The bodybuilding world has seen a few legendary rivalries among athletes. One such rivalry was between Mike Mentzer and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both were Golden Era bodybuilders known for their impeccable and flawless physics. Mentzer was known for his conditioning and pumped-up muscles along with intense training methods. The heavyweight division winner at the Olympia had a very scientific approach to bodybuilding.

This made him differ from his counterparts when it came to exercising and the duration of exercise. He also questioned Arnold Schwarzenegger’s training methods in the past.

Mike Mentzer does not agree with long hours of training

In a resurfaced video from YouTube, Mike Mentzer was talking about his method of training to become jacked for competitions. He put forward a training method that was introduced by Joe Weider, known as forced reps. These exercises were short but intense. In the YouTube short video, Mentzer took a jibe at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s method of training for five hours every day. Mentzer was seen saying, “I did not train for hours and hours every day. And this is an important issue.” While he was speaking about his time training every day and comparing it to training for long hours, the video showcased Arnold Schwarzenegger exercising in the gym.

In the background, Mike’s voiceover said, “Contrary which ?most bodybuilders do, which is train 2 to 4 hours a day seven days a week. To obtain that condition I literally train for 30 minutes four times a week; two hours a week.” The reporter then asked him that, in theory, people always say to train for more hours. Mentzer disagreed and said, “The mistaken premise there is that more is better. The body doesn’t necessarily work that way.”

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He also gave a justification for his method of training and beliefs and narrated, “If two hours or four hours were good then why not train 12 hours a day? Training is a form of stress and up to a certain point in time exposing the body to stress can be beneficial. But beyond a definite time, it can be detrimental.” He had shared his training and method of intensity over volume in other instances as well.

Mentzer trained less than other bodybuilders

An Instagram throwback post by @chicagoadonis showed a picture from Muscle Builder and Power magazine in 1976, whose caption read, “The powerful athlete shared with readers how he made gains using the Weider forced rep system, capping off his later win as IFBB Mr. America for 1976”. Mentzer had previously opened up about his intense training method. His scientific method of training focused more on intensity than volume. This was one of the secrets to his exceptional physique.

In this kind of training, the bodybuilder does a particular workout until failure. Then, they take help from a spotter and complete a few more repetitions of the same exercise.?

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Even if Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mentzer had different training methods, their legacies are unmatched and evergreen. Whose training method do you like the best? Tell us in the comments below.