Rating: 
Summary: It must be tried to be believed
Review: (As strictly a primer of bodybuilding science, 5 stars. As a book for the average gym-goer: 4 stars.) If I could give every bodybuilder one book, THIS would be it. There is so much confusion in the sport that Mentzer's message has been drowned out by myth, rumor, scepticism, and outright lies. His message is simple: it takes MUCH less time and complexity to reach your muscular potential than previously thought. Through Mentzer's careful logic and sound principles, not only does the reader get a workout that works, but also the principles of bodybuilding that can be used for the rest of a career. With these, one can constantly see how and why a program works and how it can be improved.For HARDCORE bodybuilders who have hit plateaus: Don't waste another day; read this book. You will be on your way again in a few workouts. Especialy if you are NATURAL, it is likely you will improve with this program better than any other. For WOMEN: unless you want serious muscles, don't buy this book. For college STUDENTS (like me): get out of the crowded gym! Spend half an hour or less every 4 to 7 days and get better results. However, you may get suspicious looks from the regulars who believe you are not "devoted" enough. Look back with confidence, knowing that you have a true science and philosophy of transforming your body. For those who DOUBT HIT's validity: try it. Time is money, so spend a little on this book and a lot less in the gym. For those UNWILLING to give 100% effort when in the gym: Forget it. Keep up your volume method, and you will never have to face the intensty and dramatic results of this program.
Rating: 
Summary: Making the best gains of my life...thanks Mike
Review: After training using conventional "wisdom", in frustration I decided to try Mentzer's HIT system. I couldn't believe the results (neither can my training partners) I gain muscle, lost fat, increased strength but most impressively, substantially improved my muscle shape (especially pecs which were a weak bodypart for me) in less 8 weeks. People who hadn't seen me, could not believe the results that I made. My regimen had me training four days a week. I trained legs, chest and triceps one day and back, shoulders and biceps the next. My only change to Mike's system was to do several warm up sets. I trained to failure and did 3 forced reps and negatives on my last set only. I used pre-exhaust on every bodypart. Interesting to me was that I could pre-exhaust my thighs with leg extensions followed by squats and was squatting a new personal high within weeks! My thighs had new shape, size and definition. Doing close grip bench presses after lying tricep extensions brought out a horseshoe shape in my triceps like I never had before. Pre-exhausting preacher curls with close grip pulldowns down out a bicep peak and added 3/4 of an inch to my arms in 3 weeks! Using Mentzer's technique on calf raises, with negatives added nearly an inch to my calves in record time. I know that Mike get's criticized for his system supposedly being a ripoff of Nautilus, but, prior to 1977 and thanks to Mike, this system was all but forgotten and I believe that Mike enhanced and improved on the original system created by Arthur Jones. I highly recommend High Intensity Training only if you want to make the best gains of your life. My only regret is that Mike is not around so I can shake his hand and thank him for introducing this system and for helping me make gains that I thought were impossible. RIP Mike. YOU were the greatest!
Rating:
Summary: Mike Mentzer's HIT is a hit
Review: After trying various training technique's, I found out for myself that HIT is the way to train for maximum strength and muscle gains in the shortest amount of time. Forget about those 6 days a week, 2 hrs per workout programs. They don't work! Just training 3 days per week, 20-30 minutes a day is the way to go. Buy this book today and get results.
Rating:
Summary: Summary of the mans life
Review: For those who don't know, Mike Mentzer was someone who challenged the bodybuilding world. Instead of marathon sessions 6 days a week, he believed that training with (eg) 2, twenty minute sessions a week you would get better results. For those that have his previous books, this does not really provide anything new. It is more of a repackaging of all his ideas into one easy to read format. As he passed away a few days after the first drafts were complete, the co-author John Little (also known for his great Bruce Lee books) turned this into part memorial. It is filled with a tonne of Mentzer pictures in various poses and lifting routines as well as information on the mans life. An eye opening read for those that have never read his work before, and a good final summary for those that have.
Rating:
Summary: Best book on weight training available
Review: From a pure weight training perspective, Mike Mentzer has written the best book on the High Intensity Training (HIT) method. His method is without doubt an excellent approach to bodybuilding. My only issues with the book are: 1) The book gets a bit esoteric at times and becomes bogged down in philosophy ... this is a bodybuilding book after all. 2) The book is thin on cardio approach ... he just basically says do some running and biking but doesn't go into the necessary detail to put together a complete bodybuilding approach. And 3) the biggest missing piece is the nutrition. Mentzer's book is sparse on this subject which in my experience is one of the most important aspects of proper bodybuilding. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in bodybuilding and developing muscles. His approach is excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative, but arrogant and insulting
Review: Hello.
