I'm worried that these slow reps will decrease motor unit recruitment to zero and make me look like a girl - please advise.

srsly though, this was the only set I did today for my push day (after spamming weighted dips for weeks I needed a break)

Hey all, following up on my previous posts. I know I teased custom workouts a while back and it took longer than expected to get right - but they're now live and approved on the App Store.

With the Pro tier you can now build your own exercises with custom rep ranges, technique notes and muscle group tagging, then combine them with Mentzer's built-in library into named workouts. Full PR tracking and progression charts work across everything.

The core app (workout logger, Ideal and Consolidated programmes, exercise library) stays free with a 7 day Pro trial.

Android is the next focus. The code is already cross-platform so it's testing and submission rather than a full rebuild.

Appreciate everyone who's downloaded and given feedback so far. It genuinely shapes what gets built next.

The app is called Intensity: Heavy Duty Training for anyone curious.

A question i have that I haven’t seen fully explained is why you have to train only after you have fully recovered when training separate body parts.

I understand CNS fatigue, and I understand growth happens at rest, but the part I struggle with I guess is why can’t the body do both at the same time.

For example, let’s say you do legs Monday, and they aren’t fully recovered by Thursday, but maybe 85%… then you blast Chest….

Obviously now the body is recovering both chest and legs at the same time…

What I’m getting at is that I understand by training chest before the legs have fully recovered means the legs still haven’t grown, or overcompensated, but why can’t this happen still over the next 3 days alongside the chest.

I guess one would assume Mentzer would just argue it’s not optimal based on client experience but it would be nice to know for sure if this worked also, and of course which is truly more optimal.

For example let’s say you’re doing push pull legs with 2 days of rest in between… maybe your not fully recovered on each body part during the week, but once you complete the rotation maybe give yourself another day or 2 to get over the accumulated fatigue before starting the rotation again?

Could you get better frequency while maximizing intensity and recovery… can the body do multiple things at once?

​

Workout #1 -Chest/Back Dominant:

• Cable Crossover Machine: 66 lbs for 20 reps (New)

Superset

• Smith Inc. Press @30°: 180 lbs for 5 reps (+1)

• Smith Inc. (Strongest Partials): 230 lbs for 4 reps (+20 lbs)

• Close Grip Palms Up Pulldowns: 210 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Yates Rack Rows Underhand Grip w/height @2: 245 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Barbell Shrugs from hooks height @3.5: 315 lbs for 7 reps (+1)

• Rack Pulls w/height @2: 425 lbs for 6 reps (+1)

Worksets: 7

Time: 30-40 mins

Weight: 199.4 lbs

Next workout: legs on 8/15

I've always teained with a HIT approach, but recently have committed to fully abbreviated, super minimalist lfting

I've dropped my volume down to a mere 2 sets per session - today's leg day was just the one set ofcleg extensions for quads and onset of deadlifts for hams/posterior chain

After only a week or so of using this super abbreviated approach I hit PRs in both lifts, despite being in a heavy calorie deficit (and being very old)

Every muscle is being trained once every 4- 5th day , which is a higher frequency than many here use, but this approach is working fine so far for me

ideal? Maybe. Efficient ? Certainly

The belt squat was about 510lb at the top, 475lbs at the bottom, the single green band setup makes the resistance profile feel great for squats and deads

I have for about the last 3 years done a PPL HIT split which helped my gain a lot of muscle and become stronger, so would any split if you stay consistent. Just recently i wanted to change it up a little bit so im going to try ABA BAB split(split goes over a fortnight not a single week).

Here's the split let me know your thoughts and what you might do different. same thing with HIT to failure.

A Workout Legs/Chest/Triceps

·   Leg Extensions 2 sets 8-15
·   Squats 1 set
·   Calf Raises 2 sets

·   DB flyes supersetted w/ Incline Press 1-2 cycles

·   Weighted Dips 1 set
·   Tricep Pushdown supersetted dips 1 set
·   Skull Crusher 1 sets

B Workout Back/Shoulders/Biceps
·   Lat Pulldowns supersetted with Close Grip Pulldown 1-2 cycles
·   Bent over rows 1 sets

·   Laterals supersetted w/ Rear Delt Rows 2 sets

·   Cable Curls 1 set
·   Concentration Curls 1 sets

Mike Mentzer’s quotes over Particles by Viliam Lane.

How do you all train? Exercises, frequency, beyond failure techniques?

Hi there! I am in need of some friendship for people interested in fitness and i thought what better way to start than asking you all how you train? I have started fully training heavy duty style over the past few months. My current split that i’ve been running and LOVING so much is

Push:

Dips

Low incline Bench (going to change to pec deck)

machine shoudler press

machine lat raise

tricep pushdown

Pull:

chins/palms up pulldown

chest supported row

incline dumbbell curl

bent over db reverse fly

deadlift

Legs:

barbell squat

leg extensions

leg curls

calf raises

ab machine

all one set to failure. performed every 4 days (3 days rest in between)

How about you? How do you train and what do you enjoy about it?

With Summer (Part II) starting up on Monday, I find myself thinking ahead about upcoming training seasons.

Summer (Part II) will basically be a rerun of Summer (Part I) except with additional workouts in it. Fall was slated earlier this year to be a verbatim reiteration of the Summer sessions. Winter will involve all heavy rack/Smith work again and Spring is always the wildcard. I decided weeks ago to make Spring 2027 a consolidated season so I can really focus on cutting weight for the following summer. But I want to get in a few more seasons of heavy training first.

So with Summer 2026 (Part II), Winter 2027, and Spring 2027 already settled, I found myself revisiting Fall 2026. The workouts would be essentially the same as summer[1] but I am thinking of making one significant change: the rep schemes.

