Mike Mentzer's Full Body Routine

This program is designed to build muscle through high-intensity training techniques.

The program is recommended for beginners by Mike Mentzer in his instructional video about Heavy Duty training and is designed secondarily to familiarize the beginner with the basic weightlifting movements. However, Mentzer notes that advanced trainees can benefit from this program as well.

Mentzer recommends a training strategy which is slightly unconventional. Each exercise (with few exceptions) should be taken to momentary muscular failure in all three phases of the movement: the concentric (positive) phase, the contracted (static phase), and the eccentric (negative) phase.

For example, when performing the underhand lat pulldown, the trainee should perform repetitions until he can no longer perform a full contraction. This constitutes positive failure. Then the trainee should use momentum, help from his training partner, or some other form of assistance to perform a full contraction and hold the weight in the contracted position until he can no longer maintain the static, contracted position. This constitutes static failure. Then the trainee should use assistance to perform a full contraction and perform repetitions of the eccentric phase of the exercise under strict control until failure. This constitutes eccentric failure.

The prescribed rep ranges prescribe the number of repetitions it should take the trainee to reach positive failure. After reaching positive failure, the trainee should continue the exercise until both static and negative failure are achieved.

Some exercises cannot be safely taken to static and/or negative failure, such as deadlifts, squats, etc. In these cases, the trainee should end his set after positive failure is reached. Other exercises cannot benefit from the use of momentum to reach full contraction, such as many pressing movements. In these cases, the trainee should only take the set to static or negative failure if he has a training partner or some other way to reach full contraction without using momentum. The most certain way to prevent muscle growth is injury!

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Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Hamstring Curl

Straight Leg Calf Raise

Deadlift (Barbell)

Lateral Raise (Dumbbell)

Bicep Curl (Barbell)

Tricep Pushdown (Cable)

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