To maximize recovery, Mentzer advocated for significantly spacing out one's workouts. In the most extreme version of
For more than ten years, Mentzer's Heavy Duty program involved 7–9 sets per workout on a three-day-per-week schedule.
Mentzer preached high-intensity exercise once every five to seven days, and every training session shouldn't last more than 20 minutes in order to achieve maximum muscle stimulation. Mentzer believed many bodybuilders were “overtraining,” so he emphasized brief, high-intensity, and infrequent workouts.
A training frequency of once a week will get you bigger muscles, but research as highlighted below shows that a training frequency of 2-3 times per week is more effective in reaching this goal.
The extended rest periods between workouts (4-7 days) are crucial to Mentzer's method. He believed that muscle growth occurs during recovery, not during the workout itself.
THE TRAINING SCHEDULE
Beginning four or five weeks before a fight, Mike would train 50-60 hours a week, working six days a week. He would spar 200 plus rounds without headgear because Cus believed that headgear gave the fighter a false sense of security.
He puts in an hour and a half daily, cycling for 45 to 60 minutes and lifting weights for another 30. That's a hell of a daily workout, especially for a 75-year-old, though it's down considerably from his peak bodybuilding days. When he was competing, he would lift weights for five hours a day.
Study Shows That Just One Training Session a Week Can Prevent Loss of Muscle Mass and Strength. In an ideal world, we'd all be ticking off three to five sessions a week, with flawless consistency until the end of time.
Both are solid picks! Bro Split shines for isolating muscles and crushing PRs, while PPL keeps the gains steady with higher frequency. Your vibe matters—choose what fits your goals, schedule, and recovery game.
Instead of hitting the gym multiple times a week, Mike Mentzer followed a 2-split routine for 4 days that mostly focused on his arms, shoulders, and leg density. Mike Mentzer's 4-day split: First split: Chest, legs, and biceps (2 days a week). Second split: Back, shoulders, and biceps (2 days a week).
How Many Hours Does CBUM Workout a Day? Chris's daily training sessions can last several hours, emphasizing both resistance training and cardio routines to maintain his physique and body composition.
In his final book, High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way, he recommended a new split organized like this: Day 1: Chest and back. Day 2: Legs and abs. Day 3: Shoulders and arms.
Conclusion. Mike Mentzer's 1 set to failure is a training technique that has been proven by science to be an effective way to increase strength and muscle mass. It is a time-efficient way to train and is a safe way to train. By following the one set to failure training system, you can maximize your workout results.
By age 15 he weighed 165 pounds and could bench press 370 pounds. At the age of 18 he started competing in physique competitions, and two years later in 1969 he competed in his first physique competition. In 1976 Mentzer won the Mr.
Mentzer's training volume recommendation will vary based on population. He recommends volumes as low as two sets per muscle group each week for beginners in some transcripts. In his Mr. Olympia training program, he completes between 4 and 12 sets per muscle every ten days.
History has it that Mike Tyson's calisthenics workouts went like this: 2000 bodyweight squats, 2500 sit ups, 500 push ups, and 500 bench dips. We're not sure if he did this all in one workout, or if he split it up into sets across the day. Either way, that's an insane amount of bodyweight work.
The pros are that following a Bro Split can allow you to easily focus on one major muscle group at a time and ensure that you hit each muscle group with adequate volume in each week. Oftentimes people will overlook some muscle groups like shoulders which can require a significant amount of volume to grow.
PUSH-PULL-LEGS (PPL)
You can do each workout once per week (three days total) or twice per week (six days total) depending on your level of fitness, recovery abilities, and goals. Naturally, if you're a beginner, I'd say to stick with three days per week for this exercise routine.
What is the Arnold split? The Arnold split is a six-day workout split in which you train the chest and back, shoulders and arms, and legs twice per week. It's a muscle-building program that's designed to help you increase muscle mass and improve your physique.
Yes, you can build significant strength by training just once per week. And this isn't just motivation – it's backed by solid science. A recent multi-year study with nearly 15,000 participants found that a minimalist approach to strength training can yield promising results.
Physiological muscle memory
This form of muscle memory occurs because when you first build muscle, your body adds new cells to those muscles. But when you lose muscle, those new cells don't disappear, as previously thought. Instead, they stick around and are easily reactivated when you return to your typical routine.
GVT is defined by its distinctive set-and-rep scheme: 10 sets of 10. To make matters worse, your rest periods are short: 60 seconds between sets, if you're doing one main lift (such as a squat or bench press), and 90 to 120 seconds between sets, if you're alternating two lifts.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's “sleep faster” strategy
The former Mr Olympia sleeps just six hours a night so that he has at least 18 hours of productive time during the day. The seven-time bodybuilding champion reportedly spent as much time in the gym as he did in bed during his early career.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's dad made him do 200 sit-ups and push-ups every morning as a kid, he said. He wasn't allowed to eat breakfast until he'd worked out, and this made exercise a daily routine.
He typically trained six days per week, focusing on one muscle group per day. For example, he would start his week with chest and triceps, followed by back and biceps. He would then take a rest day before hitting his legs twice a row.