HighIntensity.net View Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Topic

After reading High Intensity training the Mike Mentzer way, and following its workout routines, I have no doubt that I will make massive gains as a result. However, in an effort to maximize these gains, i need to understand something. In his book, he goes into negatives, statics, and breath-rest. I understand the concepts of these, but shouldn′t it be said that since exhausing a muscle is all that is required to stimulate growth, any further use of static or negative strength represents a more critical inroad into the body′s energy reserve and will result in no greater strength gain, and a longer recovery time? If anyone could illuminate this seeming contradiction I′d be put greatly at ease, and would more than likely begin using said techniques :). Thanks

I believe statics and negatives are to much for most people, and so did mike at the end. positive failure is all that is needed to stimulate growth!

I don′t know about negatives after positive failure not resulting in greater strength gains. I think they do. If not, what would be their purpose? They do result in soreness that is too extremely on a consistent basis, and if your recovery days are just right, they would overtrain you, which is why they′re only occasionally recommended. I doubt they would overtrain torso muscles though, with at least 2 weeks between torso workouts in the IR.

Hope this explanation helps

As you get more advanced, you will need to down regulate the frequency. As you get stronger and bigger you don′t need to increase anything but the intensity. As you get stronger, to make depper inroads into your growth ability you will need not just heavier weights but also intensity techniques.

Remember one golden rule, as you get bigger and stronger you need to increase intensity all other things need to be down regulated.

So sure use them sparingly, occassionally use them exclusively and sometimes use them in conjunction with your normal routine. For instance do a cycle where you do your pre exhaustion isolation exercises in normal fashion but then the compound exercise in the cycle in a rest pause fashion. The next week do static only holds on pec dec, palms up pulldonwns, tricep pressdowns and machine curls.

Hope that helps. Remember everyone′s ability to tolerate exercise stress will be different. But the fact that the stress must be brief, intense and infrequent does not change from person to person. So keep a journal and note everything that you do, from diet, to rest periods, to workout reps and weights, seat and machine settings even intensity techniques. Note how you feel after and before the workout etc. See what works and what doesn′t and THERE YOU GO! you have a record of what works and what doesn′t!

Hope that helps

– K

Great explanation! The intensity must increase in order to actually make that inroad.