Thoughts On Mike Mentzer’s Philosophy??

[Remote]

But this isn't true at all. A beginner is still learning how to lift properly so they effort isn't going to be anywhere similar. This is precisely why I originally said I agree with his philosophy in theory but it doesn't apply for every case/person.

It is true.

Because being experienced has nothing to do with it.

You can find thousands of examples online of experienced lifters with imperfect or bad form.

The form isn’t the question. The effort is.

If you have Person X who hasn’t lifted before, it may be a lot of effort to bench 90 pounds.

Person Y may be experienced and may be putting forth the same amount of effort…except it’s not 90 pounds, it’s 315 pounds.

You don’t get more effort with experience. It just takes more weight to require the body to reach that level of effort.

There’s a famous saying from Tour de France cyclist Greg LeMond when asked about climbing his bicycle up mountains: It doesn’t get any easier. You just get faster.

The point is, the effort doesn’t get harder as you grow more experienced. Both guys could be trying equally as hard. You just are able to lift more weight.

And as long as the intensity is there…and there is sufficient time to rest, the growth will happen.

 

[xXMASHERXx]

It is true.

Because being experienced has nothing to do with it.

You can find thousands of examples online of experienced lifters with imperfect or bad form.

The form isn’t the question. The effort is.

If you have Person X who hasn’t lifted before, it may be a lot of effort to bench 90 pounds.

Person Y may be experienced and may be putting forth the same amount of effort…except it’s not 90 pounds, it’s 315 pounds.

You don’t get more effort with experience. It just takes more weight to require the body to reach that level of effort.

There’s a famous saying from Tour de France cyclist Greg LeMond when asked about climbing his bicycle up mountains: It doesn’t get any easier. You just get faster.

The point is, the effort doesn’t get harder as you grow more experienced. Both guys could be trying equally as hard. You just are able to lift more weight.

And as long as the intensity is there…and there is sufficient time to rest, the growth will happen.

Nothing else needed to be said. It's obvious that we are never going to agree

 

[The ADD]

Interesting discussion

 

[xXMASHERXx]

Interesting discussion

I appreciate these types of discussions cause even if I don't agree with everything that is being said, I still learn a lot from them.

 

[Remote]

You don't have to watch the entire video, but inside the 1st 3 minutes he lays out a very clear point:

"As you grow stronger, week to week, 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 1st symptom will be a slow-down in progress. And if you continue with exactly the same volume and frequency protocol, there will ultimately be a complete cessation of progress."

"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 stresses also grow progressively greater, and they must be compensated for." --- in effect, over time, you should be training less. Not more, if you want to grow.

I haven't seen a logical counter to this argument yet. But I'd love to learn of one.