What Does The Matt Mendenhall Workout Routine Look Like?
Matt Mendenhall is considered one of the best bodybuilders of his generation between 1980 and 1990. Sadly Matt died at the young age of 61. With his unique record, people were interested in understanding how he came up with an outstanding physique. Therefore, people researched his workout routine with the faith that they might help other bodybuilders gain a positive reputation like that of Matt Mendenhall. At the height of his career, Matt Mendenhall’s workout routine included proper training from Monday to Saturday and balanced meals that provided him with the required calories.
So when we look at Mendenhall’s workout routine, there are unique activities that he used to do, and they made him come out different from the rest of the bodybuilders. As discussed below, the significant aspects of his workout routine include the specific number of sets and reps on other days of the week. Also, most important is nutrition; we will see the types of meals he used to enjoy to keep up with the tough workout sessions.
Matt Mendenhall Workout Routine: Step By Step Guide
At the height of his career, Mendenhall could perform around 6-30 reps. These depended on the nature of the exercise; he could complete the reps in sets of 4 or 5. As part of his motivation in his workout, he would enjoy training to fail and go for forced reps in most exercises apart from the legs. We are about to learn and appreciate the workout routine. As people interested in this workout routine, we will see step-by-step things that shaped Matt Mendenhall into this great legend of bodybuilding.
Let’s look at how Matt Mendenhall’s workout routine used to be.
Chest -(Monday and Thursday)
Here is a breakdown of Mendenhall’s chest workout:
- Cable crossover (4 sets; 10 reps)- weight 55kg (120 lb)Dumbbell pullover (4 sets; 10 reps)- weight 59 kg (130 lb)
- Incline or flat flies (5 sets; 6 to 8 reps)- weight 59 kg (130 lb)
- Dumbbell declined press (4 sets; 5 reps)- weight 59kg (130 lb)
- Barbell declined press (4 sets; 6 reps)- weight 154kg (340 lb)
Shoulders -(Tuesday and Friday)
- Shoulder shrugs (5 sets; 8 reps)- weight 184 kg (405 lb)
- Behind-neck press (5 sets; 8 reps )- weight 86kg (190 lb)
- Upright rows (3 sets; 8 reps)- weight 66 kg (145 lb)
- Side lateral raises (5 sets; 8 reps)- weight 23kg (50 lb)
- Rear delt bent- over laterals ( 5 sets; 8 reps)- weight 36 kg (80 lb)
Biceps -(Tuesday and Friday)
- Standing barbell curls (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 68 kg (150 lb)
- Preacher curls (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 54kg (120 lb)
- Concentration dumbbell curls (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 18 kg (40 lb)
- Standing dumbbell curls (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 29 kg (65 lb)
Triceps -(Tuesday and Friday)
- Dumbbell extensions (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 18 kg (40 lb)
- Seated French extensions (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 59 kg (130 lb)
- Lying French extensions (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 64 kg (140 lb)
- Push-downs (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 68 kg (150 lb)
Thighs – (Wednesday and Saturday)
- Thigh extensions (5 sets; 10 reps)- weight 91 kg (200 lb)
- Hack squats (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 114 kg (250 lb)
- Squats (5 sets; 6 to 10 reps)- weight 184 to 250 kg (404 to 550 lb)
- Leg curls (5 sets; 10 reps)- weight 54 kg (120 lb)
Kindly note that in this exercise, he ensured for the last three weeks, he included four sets of side and front lunges that aided in separation.
Calves – (Wednesday and Saturday)
- Donkey raises (5 sets; 10 to 12 reps)
- Standing calf machine (5 sets; 10 reps)- weight 364 kg (800 lb)
- Toe raises on the leg press (5 sets; 10 reps)- weight 182 kg (400 lb)
- Seated calf raises (5 sets; 8 reps)- weight 137 kg (300 lb)
Forearms – (Friday)
- Wrist curls (4 sets; 12 reps)- weight 45 kg (100 lb)
- Reverse curls (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 45kg (100 lb)
Back – (Monday and Thursday)
- Hyperextension (4 sets; 12 reps)
- T-bar rows (4 sets; 8 to 10 reps)- weight 125 kg (275 lb)
- Wide-grip chins (4 sets; 8 to 10 reps)
- Dumbbell bent-over rows (4 sets; 10 reps)- weight 55 kg (120 lb)
- Lat pull-downs (front) (4 sets; 10 reps)- weight 91 kg (200 lb)
- Seated rows (4 sets; 8 reps)- weight 114 kg (250 lb)
- Lat pull-downs (rear) (4 sets; 10 reps)- weight 91 kg (200 lb)
Kindly pay attention to this: Based on his history of having injuries while practicing back exercises, he learned a trick to avoid injuring his back. As a result, he would cease doing deadlifts six weeks before any significant contest.
Abs – (Every day)
Mendenhall had insane abs; of course, he didn’t achieve them quickly; he worked out tirelessly, and below is an ab workout:
- Sit-ups (4 sets; 30 reps)
- Lying leg raises (4 sets; 30 reps)
- Hanging leg raises (4 sets; 30 reps)
Rest – (Sunday)
We all know that the creator of the universe did all the hard work in 6 days, but he spent a single day resting and admiring all he had done for the week. Matt Mendenhall is no exception; after the rigorous exercise from Monday to Saturday, he ensured Sunday was a day for his body to rest. Muscles can relax when the body is at rest, and cells can regenerate for better muscle development. On this resting day, he could see all he had achieved from the week’s vigorous exercise and set a target for the next week’s bodybuilding achievements.
Nutrition: What Does Matt Mendenhall Workout Routine Diet Include?
In history, there were other bodybuilders during Matt Mendenhall’s professional career, but they didn’t match his capabilities. With that said, we need to understand the nature and uniqueness of his diet plan that made him stand out tall from other bodybuilders. Although it is hard for an average bodybuilder to maintain calorie levels at 1800, Mendenhall held this calorie level at the height of his career. However, maintaining a calorie level at 1800 isn’t easy, as Mendenhall had to avoid junk foods altogether.
Additionally, he ensured that daily fat intake was as low as possible. Most bodybuilders are always concerned about the intake levels of carbs, but Mendenhall wasn’t worried about it. His primary focus on a diet revolved around veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and complex carbs. Let’s jump on his diet, where we will see the different foods that shaped this bodybuilding legend.
Diet Plan
Below is a list of daily meals in Matt Mendenhall’s workout diet plan;
- 1st Meal: Ice, protein shakes with banana and apple juice.
- 2nd Meal: A fruit piece of your choice
- 3rd Meal: Chicken or fish with vegetables
- 4th Meal: Fish or chicken with vegetables
Supplement Stacks
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B
- Whey Protein
- Multivitamins
- Lecithin
- Minerals
- Choline
- Inositol
What Do We Learn From Matt Mendenhall’s Workout Routine Innovator?
Matt Mendenhall, who now gave us Matt Mendenhall’s workout routine, extensively advocated not giving up while exercising. We also know that with a unique workout routine as a bodybuilder, you can quickly achieve the unexpected from competitors and the world. Mendenhall might have had mishaps in his lifetime, but from the record he set and his unique workout routine, he still managed to come out as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.
To effectively compete against other bodybuilders, it is incumbent to maintain the correct levels of calories concerning the body weight. Precise calorie levels were among the critical aspects he observed in his nutrition, not to exceed or fall short. Without fear of contradiction, how can we forget about his hard work? We’ve seen from his workout routine he used to exercise from Monday to Saturday, not forgetting he did abs every day. Conclusively, he also did one thing that we can’t ignore of all bodybuilders; he was the only one not concerned about his leg exercises.
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