Mike Mentzer was one of the premier body builders in the 1970s, which is considered the golden years of competition. His physique is part of the reason for his fame, but his training philosophy cemented his influence even after his career and death. Mentzer began weightlifting at the age of 11 with the support of his father, and would continue to lift throughout his life. Bodybuilding is a sport dominated by pseudoscience, where personal anecdotes become common practice if the anecdote comes from someone big or strong enough. Weightlifting strategies of the day centered around long workouts, exercising muscles as long as possible. Arnold Schwartzeneger would spend up to 5 hours a day working out, for example. Mentzer disagreed with this philosophy
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After reading Ayn Rand in college, Mentzer became a firm believer in objectivism, and that there was a "best way" to exercise for building muscle. After a lackluster entry into the sport, he met Casey Viator who put him in touch with his trainer. Viator and his team focused on workout intensity more than duration, which Mentzer would adopt for his own career. This training method was unpopular, but Mentzer championed it, even breaking away from Viator who he believed did not take the method far enough. By the end of his career, Mentzer would work out for less than an hour a week, using methamphetamine to maximize his routine. Of course, his physique was also formed through steroid use like other top competitors.
Mentzer would weave his Randian philosophy into his career, maintaining that philosophy and bodybuilding were linked. "Man is an indivisible entity, an integrated unit of mind and body." Mentzer advocated for the application of reason and science throughout both, even using the clients which he was training for his own tests. He believed that the bodybuilding trends of eating primarily protein were flawed, as living muscles are only 25% protein. He believed the very strict diets (both for gaining and losing weight) in the sport were unnecessary, based on the caloric compositions of the body. His use of the scientific method fueled by his objectivist outlook were unparalleled in the sport even to this day, but his drug use would come back to kill him at the age of only 49. He was a divergent thinker among divergent thinkers in a sport where norms are so ingrained, fueled intrinsically under the guiding philosophy of Ayn Rand, and his pursuit of perfecting his sport.
Mike Mentzer - Bodybuilder, Writer, and Philosopher, Bob Burns
Mike Mentzer’s Last Interview, IronMan Magazine
I think it is so interesting to read about people exercising while on different drugs, because I feel like the opinions on that are so polarized. I have heard a lot of people talking about smoking weed before going on runs or before lifting weights and how it helps put them in the zone/mindset for their goals and adds a level of enjoyability to the workout. I personally like working out right after I take my ADHD medication in the morning because it gives me a boost and makes me enjoy the workout much more than on days where I don't take it.
ReplyDeletehe wouldn't have shrugged...
ReplyDeletelolz but very interesting writing about the connectivity between bodybuilding and philosophy. i can definitely see this being true in current times in an attempt to be like the classical world, but this highlights that they have/will always go together.
I have never heard of Mentzer before but his new method and use of meth to drive his workouts is super interesting, I have never heard of a bodybuilder who does that. To your point about him using steroids and other competitors doing it too, I totally agree. I wonder if competitors and bodybuilders were more transparent about how they attained their figures, perhaps people wouldn't go to such extremes to naturally look like someone who isn't. Regardless, I'm glad he broke the mold of working out for multiple hours a day every day because that is not a healthy method--although meth and steroids aren't healthy either.
ReplyDeleteWow. This was such an interesting read. As soon as you said he was influenced by reading Ayn Rand I knew he was going to be a character. The bodybuilding subculture is so fascinating to me and there are many people like him who are yet to be discovered. It is crazy to see the lengths and damage people will go to to maximize their gains.
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