Mike Mentzer - High Quality Scans You May Not Have Seen Before!!!

[Iceman1981]

Here are some high quality Mike Mentzer scans. (If you save the pics, they will be saved in original dimensions).

Over 20 Pics -----> Mike Mentzer scans (http://www.legendsofbodybuilding.com/2012/10/mike-mentzer-here-are-some-high-quality.html)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BCMA_87jrYQ/UHRxvRvQcNI/AAAAAAAADuU/4dfVRHAfJZs/s1600/Scan+1981.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wgBLMXYNkno/UHRxrq4-qaI/AAAAAAAADts/6FoMXXvXIkI/s1600/Mike+Mentzer+Scan6.JPG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YxnKAvRL2oo/UHRxpYQy1LI/AAAAAAAADtU/men_M-j4WS4/s1600/Mike+Mentzer+Scan2.JPG

[johnny_english]

Does anyone know his age in these 3 photos, one of my favorite Bodybuilders

[hifrommike65]

The IM cover is dated (81) but Mike's last show was the 80 Olympia; this may have been a guest pose, since the audience is behind him. The other two are late 70s.

[Curt James]

Does anyone know his age in these 3 photos, one of my favorite Bodybuilders


The IM cover is dated (81) but Mike's last show was the 80 Olympia; this may have been a guest pose, since the audience is behind him. The other two are late 70s.

Mike Mentzer was 29 or 30 in 1981. Wikipedia notes his birth as November 15, 1951 and his death as June 10, 2001. Difficult to believe Mentzer has been dead that long. :-/

Just as unbelievable to me is that his brother -- and fellow Mr. America -- Ray Mentzer died just two days after Mike.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iBUZHqwxsnk/Th3waZc7_7I/AAAAAAAAGU4/mSMNr1PnxvE/s360/mm-rm.jpg
L-R: Ray and Mike Mentzer

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MpOMoAiYtMM/UD1Qxh75HRI/AAAAAAAASu0/zLH_Fz7WGOk/s576/mike-mentzer.jpg
Mike Mentzer

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vHym2NrQXj4/TifaP9Fc6qI/AAAAAAAAGp4/09aBf2asAhQ/s434/arnold-mike.jpg
Mike and Arnold at the '80 O

[John Hansen]

The IM cover is dated (81) but Mike's last show was the 80 Olympia; this may have been a guest pose, since the audience is behind him. The other two are late 70s.

No, that picture is from the 1980 Mr. Olympia. It was held in the Sydney Opera House and there were people seated both in front and back of the stage

[John Hansen]

Mike Mentzer was 29 or 30 in 1981. Wikipedia notes his birth as November 15, 1951 and his death as June 10, 2001. Difficult to believe Mentzer has been dead that long. :-/

Just as unbelievable to me is that his brother -- and fellow Mr. America -- Ray Mentzer died just two days after Mike.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iBUZHqwxsnk/Th3waZc7_7I/AAAAAAAAGU4/mSMNr1PnxvE/s360/mm-rm.jpg
L-R: Ray and Mike Mentzer

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MpOMoAiYtMM/UD1Qxh75HRI/AAAAAAAASu0/zLH_Fz7WGOk/s576/mike-mentzer.jpg
Mike Mentzer

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vHym2NrQXj4/TifaP9Fc6qI/AAAAAAAAGp4/09aBf2asAhQ/s434/arnold-mike.jpg
Mike and Arnold at the '80 O

That means Mike was only 24 years old when he won the 1976 IFBB Mr. America and 26 when he won the Mr. Universe in 1978 (with a perfect 300 score). He was only 27 when he took 2nd place in the Mr. Olympia in 1979 and competed in his last show at 28 years old. The same age when Arnold retired.

[PTB]

Nice pics, but they show his arms a bit overpowering compared to his chest and delts.

[Curt James]

Nice pics, but they show his arms a bit overpowering compared to his chest and delts.

If Mentzer had been as tall as Arnold and with some broader shoulders he would have put a lot bigger sweat on Schwarzenegger.

Always liked Mentzer's Herculean physique. He graduated from the same high school I did, about 10 years prior. They had a picture of him (in a Sunday suit) in the school's lobby for a time. Ephrata also boasts a Miss America winner. It might be the only town with both Mr. America (Mike held the IFBB's version and Ray was an AAU Mr. America) and Miss America winners.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/curt_james/Rx/ayandmentzer.jpg
L-R: Evelyn Ay, 1954 Miss America; Mike Mentzer, 1976 IFBB Mr. America

[Curt James]

That means Mike was only 24 years old when he won the 1976 IFBB Mr. America and 26 when he won the Mr. Universe in 1978 (with a perfect 300 score). He was only 27 when he took 2nd place in the Mr. Olympia in 1979 and competed in his last show at 28 years old. The same age when Arnold retired.

