HighIntensity.net View Mike Mentzer Bodybuilding Topic

Check out this quote from Ellington Darden in an interview:

"Question: In your book, you also mention Mike’s younger brother Ray. Ray Mentzer was even stronger than Mike, right?

Answer: Yes he was. While Mike showed little desire to train intensely in Lake Helen, Ray was just the opposite. He was frequently up for a hard workout. I trained him multiple times. After a while, we would have to pin additional weight on most of the Nautilus machines. He was that strong. Ray handled the entire weight stack, 500 pounds, on the Nautilus duo-squat machine with ease. I never witnessed anyone else get a single rep with the entire stack – and there were a lot of big, strong athletes who tried.

Ray was the first bodybuilder I ever saw who weighed 250 pounds or more, in fairly lean condition. There are a few in that category today, but there weren’t any in 1983.

Joe Mullen, a former Nautilus club owner, recently told me that he saw Ray go through a HIT workout in 1999. “On our Nautilus leg-extension machine, Ray did 290 pounds for 10 good repetitions,” Mullen said, as he paused and cleared his throat.

In my mind, I’m thinking . . . “290 pounds on the Nautilus leg extension machine, I believe I’ve done that much.”

Having cleared his throat, Mullen continued . . . “With one leg.”

That’s right, Ray Mentzer did single leg extensions in a normal positive-negative manner with 290 pounds, which is equivalent to handling 580 pounds with both legs.

That reinforced to me that Ray Mentzer was the strongest man I’ve ever trained, and I’ve been training people for more than 40 years."

Full URL: "http://www.baye.com/interviews/ellington_darden_interview2.html"

Sweet…

Darrell

"Bill Pearl once commented that he saw Ray Mentzer curl the entire weight stack of a nautilus bicep curl, with one hand.

After Ray had left to shower, Bill tried to lift the weight, first time with one hand, but did not even budge the weight. The second time, with both hands, and even then he was not able to budge the weight."

""Bill Pearl once commented that he saw Ray Mentzer curl the entire weight stack of a nautilus bicep curl, with one hand.

After Ray had left to shower, Bill tried to lift the weight, first time with one hand, but did not even budge the weight. The second time, with both hands, and even then he was not able to budge the weight.""

Amazing.

Darrell

Acccording to an interview that was published in Ironman Magazine, Ray Mentzer said he could squat in the 900s. The interveiwer also quoted Mike saying his brother was squating this high. Ray went on to say in this interview that he wanted to prove that it was not any drug or special russian squat workout that was popular at the time, but it was guts and will that built strength.
I will find the article and post some of the quotes on his strength. I think it was a 2002 Ironman, but the interview I believe took place in the late eighties or early nineties.

Tom

Thanks for the extra info guys. Great to hear those stories.

You know, I was trying to think of one body part, that if someone has that is huge, pretty much indicates the person overall will be very strong, and came to the conclusion that forearms would be it.

If someone has gigantic forearms, it′s a sure sign that they are probably very strong with the rest of their body. Obviously the Mentzers possessed gigantic forearms…

Darrell