“I Was Worried About Him”: Bodybuilding Legend Tom Platz Revealed Saddening Tale of Mike Mentzer’s Downfall

Bodybuilding icon Tom Platz holds the distinction of being the first guest on Dorian Yates’s podcast. Yates made good on his promise to bring bodybuilding legends as guests on Shadow Talk when he invited the uncrowned Mr. Olympia as his first guest. While conversing about their bodybuilding careers, Mike Mentzer’s name inevitably came up, considering how Mentzer has inspired both bodybuilders.

However, Yates, who didn’t live in the States, was shocked to find out that Mentzer threw caution to the wind during the final phase of his life. Although the six-time Mr. Olympia understood that a person couldn’t be a “hardcore bodybuilder” throughout their life, he didn’t think Mentzer would let his passion dissipate. Platz responded by recounting the downfall of poster boy of heavy-duty training.

The downward spiral after 1980

Platz recounted an encounter with Mentzer. “One day I was walking to Gold’s Gym, and Mike’s in the gutter, laying there like a drunken guy,” recalled the Quadfather. He explained that Mentzer gradually let go of the discipline and lifestyle that elevated him to a bodybuilding legend. “I felt so sad for Mike,” Platz told Yates, who had also trained with Mentzer.

Mike Mentzer was among the pioneers of High-Intensity Training (HIT) that Dorian Yates followed. Tom Platz also recounted how Mentzer would smoke cigarette after cigarette between training clients. “I was worried about him,” the 68-year-old told Dorian Yates. The Quadfather also knew the reasons behind Mentzer’s downward spiral.

After losing the 1980 Mr. Olympia, Mentzer became disillusioned and bitter towards the IFBB and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a past interview, Platz said the 70s bodybuilding legend held on to that grudge instead of moving on. Meanwhile, Yates recalled how Mike Mentzer had a rocky relationship with his brother Ray.

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Yates said that Ray had even told him that Mike Mentzer didn’t come up with heavy-duty training. Unfortunately, these weren’t Mentzer’s only personal life troubles.

The tragic event leading up to the bodybuilding legend’s demise

Five years after retiring from pro bodybuilding, Mike Mentzer found himself in dire straits. In 1985, Mentzer’s magazine Workout shut down due to a lack of funding. Later that year, the bodybuilder lost his father while dealing with the emotional distress of a decade-long relationship with Cathy Gelfo coming to an end.

According to journalist Peter McGough, Mentzer did “crazy” things for the next five years and regularly visited the hospital. Mentzer took amphetamines to help him focus and, despite his declining health, continued to smoke heavily. On June 12, 2001, Ray Mentzer discovered the lifeless body of his 49-year-old brother.

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While Mike Mentzer remains a legend in the bodybuilding world, Tom Platz feels gloomy whenever he recalls Mike Mentzer’s final year.