I started in November, and im up 7 pounds of lean mass since then. For me as a natural lifter, there has not been a week i have not made any improvements. The hardest part is 1 hour later feeling fresh, you get the feeling you could have done more and it bothers you. But other than the mental aspect, It has worked for me.

It works better than anything else, for me atleast. Pre-exhaust, Main compound exercise to total failure, out of the gym, 4-7 days off, repeat.

Firstly, I’d like to congratulate you on your willingness to challenge traditional training dogma and embrace a more rational approach to bodybuilding.
To truly optimize your Heavy Duty performance, it is essential to master the specific cadence Mentzer advocated. Mike famously stated that the negative (eccentric) phase is the most productive part of the movement for stimulating growth, as it is where the muscle is strongest. He typically recommended a 4-2-4 cadence: a 4-second controlled lift, a 2-second squeeze in the fully contracted position, and a 4-second lowering phase. Moving any faster introduces momentum, which acts as a 'diluting factor' by shifting tension away from the target muscle and onto the joints.
Furthermore, Mentzer cautioned against increasing the load prematurely. You should only add weight once you have consistently exceeded your target rep range (typically 6–10 reps for upper body) by at least two reps in a previous session. Increasing the weight too soon is not only an unnecessary risk to your connective tissue but also a distraction from the true goal: momentary muscular failure.
Hypertrophy is not triggered by a specific number on a plate, but by the physiological 'flip' of the growth mechanism that occurs during those final, high-intensity efforts. In the Heavy Duty system, strength is a byproduct of this intense stimulus and the subsequent recovery; it is the evidence that growth has occurred, not the goal itself.

Altogether though, it's a good video i Enjoyed it.

I started HD training in 1992 after 3 years of mainstream training. I got to 260kg for 8 reps on deads. 54" chest, small waist and absolutley stacked and in the best shape of my life. I foumd occasionally switching exercise like doing incline press first followed by flyes instead occasionally gave me great benefits. Im now 52 and still train the same way. 2 days off between workouts and more if i still dont feel it. In the 90s if you were a bodybuilder, fitness dude you were very much in the minority,  nowadays its much more accepted. I was a freak back then 😂. Great vid 💪🏽

Started on October 2025, Mike's ideal routine changed everything! I'm getting bigger and stronger than ever. I always say the hardest part about this routine is convincing people that it works 😂.

Plus I noticed that shoulders need more that 1 set per week. I do three to four sets on lateral raises since it's quick to recover!

Amazing video man.

I've been training the HD method for a couple of years and love it.
I'm in my 50s and in my best shape.. I was previously training way too much and was getting weaker - that was when i realised things had to change.
The biggest issue is getting over the 'guilt' for nort going mire often, but once you see the results it makes sense. As Mike said, you grow outside tge gym, the gym just provides the stimulus.

Love it man! Heavy singles into a single back off set is biblical. Helping me get over a shoulder injury atm for bench. We love seeing numbers go up

In all the Mentzer routine videos I’ve watched. I’ve never seen a single person use the 4-2-4 cadence

I've been training like this for 25 years. Prior to that other abbreviated type routines with moderate volume (and I drop that in once ever 6-months or so as a rest from high intensity). I also treat Ideal Routine, or a modified version, as ''accessory work' for powerlifting.

I've got much better results from Lower volume approach. But I think were the problem a lot of people run into is they just can't train hard enough for a few sets a week. They do endless volume and think there training hard. For people who can train really hard the volume really starts to rip  you apart  because your putting that much into each set. For hard trainer to much volume becomes your downfall.

Thank you buddy, you just helped me out. I've been trying to do 16-20 sets a bodypart and taking into consideration cumulative volume for secondary muscle groups depending on the exresize selection but I just can't recover

30 seconds negative 30 seconds positive 30 seconds negative. One set per bodypart. Rest 7 days. My strength went up exponentially, my😮 muscle mass increased, made the best progress of my life. I was pounding myself into the ground. My body had a chance to recover.

Man, I am going to follow you.

The best tip I can give people to ensure they are going to absolute failure is on that last rep attempt push as hard as you can for 5 seconds to get the last rep.  The weight won't be moving more than an inch or so but fight it as hard as you can for 5 seconds before admitting failure

I have seen other videos where there are no pullovers, and reverse grip lat pull downs are not in super set fashion, however I do like the idea of supersetting reverse grip lat pull downs to work the bicep more, so instead of pull overs (which my gym doesnt have) I just do pull ups and chin ups to start the routine, and though I dont superset reverse grip lat pull downs, it still helps recruit the biceps more. Besides that, I stick to the other suggested routine he had for Day 1 with Pec Fly, superset into Inclined Chest press, then Reverse Grip Lat Pull Downs, and I just do pull ups and chin ups before I start the Routine.

Agree with everything here. For me, as a 51 year old who trains aline and has a ridiculously busy life, I really enjoy the feeling that i am  part of something bigger, a HIT movement if you will, a Mentzer advocate. It just feels cool. Yeah I've read the books, have his poster with quotes on my bedroom wall (my kids think I'm gay, but as I tell them if I was gay I would have loads of money and no kids, instead of loads of kids and no money), but I'm single so no woman to complain. I just love lifting, it's everything.

Love mentzers style of training. I adjusted it a bit so it fits me better, only way i can seem to train now without destroying myself doing things like marathon workouts lol.

I’ve cut volume way down. I do whole body workouts 3x per week. I want to go down to 2 rest days between workouts.
I only do 2 sets per body part. 1st set is close to failure.
2nd set is to failure with a drop set.
I’ve been making great gains!!! Definitely something to this lower volume/ higher intensity!
Thanks for the vid

First off congrats with your progress! It's great to see the progress in your lifts, which is why it is so important to keep an accurate record of your progress. Disagree with your thoughts about beginners though. The principle is for everyone regardless of level and failure regardless of level is personal. I agree that a beginner finds it harder to push as hard as you might or they should (that comes with time), but if they only did 8 reps last time and now they can do 9 or 10 that is still progress for them that they can build on as long as they are following the principles. Train hard, train briefly, allow enough rest  before training again. I think generally the 2nd & 3rd principles are harder for them to adhere to, especially the way most gym memberships are set up these days. People think they need to be there way too much, if only to justify membership fees.

6 month ago I started a  Push/Pull/Legs HIT workout influenced by Dorian yates trainning. It's not exactly a program of him but heavily inspired and using his fundamentals. Also started meal prepping with a very generous dose of daily protein (above 1,05 g by lbs of body weight). I've broken all my plateaux and my physique is night and day compared to when I started the program. And I only train once every other day with full rest on weekend (or cardio). My workout evolved a lot and now I take also some of Mike Mentzers teaching too. Anyway all this to say : HIT WORKS !