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Mentzer Log

Ideal Routine

Four workouts. One set each. The Heavy Duty standard.

Mentzer’s Ideal Routine from Heavy Duty II. Four brief sessions rotated with 4–7 days between them. Pre-exhaust supersets on chest, quads, and triceps. One working set to failure per movement. Rest 4–7 days between sessions. Warm up thoroughly. Then one all-out working set. When this routine stalls, Mentzer cut it to the Consolidated Routine.

1

Chest & back

Pre-exhaust the chest, then one hard pull and a deadlift.

  1. Pec deck or dumbbell flye · pre-exhaust

    6–10 reps · Chest

    Pec deck or dumbbell flye — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Chest marked. Mentzer Log.
    Pec deck or dumbbell flye. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Pre-exhaust. Machine fly or dumbbell flye — Mentzer used both. Slow stretch, no bounce. Straight into the incline press.

  2. Incline press

    6–10 reps · Chest, front delts, triceps

    Incline press — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Chest, front delts, triceps marked. Mentzer Log.
    Incline press. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Barbell, dumbbell, or machine incline. Mentzer used all three. Superset after the flye with almost no rest.

  3. Close-grip pulldown or chin-up

    6–10 reps · Lats, biceps

    Close-grip pulldown or chin-up — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Lats, biceps marked. Mentzer Log.
    Close-grip pulldown or chin-up. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Underhand, close grip. Palms-up pulldown was Mentzer’s pick; underhand chin-ups if you have no cable. Pull elbows down and in.

  4. Deadlift

    5–8 reps · Back, hips, grip

    Deadlift — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Back, hips, grip marked. Mentzer Log.
    Deadlift. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Conventional deadlift. One hard set. Near failure — never sloppy failure. Reset each rep if needed.

2

Legs & abs

Pre-exhaust the quads, then one compound, calves, and abs.

  1. Leg extension · pre-exhaust

    8–15 reps · Quads

    Leg extension — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Quads marked. Mentzer Log.
    Leg extension. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Any leg-extension machine. Pre-exhaust the quads. Pause at the top. Move immediately to the compound.

  2. Leg press or squat

    8–15 reps · Quads, glutes

    Leg press or squat — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Quads, glutes marked. Mentzer Log.
    Leg press or squat. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Mentzer used either. Controlled depth. Do not grind through pain.

  3. Standing or donkey calf raise

    12–20 reps · Calves

    Standing or donkey calf raise — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Calves marked. Mentzer Log.
    Standing or donkey calf raise. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Standing, donkey, or Nautilus calf. Mentzer favoured a full stretch at the bottom. Pause. High-rep failure.

  4. Weighted crunch or sit-up

    10–20 reps · Abs

    Weighted crunch or sit-up — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Abs marked. Mentzer Log.
    Weighted crunch or sit-up. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Weighted crunch, sit-up, or ab machine. Slow spinal flexion. No yanking on the neck.

3

Shoulders & arms

Laterals first, then a strict curl and a triceps pre-exhaust into dips.

  1. Dumbbell or machine lateral

    6–10 reps · Side delts

    Dumbbell or machine lateral — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Side delts marked. Mentzer Log.
    Dumbbell or machine lateral. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Dumbbell or machine laterals. Mentzer used both. Strict. Stop before swing takes over.

  2. Rear delt raise or reverse pec deck

    6–10 reps · Rear delts

    Rear delt raise or reverse pec deck — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Rear delts marked. Mentzer Log.
    Rear delt raise or reverse pec deck. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Reverse pec deck or bent-over dumbbell laterals. Keep tension on the rear delts.

  3. Barbell, preacher, or dumbbell curl

    6–10 reps · Biceps

    Barbell, preacher, or dumbbell curl — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Biceps marked. Mentzer Log.
    Barbell, preacher, or dumbbell curl. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Barbell, preacher, or dumbbell — Mentzer used all three. Strict. No hip drive. Full extension at the bottom.

  4. Pressdown or skull crusher · pre-exhaust

    6–10 reps · Triceps

    Pressdown or skull crusher — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Triceps marked. Mentzer Log.
    Pressdown or skull crusher. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Cable pressdown or lying triceps extension (skull crusher). Mentzer used both. Pre-exhaust. Straight into dips.

  5. Dip or decline press

    6–10 reps · Chest, shoulders, triceps

    Dip or decline press — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Chest, shoulders, triceps marked. Mentzer Log.
    Dip or decline press. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Parallel-bar dip was Mentzer’s compound. No bars: decline press or close-grip bench. Log 0 for bodyweight.

4

Legs

A second, slightly different lower-body session. Mentzer trained legs twice in the rotation.

  1. Leg extension · pre-exhaust

    8–15 reps · Quads

    Leg extension — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Quads marked. Mentzer Log.
    Leg extension. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Any leg-extension machine. Pre-exhaust the quads. Pause at the top. Move immediately to the compound.

  2. Squat or leg press

    8–15 reps · Quads, glutes, back

    Squat or leg press — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Quads, glutes, back marked. Mentzer Log.
    Squat or leg press. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Barbell squat, or leg press if the back needs a break. One all-out set after a thorough warm-up.

  3. Standing or donkey calf raise

    12–20 reps · Calves

    Standing or donkey calf raise — Mike Mentzer Heavy Duty start and finish. Calves marked. Mentzer Log.
    Standing or donkey calf raise. Mentzer Heavy Duty.

    Standing, donkey, or Nautilus calf. Mentzer favoured a full stretch at the bottom. Pause. High-rep failure.

The logbook records the working set and, next time, tells you whether to go up, add reps, or rest longer. Read the Heavy Duty principles this app enforces.