Mike Mentzer‘s BEST Training Routine, 4 Day Split (Day 1 Chest & Back) #mikementzer #bodybuilding (2024)

Introduction

Original Music by David Meaker YouTube creator.

You will start by training once every four days on A4 workout protocol. So if you start on a Monday, that means you wouldn't train again till Friday. After Friday you wouldn't train again till Tuesday, then Saturday, and so forth once every four days. And if a scheduling problem arises so that you can't make it into the gym on day four, take off one more day and train on day five also.

Once you've been with the program for three weeks or so, start inserting an additional rest day or two, even at random. If you do, you should never hit a sticking point, and here's why. As you grow stronger week to week, as you will with this program, that is, as you lift progressively heavier weights, the stresses on the body grow progressively greater too, until finally, unless you do certain things like add extra rest days.

The stresses will reach a critical point, they'll constitute overtraining, and the first symptom will be a slowdown in progress. And if you continue with exactly the same volume and frequency protocol, there will ultimately be a complete cessation of progress. Continue inserting the additional rest days with greater and greater regularity until you are only training once every five days. Then start inserting an extra rest day at random 1/6 day.

Continue inserting the extra rest day or days with greater regularity until you're eventually training once every six to seven days. Once the fundamentals of intensity, volume, and frequency are grasped, this issue becomes the most crucial one of bodybuilding science, that as the weights grow progressively greater, the stress is also grow progressively greater and they must be compensated for.

If after a number of months utilizing the baseline program while training once every six to seven days ceases to yield meaningful results, switch to the consolidation program. Some may want to have the workout program with the additional points in their training journal to take to the gym rather than the accompanying booklet. If so, write down the words day one close to the upper left hand corner of your paper, and then write the word chest.

Next to it, the number one exercise. Number one for the pecs will be PEC deck for six to 10 reps to failure. Now from here on you won't have to write the words to failure as that is a given and six to 10 reps is merely a suggested guideline. There is nothing magic about the number 10. If you reach 10 but you see you might go to 13 reps to failure. Don't stop at 10, go to 13 and at the other end if you see by Rep 3 You won't reach even 6 reps, but only four or five. Don't stop and reload. Get four or five. The next time you'll likely get 6:00 to 10:00, and if you don't have access to a pec deck then flat bench, dumbbell flies or cable crosses may be substituted directly underneath. Exercise one write out the word superset and directly underneath that the number two exercise #2 for the pecs will be the incline press.

Preferably on a machine such as the Smith Hammer, Icarion, or Nautilus. If you don't have any machine for the incline press, you may perform either regular free weight barbell incline presses or incline dumbbell presses. Exercise #2 should be performed for one to three reps, not 6 to 10. One to three reps, and make a parenthetic note next to the incline press. Use a fairly close hand grip.

Your hand should be slightly closer than shoulder width. What should be wider? Not your hands, but your elbows. Flare your elbows way back away from your torso toward your ears, and you'll feel all the stress go into the pegs. Contrary to popular opinion, a wide grip is not the best way to develop pegs, and for beginners, a super set means two sets, one set of each of two different exercise, where the performance of 1 is followed immediately by the other.

As with pec deck super setted or followed immediately by incline press. All right, now write down the word back still under day one. Write down the word back and then the number one itself. Exercise number one for the back will be close grip palms up, pull downs 6 to 10 repetitions. close grip palms up, pull downs. Directly underneath that write down the number 2, which will be regular style, not stiff legged.

The regular style deadlift is a very productive exercise. The most productive exercise of all in fact, because it stimulates so much muscle mass, everything on the backside of the body, from the Achilles tendon to the nape of the neck. However, there is a bit of a risk factor here not seen with most other exercises, so listen carefully. If you have one available and you are strong enough, use an Olympic bar with a £45 plate on each end of the bar.


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Video

You will start by training once every four days on a four workout protocol.

So if you start on a Monday, that means you wouldn't train again until Friday after Friday, you wouldn't train again until Tuesday, then Saturday and so forth.

Once every four days, and if a scheduling problem arises so that you can't make it into the gym on day, four take off one more day and train on day.

Five also once you've been with the program for three weeks or so start inserting an additional rest day or two, even at random.

If you do, you should never hit a sticking point and here's.

Why? As you grow stronger week to week as you will with this program that is as you lift progressively, heavier weights, the stresses on the body grow progressively greater too until finally, unless you do certain things like add extra rest days, the stresses will reach a critical point they'll constitute over training.

And the first symptom will be a Slowdown in progress.

