Mike Mentzer's Old School "Most Productive" 2 Day Split Routine

by Alexander Smout November 1, 2021

Photo sourced from this reddit thread here.

Late last year I read The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer: The Art, Science and Philosophy of a Bodybuilding Legend.

I plan to review it in full at a later time, however, I’d like to share his “most productive routine” he discussed partway through the book.

I don’t think I would recommend the original program for naturals, namely because I think it contains far too much volume in a single workout.

Hitting chest and triceps after legs sounds like an absolute nut buster.

As a result, I’ve made two different variations on Mentzer’s program which you may find work for your goals, alongside a bit of commentary.

Workout 1 of Mentzer’s Routine

Leg Exercises

i. Super Set of {Leg Extensions and Leg Presses}

—{1 Super Set} x 6-8 Reps

ii. Squats

—1 Set x 6-8 Reps

iii. Leg Curls

—2 Sets x 6-8 Reps

iv. Calf Raises

—2 Sets x 6-8 Reps

v. Toe Presses

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Chest Exercises

i. Super Set of {Dumbbell Flyes or Pec Deck}

—{1-2 Super Set} x 6-8 Reps

ii. Incline Presses

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

iii. Chest Dips

—2 Set of 6-8 Reps

Triceps Exercises

i. Super Set of {Triceps Pushdowns}

—{1 Super Set} of 6-8 Reps

ii. Triceps Dips

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

iii. Lying Triceps Extensions

—2 Set of 6-8 Reps

Workout 2 of Mentzer’s Routine

Back Exercises

i. Super Set of {Nautilus Pullovers}

—{2 Super Sets} of 6-8 Reps

ii. Close Grip Pulldowns

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

iii. Bent-Over Barbell Rows

—2 Set of 6-8 Reps

Traps Exercises

i. Super Set of {Universal Machine Shrugs}

—{2 Super Sets} of 6-8 Reps

ii. Upright Rows

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Shoulder Exercises

i. Super Set of {Nautilus Laterals}

—{2 Super Sets} of 6-8 Reps

ii. Nautilus Presses

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

iii. Rear Delt Rows

—2 Set of 6-8 Reps

Biceps Exercises

i. Standing Barbell Curls

—1 Set of 6-8 Reps

ii. Concentration Curls

—2 Set of 6-8 Reps

Schedule & Frequency

Mentzer used this program on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday schedule, and also on an Every Other Day rotation.

Monday-Wednesday-Friday - Three Days per Week

Monday: Workout A

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Workout B

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Workout A

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Workout B—Repeating Cycle

Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday - Four Days per Week

Monday: Workout A

Tuesday: Workout B

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: Workout A

Friday: Workout B

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Workout A—Repeating Cycle

Every Other Day - Three to Four Times per Week

Monday: Workout A

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Workout B

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Workout A

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Workout B

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Workout A—Repeating Cycle

Wednesday: Rest

Review & Analysis

Mentzer was definitely the “Thinking Man” of the bodybuilding community in his day.

In fact, apart from Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’d argue that he’s probably made the largest impact on the bodybuilding community to date, followed by several other successors and his predecessor Arthur Jones—I discussed this in-depth here.

I say this because his exercise programs are less, ‘cookie-cutter,’ and likewise, have much more thought put behind them.

But of course, don’t get me wrong here, all bodybuilders put thought behind their programs.

Mentzer, however, was in a league of his own, given that he was also pushing his Heavy Duty philosophy in conjunction with his exercise and routine preferences.

Is This Routine Any Good & Worth Using?

Overall, I think this program is solid.

I only have a few criticisms which I think are only fair because Mentzer’s access to bodybuilding information was of course limited compared to what we have today.

First, I’m not a huge fan of supersets.

In my opinion, they push a workout more towards the aerobic side of things, which I think should be avoided, especially for the natural trainee.

In the same way, I believe that supersets cause one to end up performing two exercises badly or just ‘okay’ rather than one very well.

Second, I think additional back work is necessary.

In his book, High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way, Mike states that he performs barbell rows parallel to the floor pulling to the sternum.

This is fine, however, an additional row targeting the lower lat area in addition to this movement would be useful so that the entire lat is hit.

