Mike
Mentzer was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and was
something of a bodybuilding renaissance man. Renowned as
much for his vocabulary and propensity to quote the philosophy
of Aye Rand as he was for the dimensions of his Herculean
physique, Mentzer established himself first as a bodybuilding
champion and then as a scholar of the sport. Having placed
10th at the 1971 AAU Mr. America contest, Mentzer came in
contact with Arthur Jones, who at that time was promoting his
less-is-best training theories along with his Nautilus
exercise equipment.
From
that grounding, Mentzer eventually evolved his own Heavy Duty
training philosophy, which espoused brief intense workout
sessions and spawned countless articles, many books and videos.
In 1976, Mentzer won the IFBB Mr. America, and in 1978, after
relocating to Los Angeles, he won the heavyweight division at
the IFBB World Amateur Championships with a perfect score.
The
following year, he was second to Frank Zane in the IFBB Mr.
Olympia. In 1980, after tying for fourth at the IFBB Mr.
Olympia, which Arnold Schwarzenegger won in controversial
fashion, Mentzer quit competitive bodybuilding. For years
afterward, he would rail against the outcome of that contest
and Arnold’s part in it. In recent years, Mike learned he
had serious heart problems, and he and Arnold spoke, patching
up their differences. The day after completing the filming of
his latest training video, Mike was found dead by his brother
Ray at the Los Angeles apartment they shared. Two days later,
Ray, who had been undergoing regular kidney dialysis, was
found dead at the same apartment.