And if you continue with exactly the same volume and frequency protocol, there will ultimately be a complete cessation of progress continue inserting.

The additional rest days with greater and greater regularity until you are only training once every five days, then start inserting an extra rest day at random, a sixth day continue inserting the extra arrest day or days with greater regularity until you're eventually training once every six to seven days once the fundamentals of intensity volume and frequency are grasped.

This issue becomes the most crucial one of bodybuilding science that as the weights grow progressively greater the stress has also grow progressively greater.

And they must be compensated for if after a number of months, utilizing the Baseline program while training once every six to seven days ceases to yield meaningful results, switch to the consolidation program.

Some may want to have the workout program with the additional points in their training journal to take to the gym rather than the accompanying booklet.

If so write down the words day, one close to the upper left hand corner of your paper and then write the word chest next to it.

The number one exercise number one for the pecs will be pec deck for six to ten reps to failure.

Now from here on you won't have to write the words to failure as that is a given and six to ten reps is merely a suggested guideline.

There is nothing magic about the number 10.

If you reach 10, but you see you might go to 13 reps to failure.

Don't stop at 10 go to 13.

And at the other end, if you see by rep 3, you won't reach even six reps, but only four or five, don't, stop and reload, get four or five the next time you'll likely get six to ten.

And if you don't have access to a pec deck, then flat bench dumbbell flies or cable crosses may be substituted directly underneath exercise.

One write out the word superset and directly underneath that.

The number two exercise number two for the pecs will be the incline press, preferably on a machine, such as the Smith Hammer I carry in our Nautilus.

If you don't have any machine for the incline press, you may perform either regular free weight, barbell, incline presses or incline.

Dumbbell presses exercise.

Number two should be performed for one to three reps, not six to ten one to three reps and make a parenthetic note next to the incline press use a fairly close hand.

Grip your hand should be slightly closer than shoulder, width what should be wide or not your hands, but your elbows flare, your elbows way back away from your torso toward your ears and you'll feel all the stress go into the pigs.

Contrary to popular opinion, a wide grip is not the best way to develop hex.

And for beginners, a superset means two sets one set of each of two different exercises, where the performance of one is followed immediately by the other as with PEC decks superseded or followed immediately by incline press, all right now write down the word back still under day.

One write down the word back.

And then the number one itself exercise number one for the back will be close grip, Palms up, pull Downs six to ten repetitions, close grip, Palms up, pull Downs directly underneath that write down the number two, which will be regular style, not stiff-legged, but regular deadlifts.

There is no superset here by the way there will be no superset unless I specify and where there is no superset.

You may rest as long as necessary, but no longer don't over complicate.

This issue use your common sense, let your breathing slow down.

And as soon as you feel ready to resume training do so do not allow the workout to degenerate into a race against the clock and don't malinger, either the regular style.

Deadlift is a very productive exercise, the most productive exercise of all in fact, because it stimulate so much muscle mass everything on the back side of the body from the Achilles tendon to the nape of the neck.

However, there is a bit of a risk factor here.

Not seen with most other exercises.

So listen carefully, if you have one available, and you are strong enough use an Olympic Bar with a 45 pound plate on each end of the bar.

So you don't have to bend over quite so far always start with the bar roll back flush against your shins grasp, the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder, width grip and use an interlocking hand grip, where one hand is overhand.

The other hand is underhand squat down in such a fashion that your hips are at least slightly lower than your shoulders and most important of all keep your back perfectly flat and your head up, keep your back perfectly flat and your head up.

You might even pick out a point on the wall that crevice where the wall meets the ceiling and keep your attention trained on that unwaveringly throughout then stand up in a deadlift fashion with considerable rotation around the hips until you're standing perfectly straight, no need to Arch backwards.

Then put the bar back down reset and do another perform five to eight reps as close to failure as you're willing to go.

If you have problems with your lower back shrugs may be substituted and do six to ten reps to failure that's all on day.

One just four total sets then 96 hours or four days later is day two.

Thanks for watching.

If you enjoyed the video and the information provided please check out more of my videos and subscribe to my channel.

Mike Mentzer‘s BEST Training Routine, 4 Day Split  (Day 1 Chest & Back) #mikementzer #bodybuilding (2024)

FAQs

What was Mike Mentzer training routine? ›

Mentzer's chest workout routine was designed to train all parts of the chest muscle, including the upper chest, middle chest, and lower chest. He performed different exercises with an average of five sets. Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 5 sets at 8 reps each set. Incline Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets at 6-8 reps each set.

