By Dr. Davide Marciano
Heavy Duty was designed by the famous bodybuilder Mike Mentzer, who died at the age of 49. It should be noted that this article is a small summary of a method described in depth in two books: Heavy Duty and Heavy Duty 2: Mind and Body. I advise all fans to read them as they are rich in information and experience.
Mentzer was part of that elite (Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Nubret, etc.) who in the 1980s, in one way or another, started the ascent of bodybuilding. At the time the training sessions were characterized by many series and many days of workout per week, even a double daily session could be reached; volumes of work that could be sustained thanks to the use of drugs and the great genetic qualities of these samples. In other words, they are the same workouts that many room instructors are still performing in gyms, neglecting that their students have neither genetic skills nor drugs (thankfully!).
Mentzer was one of the first to go against the current, believing that many principles used at the time were wrong. His thinking was characterized mainly by training Brevi, Intensi and Infrequenti (BII).
The changes he made were multiple and significant:
1)
Clear cut in the volume of work that led to the monoseries, greatly increasing the intensity of the training. Each of them must be taken to the maximum muscle exhaustion.
Many will wonder how a single series can grow a muscle if up until now it has always been the exact opposite: "more is better". On the other hand, I wonder why the vast majority of boys abandon bodybuilding for poor results, maybe something goes wrong with "traditional" training?
Mentzer, on the other hand, shows that just one series brought to failure to induce adaptation and the consequent evolution (muscle growth). The subsequent series would not be as productive because they were affected by the waste products, therefore by the fatigue accumulated in the first one. So the second and so the other series to come, if there were any, would only disadvantage the recovery process.
2)
Progressive increase in loads or repetitions. In fact, without neglecting the correct performance of the exercise, one must be aware that one must improve at each workout. However, the increase in load in my opinion is very difficult because especially advanced bodybuilders cannot increase it more than 250g - 500g at a time. Unfortunately, to add such a weight to the barbell, gyms should be equipped with MICRO LOADS, which is almost unknown .
3)
Few exercises and multi-joints. This choice is mainly based on the thesis of the load: "the greater the latter and the greater the muscle growth. Compare, for example, the extensions on flat bench with the crosses, surely you will be able to lift more weight in the first exercise than the second. Furthermore, the hormonal response is also greater in the first exercise.
4)
The repetitions must be checked and performed at a rate of 4 seconds for the concentric phase and 4 for the eccentric phase.
5)
Another fundamental aspect is recovery. This time varies according to different factors, first of all genetics and intensity. The greater the latter, the longer the time dedicated to rest must be, so that supercompensation takes its complete path (muscle growth).
Mentzer does not set a fixed frequency for everyone. He doesn't say two or three workouts a week. We must learn to listen to our body and only then will we be able to understand when we are ready for a subsequent training. Each of us must establish OWN recovery time.
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