Mike Mentzer

Michael John Mentzer (November 15, 1951 – June 10, 2001) was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder, Objectivist philosopher, businessman, and author. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mentzer started bodybuilding when he was eleven years old. He won several amateur bodybuilding competitions before turning professional in 1979, including the 1976 Mr. America title and the heavyweight division of the 1978 IFBB Mr. Universe.

In late 1979, he won the heavyweight class of the Mr. Olympia. In the 1980 Mr. Olympia, he placed fourth in a tie with Boyer Coe behind Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Dickerson and Frank Zane, though this placement was deemed controversial.

Influenced by the concepts developed by Arthur Jones, Mentzer devised and successfully implemented his own theory of bodybuilding. One of the most prolific bodybuilders of all time, his Heavy Duty Training program advocates high intensity and low volume. In 2002, he was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame.

Mike Mentzer was born on November 15, 1951, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. His father was of German descent while his mother was of Italian descent. He attended Ephrata High School where he received "all A's." He credits his 11th grade teacher, Elizabeth Schaub, for his "love of language, thought, and writing." In 1975, he began attending the University of Maryland as a pre-med student where his hours away from the gym were spent in the study of "genetics, physical chemistry, and organic chemistry." After three years of study at the University of Maryland, Mentzer dropped out. He has stated his ultimate goal during that period was to become a psychiatrist.

Mentzer started bodybuilding when he was 11 years old at a body weight of 95 lb (43 kg) after seeing the physiques of men exhibited on the covers of several muscle magazines. His father bought him a set of weights and an instruction booklet. The booklet suggested that he train no more than three days a week, so Mike did just that. He attended the first Mr. Olympia and later said: “The 1965 Mr. Olympia contest was almost a religious experience for me." At 15 years old, Mike's goal was to look like his bodybuilding hero, Bill Pearl. After graduating from high school, Mentzer served four years in the United States Air Force. It was during this time he started working out over three hours a day, six days a week.

Mentzer started competing in local physique contests when he was 18 years old and attended his first contest in 1969. In 1971, Mentzer entered and won the Mr. Lancaster contest. In 1971, he suffered his worst defeat, placing 10th at the AAU Mr. America, which was won by Casey Viator. Mentzer considered his presence at this contest important later on, as he met Viator, who gave Mentzer the contact information for his trainer Arthur Jones. Due to a severe shoulder injury, he was forced to quit training from 1971 to 1974. In early 1975, however, he resumed training and returned to competition in 1975 at the Mr. America contest, placing third behind Robby Robinson and Roger Callard. Mentzer went on to win the competition the following year in 1976. He won the 1977 North America championships in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and competed a week later at the 1977 Mr. Universe in Nîmes, France, placing second to Kal Szkalak. In 1978, Mentzer won the Mr. Universe in Acapulco, Mexico with the first and only perfect 300 score. He became a professional bodybuilder after that 1978 Universe win.

In late 1979, Mentzer won the heavyweight class of the Mr. Olympia, again with a perfect 300 score. However, he lost in the overall to Frank Zane (who was awarded his third title) that year. In the 1980 Mr. Olympia, he placed fourth in a tie with Boyer Coe behind Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Dickerson, and Frank Zane. This decision remains extremely controversial, as many believed that Arnold was in much worse condition than in his prior success in body building, due to his inactivity in bodybuilding in order to pursue his acting career.

Mentzer retired from competitive bodybuilding after the 1980 Mr. Olympia at the age of 29. He maintained that the contest results were predetermined in favor of Schwarzenegger, and held this opinion throughout his life. While Mentzer never claimed he should have won, he maintained that Schwarzenegger should not have. Nevertheless, the two eventually had an amicable relationship.

In 2002, Mentzer was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame. He appears in the music video for the Nantucket's cover of "It's a Long Way to the Top".

Mentzer stated in the last interview before his death that he did not believe in God "as He is commonly defined", but that "There is what's called a rational view of a creator. As I said, there cannot be a God as He is commonly defined. God is infinite, God is everywhere, God created the universe - that's an interesting one. There's no such thing as creating the universe or causing the universe to come into existence, as the universe is the ground of all causation! If there was a God, He would have to consist of some material substance and He'd have to live somewhere. Therefore, existence always existed, even in the context you just gave. If, as you said, it was proven somehow beyond a shadow of a doubt there was a rational creator and a life hereafter, yes, I would grab at the chance to be with my mother and father again."

While in school, Mentzer's father motivated his academic performance by providing him with various kinds of inducements, from a baseball glove to hard cash. Years later, Mike said that his father "unwittingly ... was inculcating in me an appreciation of capitalism." According to David M. Sears, a friend of Mentzer and an editor and publisher of his Muscles in Minutes book, he stated that:

In the late 1980s, Mentzer returned to training bodybuilders and writing for Iron Man magazine and spent much of the 1990s regaining his stature in the bodybuilding industry. Mentzer met Dorian Yates in the 1980s and made an impression on his bodybuilding career. Years later, when Yates won Joe Weider's "Mr. Olympia", he credited Mike's "Heavy Duty" principles for his training. Mike, his brother Ray, and Dorian formed a clothing company called "MYM" (an abbreviation of Mentzer Yates Mentzer), also known as "Heavy Duty Inc", in 1994. MYM was based on the success of Don Smith's "CrazeeWear" bodybuilding apparel. With the blessing and promotion of Joe Weider, the trio manufactured and distributed their own line of cut-and-sew sportswear.

Mike Mentzer died on June 10, 2001, in Rolling Hills, California. He was found dead in his apartment, due to heart complications, by his younger brother and fellow bodybuilder Ray Mentzer. Two days later, Ray died from complications of Berger's disease.