7-15 days
Paul Brodeur - interview
You may be surprised to find out that Paul Brodeur was born in Canada, because currently he hails from Texas, where it seems fitting for everything is Big in Texas like the desire and heart of a mighty athlete. The first thing you notice when you talk to Paul Brodeur is the deep mighty voice, next if you were to look at his significant physical attributes standing at almost 6 foot 4 and weighing 318 pounds of muscle at 10% body fat he definitely exudes a presence. Add that this guy has put more than a GRAND on his shoulders and successfully descended below parallel and powered out of āthe holeā standing heroically, emblazoning his name in the record books, making him one of a select few on Powerliftings ALL TIME top 20 list.
Paulās dad played professional ice hockey and passed on some good genetic attributes. It was the vision of Hercules in the movies that prompted Paul to lift. āI remember, I think it was just after first grade when I showed my mom and dad I could lift the entire 110 pound Sears weight over my headā, reflected Paul. āItās been a life time commitment ever sinceā, Paul stated with all seriousness.
Paul is a true Powerlifter to the core and shared many great stories with me in addition to this interview. He is straight to the point, pulls no punches and tells it like he sees it. I had to ask Paul if it would be alright with him if I print some of the more harsh and abrasive opinions on some well known people. Paul told me āSome of those people are friends but when youāre wrong or full of it Iām going to say it. If they donāt like it they can talk to me about it!ā
Paul started out bodybuilding and took second to Platz one year. āThen bodybuilding started changing and I saw the politics and as I talked to other top bodybuilders they spoke about how Weider already has decided who is getting the promotional contract and thatās who will be winning the contest, and other crap like this. A nice way to say it is that Iām not fond of Weider. I decided to try something more real by that I mean either you make a lift successfully or you donāt, I went on to test my strength in legit Powerlifting contests, you can watch the video and see if a lift is legit.ā
I asked Paul to give me his impression of the following people: Antony Clark- āHe was very impressive at a young age (benched 520 at 17 yrs. old) but he needs to clean his act up, disenfranchise with Joe Weider and go back to the APF or IPF and do what he has to do under strict judging if he wants his lifts to be considered legitimate.ā
Dave Pazenella- āDave was incredible and a true champion, a car wreck took his life and that was very sad, no telling what kind of records he would have set. Dave was a very gifted athlete and a nice man.ā
Ed Coan- āEd is a casual aquaintance and an incredible talent, although he is usually chronically injured because he overtrains, too many sets and multiple days a week-THIS IS WRONG. I know Ed would total even more (scary thought isnāt it) and be free of injuries if he worked out the way Mike Mentzer says.ā
Charles Poliquin- āWhat a joke, itās embarrassing this guy is from Canada. Charles Poliquin is so full of crap, heās trying to re-invent the wheel. What a bunch of B.S. Can you imagine a Powerlifter getting ready for competition benching on an inflatable ball!ā What a fool!" (authors noteāthe ball he is referring to is used by physical therapists to rehabilitate, I observed an athlete using it for rehabilitation of a medial collateral knee injury. This ball is not intended to be used while bench pressing, like I need to tell anyone that who has half a brain).
Fred Hatfield- āI personally know Fred and when we talked about my training he said train 1 set to failure, 1 day a week. I know he has attacked Mentzer and I think Fred is wrong and full of horse crap. Fredās advising gross overtraining volume grandiose @#$% to sell his magazines, books or something. Give the majority what they want to read and anything goes to sell books, even if that means lying Fred. Thatās the only reason, to sell books, mags, etc. that I can think Fred would promote these FALSE ideas. Otherwise I canāt understand it, Fred and I, we both know heās wrong! Fred knows he agreed ONE SET TO FAILURE , ONE DAY A WEEK when we discussed it at the strength symposium! Fredās screwing people with this @#$% and heās going to screw up an athleteās career with that garbage, I know a shot putter that was injured from that false garbage. Volume, multiple set and multiple days training goes opposite of what you should do! I think Fred should publicly apologize to Mike Mentzer, because Mentzer is the only one that has figured it out and presents it with exact clarity. Mikeās knowledge truly is the shining example of the correct way to work out, Mike has figured it out and explains it with an exactitude for the truthā, Paul bellowed.
I guess I donāt need to ask your approximation of Mike Mentzer I asked Paul. Paul said," I think I said it all maybe I could add, in terms of training for ultimate strength and size Mike Mentzer is a genius."
