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Mike Mentzer and Steroids

Did Mike Mentzer Take Steroids?

There is a lot of controversy on the subject of Mike Mentzer and anabolic steroids. Questions such as - Did Mike Mentzer use steroids or was he natural? How much steroids did Mike Mentzer use? What was Mike Mentzer's steroid cycle? Did Mike Mentzer die from steroid usage?, etc.

We will try to answer all these questions in this article.

Did Mike Mentzer Use Steroids?

Firstly, you have to realize that all top bodybuilders since at least 1960 used steroids, so yes, Mike Menzer also used them to compete at the top levels of bodybuilding.

Mike Mentzer used steroids under a doctors care, he only used them before contests, he didn't stay on them all the time the way bodybuilders do today.

While the in the muscle magazines many top bodybuilders denied using anabolic steroids, Mike never lied he always admitted he used them.

How Much Steroids Did Mike Mentzer Take?

He used very low to moderate amounts, actually extremely low compared to what today's bodybuilders use. He said he tried higher doses when he first moved to California, but he didn't feel the results were any better and he got more side effects. So, he decided to stick to the lower dosages for the rest of his bodybuilding career.

What Was Mike Mentzer's Steroid Cycle?

Mike Mentzer used short and low dosage cycles of Dianabol and/or Deca Durabolin for six weeks before contests, then he would go off until just before the next contest.

Did Mike Mentzer Die From Steroids?

When Mike Mnetzer died he hadn't taken steroids for many years. Yes, it is possible that he had some long term health issues from taking them. But, there was also a history of heart disease in the Mentzer family. Mike also smoked, drank and used amphetamines at times, so these also contributed to his early death.

Did Mike Mentzer Recommend or Advocate The Use of Steroids For Bodybuilding?

Mike was very concerned about the abuse of steroids, especially by young and impressionable bodybuilders. He acknowledged that they can cause some serious health issues, and after 1990 also legal issues because they became controlled substances making possession a felony.

Mike Mentzer first built up his physique as far as he could go naturally and only when he decided to compete at the higher levels did he take steroids, he felt it was a personal decision but he didn't advocate the use or abuse of steroids for recreational bodybuilders as the health and legal risks wouldn't be worth it.

Does Mike Mentzer's Training Work Without Steroids?

Yes, Heavy Duty High Intensity Training which uses short, intense and infrequent workouts allows for sufficient recovery and growth of muscle mass.

On the other hand high volume training such as recommended by Arnold Schwarzenegger, involves very long, daily workouts which most people would not be able to recover and grow from unless they were taking anabolic steroids.

If you have any questions about Mike Mentzer, Heavy Duty, High Intensity Training, Diet, etc. email us and we'll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can.

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