M4:D51 (D351) H.I.T. Body Builder - Ray Mentzer

Ray Mentzer, like his brother Mike, was one of the top body builders in the 1970's. He used H.I.T. in the form of Heavy Duty Training (Mike Mentzer's own brand of H.I.T.) to sculpt his body.

Ray learned about H.I.T. during a visit to Florida to Arthur Jones' training facility. The two brothers, Ray and Mike, really liked the ideas behind H.I.T. A typical Ray Mentzer workout week would be:

Monday
Bench Press 1 x 8 reps
Incline Press 1 x 8 reps
Flyes 1 x 12 reps
DB shoulder press 1 x 8 reps
Triceps Extensions 1 x 10 reps

Wednesday
Squats 1 x 16 reps
Leg extensions 1 x 16 reps
Leg curls 1 x 16 reps
Calf raise 1 x 12 reps

Friday
Bent over rows 1 x 8 reps
Pull downs 1 x 8 reps
Barbell curls 1 x 10 reps
Preacher curls 1 x 10 reps

Ray believed in lifting heavy and getting in and out of the gym quickly. He would build the intensity over time. As mentioned when discussing Mike Mentzer, Ray's brother, took a very scientific approach to the H.I.T. style he was introduced to. He broke it down into many different components and his understanding of those components is what gave him the wonderfully sculpted body he ended up with.

I urge you to give H.I.T. a try if you want to see the greatest gains you've ever had in your life.

Find out what I'm doing to my body!
Today was a steady state cardio session that took 75 minutes. I walked on the treadmill and maintained a heart rate between 105 BPM and 115 BPM for the entire time. I am finding that the steady state cardio mixed up with my intervals really helps burn the fat in my body. The metabolic specialist said it would be a sweet spot for me and I am starting to really believe he was correct. One tip that I have for you if you choose to do steady state cardio like I have been doing while trying to gain muscle–make sure you take a protein shake prior to the workout and then, after the workout, take another protein shake loaded with extra BCAAs. This helps stop catabolism thereby maintaining your muscle mass you worked so hard to get.