Created by Mike Mentzer (1951 – 2001)—as much philosopher as he was bodybuilder—the Heavy Duty method is one that incorporates high-intensity training along with lower rep ranges and heavier weights. Even during the time, Mentzer’s thinking went against the grain, both in terms of his lifting and his diet. We’ve taken a closer look at the mind behind this training philosophy, and the things that led up to it. It’s definitely going to gas out your muscles and get you results. While Arthur Jones advocated for one set of 20 reps per exercise, Mike Mentzer’s workout concluded that the ideal rep range was 6-8. However, on the last rep you would be reaching absolute muscular failure, and it did not stop there. Mike Mentzer’s workout involved going beyond failure (a philosophy also adopted by Tom Platz), utilizing forced reps, negative reps, rest-pause, and pre-exhaust supersets.