On this episode of the Bodybuilding Legends Podcast, author John Little talks about his new book Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus. In Part One of his interview, John talks about the reason he wanted to write a biography about his friend Mike Mentzer to fully explain his life and tragic ending. John also talks about Mike's early years in Bodybuilding including training as a teenager, his shoulder injury that almost ended his career and his many variations of the Heavy Duty system that he created from Arthur Jone's initial teachings. At the end of the podcast, host John Hansen reads the article "High Sets, Low Sets" which is an interview with Mike Mentzer conducted by writer Rick Wayne for the January, 1978 issue of Muscle Builder magazine.

Time Stamps:

4:20 - John's Competitions this year

8:15 - Start of interview with John Little

11:00 - The decline of Mike Mentzer

12:30 - The current popularity of Mentzer

19:40 - Going against the grain

25:00 - Why John wrote this book

30:30 - Mike Mentzer's destiny to be a bodybuilder

37:00 - Mike Mentzer's shoulder injury

44:15 - Mike's need for knowledge

46:50 - Why Mike didn't train after he stopped competing

49:35 - John reads the article "High Sets, Low Sets" written by Rick Wayne for the January, 1978 issue of Muscle Builder magazine.

Links:

John's Online Training and Nutrition Programs

Become a Bodybuilding Legends Member

Bodybuilding Legends website

John's YouTube Channel

Mike Mentzer: American Odysseus on Amazon