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.
Episode aired August 21, 2025.