THE MENTZER METHOD TO FITNESS: A Revolutionary Weight-Training System for Men and Women

by Mike with Ardy Friedberg Mentzer ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 1980

From the reigning Mr. Universe, an earnest guide to the perfect exercise for everyone: weight-training. The controversial claim is that it not only increases muscle fitness, flexibility, and strength, but improves cardiovascular status; still, as presented here, it can't do any harm. Unlike most exercise programs, Mentzer's regimen features short, high-intensity workouts (30 minutes, three times a week), coupled with a sensible diet. He recommends the traditional balanced diet for good nutrition (with vitamin supplements rarely needed and special potions never). The exercise plan includes a careful warm-up, an increasingly difficult training regimen, and instructions for a cooing-down period; there is also one chapter for the serious body builder. The cardiovascular benefits that Mentzer claims would be disputed by many experts, but as he points out, a complete program of warm-ups and smooth continuous movement (rather than energy bursts and jerking muscles) may well improve cardiovascular functioning. Curiously there is almost no discussion of equipment, and those who don't even know the basics will have problems. A touch of sensationalism aside ("". . . even the whisper of my name is heresy in some gyms""), this is a reasonable guide for men or women with a specific interest in weight-training or a desire to supplement other exercise programs.

Pub Date: April 24, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION