set, your muscles should refuse to obey you.

Personally, I widely use this method in basic exercises. Specifically in:

The thing is, we almost never do these exercises to failure. And it's understandable, as it's very dangerous. But every 1 – 2 months, I allow myself to perform one set with 70% - 80% of my maximum weight to complete exhaustion. And my strength indicators go up! If, of course, I recover properly afterward.

Conclusions

From a theoretical standpoint, everyone should train using this method! You spend minimal energy and time while getting maximum results! But the psychology and willpower of many people are not strong enough for effective use of this method. Most people think they have done a set to failure. In reality, they are just feeling tired but do not strive to overcome that fatigue and do a few more repetitions.

Moreover, many do not want to wait 7 – 10 days, and often begin to rush things and train muscles without giving them proper recovery time.

Personally, I believe you should at least try this method. I use it in my practice, but not all the time, just occasionally. And I am quite satisfied with the results. But remember – ONLY ONE WORKING SET! Warm-up does not count. Good luck!