Heavy Duty™ day one

After purchasing 3 Mike Mentzer books from mikementzer.com, and devouring the information, I've decided to use my blog and on my instagram account (alpha_andy_omega) as an accountability tool to keep me on track. Lately I've done a Heavy Duty™ type of routine in the winter, and more of a Consolidation Routine spring through fall as I love to run, but don't want to lose muscle mass. This time around, armed with new information and inspiration I'm going to take a bit more of a purist approach, and stick to the routine Mike Mentzer wrote about in the late 1990's. Out of respect for the late Mr. Mentzer I won't be posting the actual workout routines. I've emailed back and forth with Joanne Sharkey (CEO/President Mentzer-Sharkey Enterprises, Inc.) who runs mikementzer.com, and found her to be one of the most insightful, professional, and helpful people I've ever dealt with in the training biz. So I'm not going to be a jerk and post the routines for those not dedicated enough to read the books for themselves. My intention is to let my progress pictures speak for the efficacy and power behind Heavy Duty™. As my favorite inspirational leader, Esther Hicks, says, 'Words don't teach, we only teach through the clarity of our example.'

I don't take any supplements, it's not that I'm against them, I just think they're a waste of money for me personally. My diet is clean. Except when it's not. LOL. Some days are better than others. I try to keep it 90% clean, though I'm far from "green." Here's my Before pic:

Stats:
Age: 40
Weight: 208 pounds
Bodyfat: 17.1%

My Intention: My workouts for the next 3 months will be classic Mentzer Heavy Duty H.I.T. (High Intensity Training)Routines. One set of each exercise taken to momentary muscle failure with as little rest between exercises as possible. Each exercise will be performed without using momentum. The weight will be lifted with a slow and controlled cadence. I will perform 5-10 minute warm-ups and cool-downs, untimed, but only as briefly as needed. I will rest at least 3 days between workouts, performing no cardio other than a daily yoga and qigong practice.


12-06-2013
Today's Workout: workout #1 - 15 minutes, 20 seconds


“The question you should be asking yourself is not how much exercise do I need, but how little do I require.” ­­­­ Mike Mentzer

In The Pillars of Health author John Pierre offers a holistic approach to health and wellness. The four pillars supporting a healthy lifestyle offered are: nutrition, mind, movement, and compassion. This book is a fairly good starting place for someone new to these ideas. If you want to make a positive change in your life, but are unsure about where to start, this book could serve as a great road map. There are many useful ideas that can be integrated into your daily routine. I personally, found the author's inflexible vegan stance in the nutrition section a little off-putting. Not that I doubt the health benefits of such a nutritional choice, but no convincing scientific evidence is offered, just opinion. The pillar of mind, is the most interesting part of the book. A lot of good info, and personal experience working with the elderly make that portion of The Pillars of Health a good read. The section on movement was great, particularly helpful if you're job entails a lot of sitting. There are some nice and easy moves to get your blood flowing, and keep your muscles flexible and healthy. The final pillar of health is compassion, and this is where the book gets a little preachy. The author spends a good portion of each section on a fault finding expose of modern life and its foibles. After spending so much time finger-pointing, the section on compassion just comes off as a kind of ironic. But that said, there are still enough positive aspects that make this book worth reading. I received this book free for review purposes from Hay House. I was not paid for my opinion, it is mine alone.

My Review of Heavy Duty II: Mind and Body by Mike Mentzer

The late Mike Mentzer remains a bodybuilding legend, and his inspiring, brilliant writings survive thanks to the efforts of Joanne Sharkey. The Heavy Duty series is available at mikementzer.com. I've been wanting to read this series for years, but haven't been able to afford the outlandish price asked on amazon, and elsewhere, for used copies. That said, after reading Heavy Duty II: Mind and Body, I can see why people were willing to spend close to $200 for a copy of this book. The philosophy of Objectivism Mr. Mentzer describes may not appeal to everyone, but you can't argue with the logic he applies to High Intensity Training. This book was released almost twenty years ago, yet it's shocking how timely it is. Today over-training is almost a subset of bodybuilding and fitness training. Mike had the principles and integrity to ask the questions back then, that people need to start asking again. He makes thought provoking parallels between training and the study of stress physiology. There are concepts in this book that will greatly benefit anyone serious about building their body and mind.


I'll grow into it