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Mike Mentzer Nautilus Machines and Nautilus Training Principles

In the world of high intensity bodybuilding, the name Mike Mentzer looms large. In this post Mike Mentzer talks about the benefits of using Nautilus machines and the unique philosophy of the Nautilus training principles.

Mike Mentzer was an avid advocate of the Nautilus training equipment and principles, here is what he wrote as an forward to The Nautilus Bodybuilding book, written by Dr. Ellington Darden, that was published in 1982.

Forward by Mike Mentzer

I was introduced to Arthur Jones and his Nautilus training principles at the 1971 Mr. America contest. Casey Viator won the contest and I placed tenth. Casey and I were both 18 years of age at the time.

Two Years later I visited Jones at his Nautilus headquarters in Lake Helen Florida. Since then I've talked bodybuilding with him and his staff many times.

Arthur Jones is not a relaxing person to be with. He does not lightly exchange words. He spews facts, torrents of them, gleaned from his studies and, perhaps more important, from practical application of theory, personal observation, and incisive deduction.

You don't converse with Arthur Jones, you attend his lectures. He is opinionated, challenging, intense, and blunt. He knows more about the physiology of exercise than most people who are passing themselves off as physiologists in universities.

I happen to be in accord with many of Jones's ravings, and I find it easy to like him. But even if I found him repulsive, the contribution he has made to the realm of bodybuilding is of prime magnitude. Personally, I've used Nautilus principles and machines in my heavy-duty training for more than 10 years. It's worked foe me-and it will work for you.

I've visited many gyms across the country, and I've talked with thousands of bodybuilders, including all the champions. Some understand the thory and principles built into the design of Nautilus machines and some don't. But all understand what they feel, and what they feel after Nautilus exercise is something they have never felt before.

You don't have to understand why Nautilus equipment works. But I urge you to try it; try it exactly according to the guidelines in this book. You may not understand then, either, but that's not essential. Try the equipment with a tape measure in hand and see what happens.

Would it upset you to find out that only four exercises - Nautilus multi-biceps curls immediately followed by negative chins and multi-triceps extensions immediately followed by negative dips-could pump your arms over an inch when the greatest pump you could ever muster in the past, even doing eight exercise for six sets, was a 5/8-inch girth increase?

Would you be unhappy if you trained for two years and then, after four workouts on Nautilus, found that you were able to add 15 pounds to your curl record and that your maximum military press poundage could now be handled for three reps?

If you work 40 hours a week and attend a university full time and have only worked out for two 20-minute sessions a week for three weeks, would you settle for a 12-pound body weight increase?

The above examples are only some of what is happening to trainees I know who are using Nautilus equipment properly.

As could be expected, the Nautilus machines are being misused by some people. They do too many sets and reps and work out too many days per week. They don't understand or can't accept what a productive took they have to work with. In essence, they're hitching a team of horses to an automobile and letting the animals pull the car.

Instead of rejoicing because there is now a quicker, more efficient way (notice I did not say easier) to achieve their goals, these people attempt to convert the equipment to what they think it should be. Rather, they should adapt themselves and theur training to take advantage of what is before them.

The object of Nautilus equipment is to enable to user to activate muscles completely, intensely, severely, thoroughly, and quickly. It isn't easier, it's just finished sooner. Who works harder, the cross-country runner or the man who runs the 400-meter dash? Although that's debatable, it's easy to know who packs the most effort into the least time. By the way, sprinter and generally more muscular and powerful-appearing specimens than distance runners.

One young bodybuilder I know read about Nautilus principles and not only understood them but had the conviction to train according to the guidelines. He did one set of each of 12 different Nautilus machines to complete failure. When he began barbell training he weighed 139 pounds. Gradually his body weight increased to 163 and stayed there for seven months. After nine workouts on Nautilus it jumped to 178. He's growing before our eyes. His lats are thicker and wider; his entire torso and trunk are heavier and more muscular. His arms have gained 1 1/8 inches. And he's in very lean condition.

I've bever seen a man correctly use the Nautilus compound leg machine who wasn't favorably impressed. No one, but no one, has tried Nautilus equipment and said, "Well, it doesn't seem like much to me", or say any words to that effect.

Nautilus machines are not a fad; they will not just go away, like the hula hoop. I think they're most like automobile. In the beginning, some people didn't comprehend the automobiles significance; even those who saw it, tired it, and approved of it, never thought it could completely replace the horse and buggy. In fact, it hasn't-not completely, anyway. I don't think Nautilus equipment will completely replace the barbell either.

Nautilus machines are not magical. The machines are good, They're better than good, but I know that not everyone who uses them will make the gains he should since not everyone will use the equipment properly. If you're been around free weight a long time and believe you know a lot about bodybuilding from reading muscle magazines, and then you try to apply barbell beliefs to Nautilus training, you'll probably accomplish little, if anything.

But if you're smart and you study Arthur Jones's principles in The Nautilus Bodybuilding book, by Dr. Ellington Darden, you and your training partners may be amazed by what happens to your muscular development in a very short time.

I met Ellington Darden, the author of this book, on my first visit to the Nautilus headquarters. He had competed in many bodybuilding contests during the 1960s and had just finished his Ph.D. in exercise science at Florida State University, so I was naturally interested in why he was working with Jones. Dr. Darden had met Jones a year before I did and had been studying and applying Nautilus concepts for several year. He was convinced that Nautilus was the best way to train. We spend many hours discussing training concepts and muscle building.

Since 1973, Dr. Darden has written many books explaining Nautilus concepts. He has taken much of Arthur Jones's original thinking and made it available to many people in the sports and fitness world. It is ironic that the one group of athletes who can benefit from Nautilus equipment the most, the bodybuilders, probably understand it the least.

I know that it is difficult to accept ideas that are new, especially if they happen to challenge that which is near and dear to you. But remember-if you want to lead the orchestra, you have to turn your back on the crowd.

Mike Mentzer
Former Mr. America and Mr. Universe

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