They had his win in Acapulco all over the front page of the Ephrata Review, noting his perfect score.

It's an awful shame that Mentzer didn't continue to compete. If he had, I wonder what the next five years would have seen so far as placings go.

[John Hansen]

This is one of my favorite pics of Mentzer.

[LookinFit75]

This is one of my favorite pics of Mentzer.
If I am not mistaken he was 5'8", correct? What was his weight like? He looks thick as heck but I can't imagine him weight more than maybe 230"?

[John Hansen]

If I am not mistaken he was 5'8", correct? What was his weight like? He looks thick as heck but I can't imagine him weight more than maybe 230"?

Yes, he was 5'8". I'm not exactly certain of his weight but I think it was closer to 215 than 230 but I might be wrong. That's contest weight

[GDavis]

John did you ever know or meet him? What do you think of his Heavy Duty program?

[LouisG271]

Yes, he was 5'8". I'm not exactly certain of his weight but I think it was closer to 215 than 230 but I might be wrong. That's contest weight
yea i'm guessing 210-215,

[Curt James]

Yes, he was 5'8". I'm not exactly certain of his weight but I think it was closer to 215 than 230 but I might be wrong. That's contest weight

A quick Google offers that fellow 5'8" champions include John C. Grimek, 1940 AAU Mr. America and Samir Bannout, 1983 Mr. Olympia. Mentzer's competition weight is noted as 225 lbs., but I agree with Natural_O and LouisG271 as body weights and measurements are so often exaggerated.

http://musclememory.com/images/recent/BannoutSamir.jpg
Samir Bannout

http://musclememory.com/images/vintage/GrimekJohn_1-LonNY.jpg
John Grimek

[Curt James]

John did you ever know or meet him? What do you think of his Heavy Duty program?

I know you didn't ask me, but as an awestruck teenager I saw Mentzer train triceps at the Lancaster Health Spa. He was facing away from me doing pushdowns. At first glance I thought it was some really big fat guy as there's no way arms that size could be solid muscle. But they were.

Then I saw who it was. Must have been '79 or '80.

[John Hansen]

John did you ever know or meet him? What do you think of his Heavy Duty program?

No, I never met him but I did see him a few times in person. When I went to my first Mr. Olympia in 1977, I saw him standing on a street corner in Columbus and he was wearing a sweatshirt cut off at the elbows and I was blown away by the size of his forearms. I got to see him compete in the 1979 Olympia where he was in fantastic shape.

I thought his Heavy Duty system was a little too extreme. He would have articles in Muscle Builder each month back in the late '70's and it seemed like he was always reducing his volume all the time ("Now I'm down to only doing 2 sets for an entire bodypart") but he was backing it up by improving his physique each year and doing better in competitions. A lot of the guys who were around back then and watched him train said he was doing more sets than he said he was doing. He would train like a lot of us train now, a few warm-up sets and then maybe 2 heavy, working sets with maybe 3 or even 4 exercises per bodypart.

[GDavis]

John, do you have interest or ever talk to Dave about bringing back Natural bodybuilding radio on RX Muscle?

[GDavis]

If Mentzer had been as tall as Arnold and with some broader shoulders he would have put a lot bigger sweat on Schwarzenegger.

Always like Mentzer's Herculean physique. He graduated from the same high school I did, about 10 years prior. They had a picture of him (in a Sunday suit) in the school's lobby for a time. Ephrata also boasts a Miss America winner. It might be the only town with both Mr. America (Mike held the IFBB's version and Ray was an AAU Mr. America) and Miss America winners.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/curt_james/Rx/ayandmentzer.jpg
L-R: Evelyn Ay, 1954 Miss America; Mike Mentzer, 1976 IFBB Mr. America

Curt any stories passed down from teachers or kids. I am sure the English teacher would be proud with his dedication to Ayn Rand.

[John Hansen]

John, do you have interest or ever talk to Dave about bringing back Natural bodybuilding radio on RX Muscle?

I never talked to him about it. I think it's all about lining up sponsors to pay for it before anything can happen.

[GDavis]

So you are interested in doing something along those lines if you could line up a few sponsors?

[John Hansen]

So you are interested in doing something along those lines if you could line up a few sponsors?

Sure!

[Curt James]

Curt any stories passed down from teachers or kids. I am sure the English teacher would be proud with his dedication to Ayn Rand.

No stories about Mike, unfortunately.

Ray Mentzer was a member of the high school wrestling team's 30 Pin Club.


Sure!

That would be awesome!

[ypmm5]

This is one of my favorite pics of Mentzer.

Legendary shot.
The man was ahead of time.