Thank you for reading my review. This book is informative and most people entering the "iron game" will find it helpful. I don't think the late, great, Mike Mentzer controlled the content of the book too much, however. Unfortunately, the author goes off on how Mr. Mentzer was black-balled because he did not participate in the scam that is and was the "mainstream" bodybuilding market. This group recommends almost every unproven supplement, and features training articles written by genetic freaks that ingest steroids, human growth hormone, diuretics, fat burners, etc. (Some even have column discussing drug "stacks"). With all of those drugs, an athlete can train far more frequently and longer than a drug free individual. That is a fact. Mr. Mentzer stepped outside this groupthink and said that you don't need to train as freqeuntly or for as long as other athletes in his era were. Mr. Little implies that this cost Mentzer the opportunity to reach the upper echelon of the sport. He provides no evidence for this insidous charge, and then proceeds to condemn most of the other pro athletes of his generation. Mr. Little even shows a picture of Mr. Mentzer reading a newspaper with a caption that describes how Mr. Mentzer reads to stay informed about things outside of the gym! What is that??
Further, he talks about Mentzer reading Kant and Descartes. So. I read those books and I'm not particularly intelligent. Helpful, interesting and even enjoyable, yes, but reading philosophy doesn't make you smarter than someone else. The not-too-subtle implication was that the other elite bodybuilders of Mentzer's era were stupid. Are you kidding me?? During their pro careers, Arnold got his business degree and became a very successful real-estate investor, Franco Columbo became a doctor, and Serge Nubret was a successful actor in France. (Rent or purchase Pumping Iron for more information. Mike Katz was a school teacher and great father). Also, Mr. Little talks about Mentzer's good looks and how that was a first for a professional bodybuilder. ??? Nubret was a legend for his appearance, and Arnold and Franco were pretty handsome, too. As for the traing information. It's all widely already known: You should not train longer than an hour in each session, because you cease producing growth hormone after that. You should only work a body part no more than twice a week. Smaller muscles require less sets that larger muscles. Slow execution on each exercise. Arnold, Franco, and all of the other greats trained more, but it worked! Of course the average person can't train like a professional, but this is common sense. I can't throw a baseball for nine innings at 95+ m.p.h. like Roger Clemens, either. Avail yourself of the copious amount of information on the Internet, magazines, the library, and of course Amazon.com to assist you. Also, ask other bodybuilders questions. Most people are honored when someone seeks out their opinions. Thank you again for reading my review. R.I.P. Mr. Mentzer
Rating:
Summary: Almost the best of Mentzer
Review: High-intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way, is an excellent overview of Mentzer's ideas and advice for weight trainers. Since it was completed after his death it also stands as a kind of memorial to him and his achievements. It is best to think of the book as consisting of two parts. The first part is Mentzer laying out the underlying philosophical and scientific principles that form the backbone of his version of high intensity training. The second part is the practical end, from a discussion of the merits of free weights versus machines, to exercise descriptions, a basic and advanced routine, and even tips on how to prepare yourself mentally, the practical part is pretty comprehensive. To round off the book there is some advice from Mentzer on how to prepare for bodybuilding competitions. Mentzer's writing style may not suit everybody, but the book contains some really good ideas and information. The main weakness with Mentzer's writing though, is that he was completely in thrall to a minor league philosopher called Ayn Rand, and this does affect the quality of his arguments leading to a kind of stilted and blunt approach that lacks finesse. I recommend that you also search out a copy of Mentzer's 'Heavy Duty 2: Mind and Body' which is his best work on weight training, it covers everything from static contractions to finding the right routine for your recovery ability. Heavy Duty 2 is not perfect and also suffers from Mentzer's over fondness for Ayn Rand, but it contains the best of Mentzer's training knowledge and is therefore essential if you want to go down the high intensity path.
Rating:
Summary: girl's guide?
Review: i am a female weight-lifting enthusiast... is this book worth a girl's time for those (which appear to be all male)who have read it?
Rating:
Summary: Superb book.