Finally, splitting up the routine further amongst additional days would be beneficial for your average trainee.

How Would I Change This Routine if I Were to Use It?

If I were to alter this routine for my own use, yet still keep it relatively similar in the spirit of Mentzer, I would make the following changes below.

I want to reiterate that these two programs are designed akin to my preferences, yet should generally work well for anyone who uses them.

Therefore, feel free to move things around and remove or substitute exercises as you see fit if you choose to use one of these routines.

I’m not a big fan of push-pull-legs style training, which is why I like to pair non-synergistic body parts together, such as chest and biceps, upper body and calves, and so on.

Three Day Variation

Workout A

Legs

—Leg Press

1-2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Leg Curl

1-2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Leg Extension

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

—Romanian Deadlift or Glute Ham Raise

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Front & Mid Delt

—Dumbbell or Machine Lateral Raise

2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Cable Lateral Raise

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

—Dumbbell or Cable Front Raise

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

—Arnold Press or Machine Overhead Press

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Forearms

—Grip Work or Wrist Curls

2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Hammer Curl or Reverse Curl

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

—Hang on Pull Up Bar

1-2 Sets for as Long as Possible

Workout B

Back

—Machine Pullover or Dumbbell and Cable Pullovers Together

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Close Grip or Neutral Grip Pulldown

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Yates Barbell Row or One Arm Cable Row

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Bent-Over Barbell Row (Mentzer Style) or Wide Grip Cable Row

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

Triceps

—Pushdowns

1-2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Dips

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

—Lying Dumbbell Extensions

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

Calves

—Standing Calf Raises or Seated Calf Press

2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Seated Calf Raises

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

Workout C

Chest

—Incline Dumbbell Press or Incline Machine Press

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Incline Dumbbell Fly

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Flat or Decline Dumbbell Press, Dip, or Cable Crossover

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

Rear Delt

—Bent-Over Dumbbell or Cable Lateral Raise, or Reverse Pec Deck

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

Traps

—Dumbbell Shrugs

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Dumbbell High Pull or Incline Shrug

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Biceps

—Low Pulley Curl or Incline Curl

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Dumbbell Preacher Curl or Concentration Curl

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Four Day Variation

Workout A

Hamstrings

—Leg Curl

1-2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Romanian Deadlift or Glute Ham Raise

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Front & Mid Delt

—Dumbbell or Machine Lateral Raise

2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Cable Lateral Raise

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

—Dumbbell or Cable Front Raise

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

—Arnold Press or Machine Overhead Press

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Forearms

—Grip Work or Wrist Curls

2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Hammer Curl or Reverse Curl

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

—Hang on Pull Up Bar

1-2 Sets for as Long as Possible

Back

—Machine Pullover or Dumbbell and Cable Pullovers Together

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Close Grip or Neutral Grip Pulldown

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Yates Barbell Row or One Arm Cable Row

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Bent-Over Barbell Row (Mentzer Style) or Wide Grip Cable Row

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

Triceps

—Pushdowns

1-2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Dips

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

—Lying Dumbbell Extensions

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

Workout C

Quads

—Leg Press

1-2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Leg Extension

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

Rear Delt

—Bent-Over Dumbbell or Cable Lateral Raise, or Reverse Pec Deck

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

Traps

—Dumbbell Shrugs

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Dumbbell High Pull or Incline Shrug

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Workout D

Chest

—Incline Dumbbell Press or Incline Machine Press

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Incline Dumbbell Fly

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Flat or Decline Dumbbell Press, Dip, or Cable Crossover

1-2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

Biceps

—Low Pulley Curl or Incline Curl

2 Sets of 6-8 Reps

—Dumbbell Preacher Curl or Concentration Curl

1 Set of 6-8 Reps

Calves

—Standing Calf Raises or Seated Calf Press

2 Sets of 8-10 Reps

—Seated Calf Raises

1 Set of 8-10 Reps

Pour Conclure

I believe that of all professional bodybuilders, the routines of Mike Mentzer and Dorian Yates are really the only ones I can recommend to trainees with a straight face.

Their routines are realistic and use principles that work: intensity and low volume.

As usual, if you have any pointers, comments, or questions, please let me know.

Until next time, friends.

Your pal,

Alexander Smout

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