DOUBLE FEATURE: Mike Mentzer's High Intensity Weightlifting Routine and My Experience with the Elden Ring DLC

Welcome to MeowMed’s Musings, the self-proclaimed #1 newsletter in the world. This week, I have a double feature for you all.

Have you ever wanted to get in a weightlifting workout but felt you were running short on time? Feeling frustrated and fatigued from the many sets and reps recommended by bodybuilders who consume trenbolone sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I’ve got the solution for you! That is—high intensity training (HIT), or heavy duty training.

Now, before I proceed, there are several caveats. Mike Mentzer, who did not conceive this method but heavily popularized it in the late 1970s, was on steroids himself. Moreover, leading figures in the fitness industry (such as Dr. Michael Israetel from Renaissance Periodization) assert that while one can hypothetically gain muscle and strength from this technique, it is not as optimal as a certain degree of higher volume and lower intensity (that may be a topic for a future date).

Basically, it involves completing a few warmup sets, and then 1-2 working sets extremely close to or at muscular failure. Failure is key here, because you need to induce the stimulus for hypertrophy at a lower number of sets/reps. Some techniques that can help you achieve this are forced reps (someone assisting you with completing additional reps), extremely slow negatives, and drop sets (although Mike Mentzer did not advocate for the latter).

If done right, you only need to spend 30-45 minutes in the gym per day, 1-2 days a week. As a medical student with an intensifying schedule, this regimen is key to maintaining my physique. Over the past few weeks, I have noticed some considerable strength gains on my compound lifts. What’s more, I have been on a cut and lowering the frequency of my strength workouts has not changed the fact that a calorie deficit is required. Only time will tell how it impacts my build.

Another aspect of this training to highlight is that recovery is important. Mentzer emphasized that one should never overtrain. If done right, you will need rest for at least 4 days, or even 7 days.

Have you ever implemented a routine like this? Would love to hear your thoughts.

I wanted to follow up on my first newsletter article on the appeal of Elden Ring with my thoughts on the game’s new DLC itself.

Most video game companies, like most corporate entities in America, try to squeeze their consumers for a quick buck. This issue has been especially true for a lot of triple AAA game studios that have begun to escalate the price for what some would consider an incomplete game (I’m looking at you, CD Projekt RED and Ubisoft).

But FromSoftware has once again demonstrated why it is distinguished from the rest. While most would consider downloadable content (DLC) to be an effort to charge more money to sell different parts of a game, the Elden Ring DLC feels like a direct sequel video game that expands on the gameplay, lore, and open world of the original.

Going in, I thought my greatsword build would be as reliable as ever, but boy oh boy was I wrong. I had to use additional summons to aid me in combat and level up my character as much as I could to even stand a chance against the first couple of bosses, Divine Beast Dancing Lion and Twin Moon Knight Rellana.

The final boss, Consort Radahn, was on a whole other level. Fully maxed out stats, armor, summons, and I still needed around 6 hours of learning his moveset and honestly, just pure luck, to take him down.

I really think the difficulty of Elden Ring really drives home the message that there are 2 routes to success: pure talent and pure hard work. Personally, I feel like I encompass the latter, while players like Ongbal essentially took down the final boss without any armor, leveling, or summons. But we both achieved the same result of completing this DLC. That’s why I agree with Miyazaki that there is no necessity for difficulty levels.

With Elden Ring complete, my life can somewhat go back to normal…until FromSoft releases another guaranteed banger.

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DISCLAIMER: The MeowMed Newsletter is not meant to be substituted for professional, personalized medical advice or care. If you have an emergency, please dial 911 or see your primary care provider. Your health and mental health are important. We highly recommend seeing a mental health provider if you feel like the issues we discuss need personalized exploration.