Did Mike Mentzer only do 1 set? ›

And when you actually train with high-intensity, you don't need a lot of volume,” Arthur Jones said. In 1979, Mentzer prescribed only 3-6 working sets per body part (supersets count as two sets), with typically one or two lighter warmup sets per exercise.

How many hours a day did Mike Mentzer train? ›

It was during this time he started working out over three hours a day, six days a week. Mentzer started competing in local physique contests when he was 18 years old and attended his first contest in 1969. In 1971, Mentzer entered and won the Mr. Lancaster contest.

How many days per week did Mike Mentzer workout? ›

Mike Mentzer always wanted to stay in his best shape and he would often keep his training week down to 3 working days and 4 days for rest. When his bodybuilding career began he would move to the between 4-7 rest in between workouts.

What workout did Mike Tyson do everyday? ›

He would do 2,000 air squats, 2,500 sit-ups, 500 push-ups, 500 bench dips, 500 neck curls, 500 barbell shrugs, and ten minutes of wrestler bridges. Most of the time, he would split this up over ten sets and complete it throughout the day.

What training method did Arnold use? ›

Arnold trained by lifting more weight than most athletes in varying sets with increasing intensity. Using the pyramid lifting principle that helped him to work his way up to higher weights and decreasing reps, Arnold was able to optimize full muscle contractions for eliciting maximum muscle response.

How much protein did Mike Mentzer eat? ›

In the 1970s, eating low-carb was popular among bodybuilders, but Mentzer adopted a different strategy. He advised four servings of high-quality grains, four servings of fruit, two servings of dairy, and two servings of protein a day.

Does one set to failure work? ›

Training to failure for one set per exercise elicits twice the strength gains as not training to failure. Increasing the number of sets taken to failure from one set to two, three or four provides no more benefit than doing just one set to failure.

How many reps did Mike Mentzer do? ›

He advocated a heavier form of HIT. Whereas Jones prescribed one 20-rep set per exercise, Mentzer lowered the ideal rep range to six to nine: Choose a weight so heavy that you reach absolute failure at six to nine reps, then keep going. Failure wasn't enough for Mentzer's Heavy Duty system. It went beyond.

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger train 5 hours a day? ›

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.

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger train everyday? ›

Arnold Schwarzenegger, 74, works out every day for up to 1.5 hours, cycling and lifting weights. As a professional bodybuilder, he used to work out for five hours a day, he told Insider. In his acting career, Schwarzenegger changed his training depending on his role.

How many days did Arnold Schwarzenegger train? ›

Arnold would train six days a week, twice a day when preparing for the Mr. Olympia contest. Furthermore, he would also train each muscle group three times a week, often doing as many as 20-30 sets for each body part.

How many times a week did Arnold train biceps? ›

ARNOLD'S OFF-SEASON ROUTINE

When bulking up, Schwarzenegger would follow a six-day split, hitting arms twice per week. Incredibly, each arm workout would take a full two hours: 45 minutes for triceps, 45 minutes for biceps and 30 minutes for forearms, in that order.

Did Mike Tyson train 7 days a week? ›

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. Mike would drop about 15-20 pounds during training camp.

How long did Mike Tyson train everyday? ›

The carbs were a great source of energy throughout the day, allowing him to train essentially 8-10 hours a day. Tyson would also had protein shakes and bananas in between meals, and even occasionally cheated and had some ice cream once in a while!

What was Bob Peoples training routine? ›

Before his big contest against William Boone, Bob did the following workout every day for several weeks: Deadlift—450 x 20, 500 x 15, 550 x 12, 600 x 10, 625 x 5, 650 x 2, 670-690 x 1. Press—many sets of varying reps. Squat—200 x 5, 250 x 5, 300 x 5, 325 x 5, 375 x 5, 400 x 5.

What is the muscle confusion training principle? ›

A training principle that states that muscles accommodate to a specific type of stress (habituate or plateau, also called homeostasis) when the same stress is continually applied to the muscles over time, there one must constantly vary exercises, sets, reps and weight to avoid accommodation.

How did Ray Mentzer train? ›

Ray followed a similar training style to his brother Mike; it was called “Heavy Duty Training”. This routine was based on doing 6-9 reps per set at the maximum weight he could lift. The weight would be so heavy that by the 9th rep, Ray would reach failure.

What did Mike Mentzer eat in a day? ›

He advised four servings of high-quality grains, four servings of fruit, two servings of dairy, and two servings of protein a day. He consumed food like pancakes and ice cream, but managed to maintain his lean physique by limiting his daily calorie intake to 2,000.

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