Review: I have always been interested in Mike Mentzer's philosophy of training. I am currently not lifting, but I ahve used his methods in the past. It is easy to let others lead you to believe that this method does not work, but it does. Using the basic training principles laid out by Mike, I increased my bench press from 120lbs.x12 to 230lbs.x13 in 6 months. My chinups went from 120x15 on the pulldown machine to bodyweight +25lbs.x5 real chinups. All other exercises gained an impressive amount too. I was a beginner when I started, but was lifting more in 6 months than many hardcore gym members that had been lifting for years. Unfortunately, I had personal issues and quit lifting, but it woud be interesting to see where I would have been at in another 6 months. I did not follow Mike's principles exactly, but rather tailored them to my needs from the beginning, which is exactly what Mike wants you to do in the end. Be your own logical trainer. Lol, I didn't even train legs. Ya, I didn't know much then, but I would have likely made even better progress if I had properly trained legs by doing squats or leg presses. Deadlifts would also have been good. So, even with my poorly designed training program(lack of any leg and lower back training), with proper use of intensity, REST adjustment, and nutrition I still made great gains. This only proves the method even more in my opinion. There are several things though. Yuo do have to train with your utmost intensity. Every set I did controlled and smooth until I reached muscular failure and could not press the weight any more, at which point I tried to press the weight for several seconds after, straining with all my might to move it even an inch. That is hard training. It taxes your nervous system, and imposes large demands. High volume training is the saem way. you don't train as hard, ie. don't push to true failure and do multiple sets, but you end up doing too much work and taxing your system. Most people, when they start to slow down, or not progress, usually do the exact opposite of what they should. That is, they do more, and usually more often. Through my several years of off and on lifting, my records have consistently shown me that doing more has never helped and in the end I stagnated. Even when I knew to use Mike's principles, many times I didn't because I got pressured by gym buddies that what I was doing was wrong and for lazy people, and that I should train with them. Wrong. Everyone is their own, unique self, so every training program needs to be tailored to YOU. What's works for someone else, many times will not work for you. Why? Besides being different people and ahving different genetics, it is the fifference in your recovery ability. What someone else may be able to reover from in a day may take you 2-3. Your friend may be able to recover form a hard set of squats in 2-4 days. It may take you 5,6,7,8,9,10 or even more days. It all depends on your inate recovery ability. ANyway, this is why you should buy this book. The most imortant thing Mike ever taught was that you need to adjust how much exercise you do and how often you do it until you see good, consistent progress. As for the girl asking if this works for women. YES. Any method of trainig will work for women, just as it works for men. Btw, this isn't a forum.
Rating:
Summary: Superb book.
Review: I have always been interested in Mike Mentzer's philosophy of training. I am currently not lifting, but I ahve used his methods in the past. It is easy to let others lead you to believe that this method does not work, but it does. Using the basic training principles laid out by Mike, I increased my bench press from 120lbs.x12 to 230lbs.x13 in 6 months. My chinups went from 120x15 on the pulldown machine to bodyweight +25lbs.x5 real chinups. All other exercises gained an impressive amount too. I was a beginner when I started, but was lifting more in 6 months than many hardcore gym members that had been lifting for years. Unfortunately, I had personal issues and quit lifting, but it woud be interesting to see where I would have been at in another 6 months. I did not follow Mike's principles exactly, but rather tailored them to my needs from the beginning, which is exactly what Mike wants you to do in the end. Be your own logical trainer. Lol, I didn't even train legs. Ya, I didn't know much then, but I would have likely made even better progress if I had properly trained legs by doing squats or leg presses. Deadlifts would also have been good. So, even with my poorly designed training program(lack of any leg and lower back training), with proper use of intensity, REST adjustment, and nutrition I still made great gains. This only proves the method even more in my opinion. There are several things though. Yuo do have to train with your utmost intensity. Every set I did controlled and smooth until I reached muscular failure and could not press the weight any more, at which point I tried to press the weight for several seconds after, straining with all my might to move it even an inch. That is hard training. It taxes your nervous system, and imposes large demands. High volume training is the saem way. you don't train as hard, ie. don't push to true failure and do multiple sets, but you end up doing too much work and taxing your system. Most people, when they start to slow down, or not progress, usually do the exact opposite of what they should. That is, they do more, and usually more often. Through my several years of off and on lifting, my records have consistently shown me that doing more has never helped and in the end I stagnated. Even when I knew to use Mike's principles, many times I didn't because I got pressured by gym buddies that what I was doing was wrong and for lazy people, and that I should train with them. Wrong. Everyone is their own, unique self, so every training program needs to be tailored to YOU. What's works for someone else, many times will not work for you. Why? Besides being different people and ahving different genetics, it is the fifference in your recovery ability. What someone else may be able to reover from in a day may take you 2-3. Your friend may be able to recover form a hard set of squats in 2-4 days. It may take you 5,6,7,8,9,10 or even more days. It all depends on your inate recovery ability. ANyway, this is why you should buy this book. The most imortant thing Mike ever taught was that you need to adjust how much exercise you do and how often you do it until you see good, consistent progress. As for the girl asking if this works for women. YES. Any method of trainig will work for women, just as it works for men. Btw, this isn't a forum.
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