w8pedia:Men:Mike Mentzer

Mike Mentzer (November 15, 1951­June 10, 2001) was a bodybuilder, businessman , author and philosopher. Mentzer took the bodybuilding concepts developed by Arthur Jones and perfected them. Through years of study, observation, knowledge of stress physiology and the most up-to-date scientific information available, and careful use of his reasoning abilities, Mentzer was able to devise and successfully implement a theory of bodybuilding. Mentzer's theories are intended to help a person achieve their full genetic potential within the shortest amount of time.

Mentzer was an avowed Objectivist, and he insisted that philosophy and bodybuilding are one and the same. "Man," he said, "is an indivisible entity, an integrated unit of mind and body." Thus, his books contain as much philosophy as they do bodybuilding information.

High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way was Mentzer's final work. In it, he detailed the principles of High Intensity Weight Training. Weight training, he insisted, had to be brief, infrequent, and intense, in order to attain the best results in the shortest amount of time. It is now generally accepted that this method of weight training is not the optimal method for all body types. Heavy Duty II also espouses critical thinking. In this book, Mentzer shows why people need to use their reasoning ability to live happy, mature, adult lives, and he shows readers how to go about doing so.

Mentzer was also known for his adoption of the approach that "a calorie is a calorie", and would often torment bodybuilders who were strictly dieting, by freely eating Danishes and other off-limit foods close to competitions.

Some in the bodybuilding community believe that Mentzer should have won the 1980 Mr. Olympia; however the title went to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made a one-off return to competition after a 4 year hiatus from the sport. The 1980 Olympia still remains a sore point for many of the bodybuilders who competed there.

Mike Mentzer passed away on June the 9th 2001. He was found dead in his apartment by his younger brother and fellow bodybuilder Ray Mentzer; heart complications were cited as the cause of death.

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