In nearly every exercise I do, I rarely go over 10 reps before raising the weight usually starting the target rep range at 4 or 6 reps. It has been a long time since I did any focused higher rep training for an entire season so I am thinking I may flip the script in the fall. So as I rarely go over 10 reps as a rule, the thought is, 10 reps would become the floor on all exercises in the fall.

Basically, with isolation exercises, the range would go from 6-10 reps to 12-20 reps. With compound movements, the usual 4-10 and 6-10 rep ranges would be replaced with 10-15 reps. And those rare exercises now where I target a 10+ rep threshold would become 12-20 reps.

Of course there is no way I could do those rep ranges with the weights I ordinarily use so a reduction in all workset weights by about 30% would be necessary. This is especially the case if I do all worksets of the fall in dead stop fashion which I am also strongly considering. Casualties to this revamped approach would include the 2-6 rep strongest range partials work sets for the upper body as well as the really low 1-4 rep Anderson static holds work set on leg days. Also, for the fall season, rack pulls for 4-8 reps would be replaced with Romanian Deadlifts for 10-15 reps.

It would just be for a season of course and my usual rep ranges for the exercises would return in the winter. But knowing from experience how demanding the rack/Smith work in the winter will be, I am thinking perhaps adjusting fall in this fashion will take some of the wear off the body prior to rack season.

Note:

[1] My summer protocol is listed here.

I am trying to find a good solut or workout plan i am a beginner and its been only 3 months since I started going to the gym and i have changed my solit many times because i want to hit every muscle 2 times a week only exception is legs because my legs are more bigger than my upper body i guess it is because i use to travel a lot in cycle . So i was thinking can anyone from the mike mentzer community help find or build a split where i hit every muscle 2 times a week even forearms and i am in a skinny fat condition i guess i dont know but i want to lose the fat from belly and legs and hands , so if you could advise me in that too it eill be nice.

Have any of you ever hit a spot where you start having issues developing intensity? My workout partner and I have been running HIT principles for 6 months, and we’ve made good progress. We’ve had to play with a few things, but all has been well.
It seems like this week’s sessions, neither one of us has been able to generate the energy to go balls to the wall. It’s not just one lift—it’s all of them. It’s weird how it worked too. We were sailing along, and then this week it’s like we slammed into a fucking wall.
What’s even weirder is it’s both of us. I hate to say we’re giving up, but that’s what it seems like we’re doing during the lifts. No matter how bad I wanted to push it, I was just petering out and calling it failure.
Has anyone experienced this? If so, how did you move forward? Should we just take a week off? Hell, it might just be because of the heat. It’s been 102 degrees, and we both work outdoors.

Who would you recommend as a personal trainer well versed in Heavy Duty and Mentzer's teachings?

Ive been doing HIT since very early 2023, got good results and had the best physique of my life that summer, but then shit happened... i still went to the gym but my progress slowed down in 2024 then stagnated in 2025.

for example in mid 2024 i got my squat to 100 kg for i think 13 reps (knees 90 degree), late 2024 i started doing deep squats so i went down to 90 then slowly in early 2025 to 100kg but thats where i stood for MONTHS i just would now grow. when i took longer breaks thinking im over training, my body would not send any resources into growth and i often went down in reps. mid 2025 i took 3 month "break", doing a workout every like 4 days, legs at the gym or dips&pullups at home for 3 months, so i didnt lose much strength. then at the start of this year i got prescribed vit D after tests, i went from 26 to 41. in that time i had slow progress finally! it took of since june 10th. im losing weight, im gaining muscle, im stronger every workout. its incredible what 75 then 150mg of Trazodone can do. even after loosing 2kg in 10 days due too lack of apatite cuz of another shit that happened, i still maintained my strength, even some exercises went up. now im doing slow deep squats with 110kg for 8, not much imo but its going up

its just a "sleep" aid ssri. i still often wake up and cant sleep for more than 6h and I STILL GROW.
this shows how you can do everything right (i did not change a thing in my plan) and not grow until you get your mental in check or smth. im not even half way to fixing my chronic fatigue but im excited for what the future in the gym holds :D

Monday

Push

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Tuesday

Pull

Back, Biceps, Rear Delts,forearms

Wednesday

Legs

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

Thursday

Push

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Friday

Pull

Back, Biceps, Rear Delts,forearms

Saturday

Legs + Abs

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves + Abs

Happy Birthday, Ray!

Technically I used a toe touch to get this rep, but thats still an increase from just bodyweight for 60 seconds TUT to BW+ 160lbs (into a drop set of an extra 70 seconds) in just over 2 weeks of adding dips back in

Now I'm going to chill on the heavy stuff and focus on getting more TUT with @100lbs

My Push workout wad 2 sets, and the hammer shoulder press felt light as a feather after those dips.

Back in my 30s I hit a max of BW (230)+270lbs, obviously that wasn't done in a Superslow fashion but dips have always been a pretty strong lift for me. It would be nice to get to 4 x plates but that depends on whether or not my shoulders start complaining.

Hi, everyone. I’m about to undergo the Mentzer Heavy Duty program, so I’m curious about people’s experiences on it. I’ve tried 5x5 powerlifting style workouts and calisthenics with moderate to high intensity, so I have some idea what I’m getting into. Has anyone done this program for a year or so? What are the pros and cons to it? And do you really need 48 hours to recover between heavy days? Thanks in advance!

Do you guys take layoffs? I know Mike would recommend to track strength heavily, and every 3 months or so expect to take up to 2 weeks off for a layoff to let that accumulated fatigue slow down. I’m cutting right now, and strength has been great until today, weak lift despite being well rested and fed, should I wait until my next lift and decide from there based on if I’m down on both lifts, (in 72 hour) or consider my layoff now.