MIKE MENTZER: THE INTERVIEW THAT BLEW PEOPLE’S MINDS

In 1993, just prior to the release of his new revised Heavy Duty book, Mike Mentzer was interviewed by Muscle Media 2000 magazine’s Bill Phillips. Dorian Yates had just won his 2nd Mr. Olympia title, and as photos had appeared in the muscle magazines of Mike putting Dorian through several workouts, and as Dorian himself had acknowledged Mike’s influence on his training, Phillips wanted to find out what Mike’s approach to training was all about. The resulting 90-minute interview caused a sensation throughout the bodybuilding world. It marked the first time that Mike had taken his new training beliefs public, apart from some articles that had appeared in Joe Weider’s magazines. Mike was given a platform to thoroughly explain his system, and the listener’s response was overwhelming. Never before had the bodybuilding public heard such a rational, cogent presentation of what proper training was all about. I remember speaking with Mike some weeks after the interview was released and he said that he was shocked at the volume of mail and phone calls he had received as a result of it. I thought it fitting that such a historic interview should be preserved and presented here so that the subscribers and fans of Mike’s teachings can enjoy this historic interview.