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Mike Katz Workout and Diet

By Jordan Leave a Comment | Last updated on February 6, 2022

Subj: Mike Katz Workout and Diet. ‘Golden Era’ bodybuilding to maximize size, strength and aesthetics.

Who is Mike Katz?

If you’re here you probably already who he his – but for those of you who stumbled across this article, Mike Katz is a bodybuilding legend who will be immortalized for his contribution to the sport.

Here’s a little back story…

Michael Katz was born on November 14, 1944, in Connecticut, in beautiful U.S of A.

He was picked on as a kid. He got grief from all angles – people made fun of his religion, his glasses, his haircut, everything pretty much. He would leave school dances early because he felt like and outcast. But instead of going home he would go to the track and run laps at full speed. Thinking the whole time about how he would prove everyone wrong. “I’ll show them” he would repeat to himself.

Instead of sulking like a baby he channeled his anger like the Incredible Hulk. The ridicule fueled his rage and made him more determined to succeed. He began training like a demon in the gym and in sports.

Instead of becoming sullen, dejected and bad tempered, he transmuted the bad in his life to make something good out of it. Katz built himself into an absolute unit through training and sheer will.

Steamrolling the Competition

My favorite Mike Katz quote from the movie Pumping Iron is “I wanted to be so big and scary that people would see me and run the other way.”

And that’s pretty much what happened.

By the time Katz was in high school he was running people over on the football field.

Katz ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, in full gear, weighing 270 pounds while standing 6ft 1in tall. Which is known in the industry as a Mack truck hauling ass.

Katz played football at a time when noone lifted weights. So he had a tremendous advantage over the competition.

Needless to say he was a star athlete in Highschool and went on to play football at Southern Connecticut State College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1966.

Mike Katz and the New York Jets

Mike had a stellar football career throughout college and continues playing in the NFL for the New York Jets.

Mike Katz was one of the strongest NFL players in the 1950s. He was such a beast that he earned the nickname “Superhuman”. Later on life, he moved towards bodybuilding after the NFL, where he became known as one of the toughest tall-class, and heavyweight competitors of the Golden Era.

Mike Katz Bodybuilding Career

Mike Katz leaned down to a cut and dry 240 pounds during competition. He had a long bodybuilding career and competed until 1981. He won the IFBB Mr. World title in 1972, finish in the top of the heap for many elite bodybuilding contests.

He continued to compete after finishing second at Mr. Olympia in 1976, earning fourth at the NBA Natural Mr. America Professional finals in 1980. He formally retired after losing to strongman Cooper Hayman at the National Strongman Competition the same year, although he competed as a bodybuilder again a year later.

Katz was one of the most well rounded bodybuilders. He had a multifaceted life, played professional football, traveled the world, raised two kids, trained people, opened gyms, and taught school for decades.

Mike Katz Workout Routine

Mike Katz divided his year of training into four-month phases. Each phase lasted 3 months.

Phase 1 (Off Season Bulk) – Workout four times a week, twice a week for each muscle group.

Phase 2 (Off Season Bulk + Physique Balancing) Workout five days a week, repeating phase one for the first four days, then training any lagging body parts for the third time that week on the fifth day.

Phase 3 (Bodybuilding Competition Season) He would utilize the double split program six days a week for pre-contest preparation, exercising each muscle three times per week.

Katz would perform 8 to 10 repetitions throughout the offseason to bulk up. And 10 to 15 reps in the 4 months before a competition to bring out the muscle definition.

20 to 30 sets were performed per muscle group. Each body part was trained 2-3 times per week depending on the training phase.

Super Sets and Drop Sets

Katz and his training partners used a lot of supersets, especially when training for a contest.

For example, he would do a set of bench press then immediately go and do pull-ups for back.

And of course many, many, many drop sets were done.

Running The Rack

Mike Katz and the guys did something called “The Rack”. Which means they did drop sets to failure. Running the rack is starting with a low weight and moving up in weight incrementally each set. You keep increasing the weight until you can only do 1 or 2 reps then you do the whole thing in reverse. No rest in between. Just grab the weight and go.

Weight Lifting is Cardio

Katz’s training was so intense that he would hyperventilate and pour sweat. Early in his career he would spend 3-4 hours at the gym each workout. That all changed when he moved to California and started training at Gold’s Gym with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He condensed his workout to under 1.5 hours with the same amount of sets and reps. Tons of pounded were moved in a very short timeframe. Little to no rest between sets. This provided fantastic cardiovascular training and fat burning.

Mike Katz Workout Routine

This is Mike’s routine for competition prep. It called for training 6 days per week.

Monday and Thursday: Chest and Back

Tuesday and Friday: Legs

Wednesday and Saturday: Shoulders and Arms

Sunday: Off

Chest and Back Workout

Barbell bench press superset with Chin Ups for 8 to 10 sets of 6 to 12 reps each
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press with Rows for 5 sets of 6 to 12 reps
Dumbbell Flyes Superset or Parallel Bar Dips superset with Pull Downs for 5 sets of 8 to 10 reps

To build his massive chest he admits it was somewhat genetic but explains the proper way to do Dumbbell Pullovers + Dumbbell Incline Bench. He consistently beat Arnold Schwartzanegger for “best Chest”.

Leg Workout

Barbell Back Squats 5-10 sets for 5-20 reps

Leg Bicep Curl (Hamstring Curl) 5 sets for 8-15 reps

Leg Extension 5 sets for 8-20 reps

Hack Squats or Leg Press or Straight leg Deadlifts for 5+ sets and 10-20 reps

Shoulders and Arms Workout

Standing Military Press or Seated Dumbbell Press superset with Lateral Raises: 5 sets for 6-12 reps

Incline Bicep Curls superset with Tricep Overhead Extension: 6-8 sets of 6-12 reps

Preacher Curls superset with Close-Grip Bench Press: 6-8 sets of 6-12 reps

Barbell Curls superset with Tricep Push-Down: 6-8 sets of 6-12 reps

Upright Rows superset with Rear Delt Flyes: 6-8 sets of 6-12 reps

Ab Training!

Abs where also done in superset fashion. As needed and usually done more as contest time approached.

100’s and 100’s of abdominal reps per workout.

Mike Katz Diet

Like other bodybuilders of his day, Mike maintained a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, eating up to four pounds of meat per day and entire eggs. He would have a little carb increase every third day, such as spaghetti, oats, or fruit.

He took desiccated liver pills and amino acids between meals, as well as a protein shake made from Blair’s Protein twice a day. And occasion supplements from Joe Weider.

According to Katz, he’d eat 4lbs of meat every day which was cut by hand in his local butchers. He’d eat pasta every third day and oatmeal for energy along with fruit and whole eggs.

Katz ate a lot of food containing cholesterol to “help him through intense workouts”.

He was also supplied with supplements by h and would have protein drinks twice a day along with desiccated liver tablets.

Mike Katz’s Legacy

He always found time to train. Lived a full life. Worked a job, had a family, raised two kids, made training accessible to many people, was a great role model and still is to this day. He lives to help people get healthy and financially fit. So you can be healthy happy and rich instead of sick and broke.

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Filed Under: Bodybuilding, Workouts

About Jordan

Creator of Iron & Grit. Find me at the gym. How can I help you? Follow me on Instagram for fitness tips and meal ideas @ironandgrit

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