One of the many stories that Paul shared with me, and I had to include it, is his first meeting with āKAZā and Paul is very good friends with Ted Arcidi as well and they train together on occasion.
Paul has become friends with some of the most popular names in Powerlifting like Bill Kazmier and Ted Arcidi to name a couple, and the stories are interesting to say the least especially if youāre an aficionado of muscle and strength. Paul told me of the time he met āKAZā who had those intense wide eyes, the look he would give would bring everything to a halt when he walked into the room. āI was in the warm up room, and at lifting meets Iām usually very intense and focused. I donāt talk much. Suddenly KAZ burst in the room with this enraged look on his face like everyone here is a loser and not dedicated. Then he looked right in my eyes and paused and said, āYESSā, he sat down and Terry Todd came over and said, āKAZ is wondering if he could warm up with you?ā KAZ had never met me I was the new guy on the scene. I said, āTell him it would be an honor.ā KAZ had two gallons of milk and made some protein concoction and drank one half of it down within seconds! I mean just gulped it down then offered me some and said to me, āLetās go weigh in!ā We were friends ever since then. We identified with each other we know what we go through battling these weights, ITāS A LIFE TIME Commitment!ā
DH: Paul what does your workout routine consist of?
PB: I lift One Set to Failure.
DH: How often or frequently do you work out?
PB: Once every 7 to 15 days.
DH: How has that been working for you?
PB: Itās been just wonderful, since I decreased the volume and frequency even more, my strength and size vaulted to the sky. Even better I used to have problems with injuries, now Iām healthier and stronger than ever.
DH: Paul tell me more about the injury?
PB: The injury that comes to mind was on the bench press. I was training in preparation for a contest and I didnāt realize it at the time. I had all these guy spotting me and my last warm up was heavy and I thought about ending the work out right there. Then they said, āAW come on Paul just hit a big weight for a couple just to get a feel, because the meet is coming up.ā So because Iām such a competitive guy and easily fired up, I said OK put on a couple more wheels and I wound up injuring myself badly but I learned from it.
DH: What exactly did you learn?
PB: First to pay attention to your training journal, itās easy to get caught up in the excitement and competition. Instinctively great athletes will try and push their limits, most of the time too often; you must allow for recovery and strength increases especially as your lifts get heavier you need more rest. I can recruit many fibers, lift a lot of weight and do a bunch of damage. I have to be very careful and not let others or my emotions and instincts take over my precise meet preparation. When I did I was injured and imploded the muscle and actually ruptured and killed muscle tissue forever. Another thing I would like to say is that correct form is also VERY important to avoid injuries.
DH: Paul I know youāre a personal trainer, how is business and how do you train your clients.
PB: My personal training is going great, I have more business then I can almost handle. My clients and I do the same work out one set to failure one time or less a week.
DH: Was it hard to convince your clients to train this way?
PB: With some it took some explaining, and I can dispell all misconceptions and all of my clients train 1 set to failure. The progress of my clients is outstanding, I have clients ranging from doctors in there 50ās doing 1,000 pound leg presses while losing 40 lbs. of fat and adding 30 lbs of muscle. I have another lady in her early 50ās that has had a total body composition change increasing lean muscle and can perform a good deep squat with 185 for 10 reps. Also, for kids that are looking to gain muscle and strength for sports, Iāve had great success-one young man comes to mindāBrad Saunders. Bradās mom first signed him up with me he weighed 120 pounds. Brad gained over 100 pounds in two years training with me only once a week. Brad was honored with First Team awards in High School and he has been given a full scholarship to play college ball, and Brad can squat 500 plus for deep reps. I have all of my personal clients documented and recorded in their personal training journals. The basic foundation of the program, 1 set to failure, 1 time a week is the same for every healthy individual.
DH: Paul what is the most popular Powerlifting routine used by the majority of lifters?
PB: I would say Mon, Wed, Fri. and too much assistance exercises, some lifters bench twice a week. Most Powerlifters that work out like this are chronically overtrained with nagging injuries, stressed out, pissed off and acting crazy taking tons of steroids and forcing food down to negate the effects of overtraining and this never negates overtraining! You can only sleep, take and eat so much. This is way too much overlapping as Mike Mentzer has done a fine job in pointing out.
PB: There is another thing I would like to point out. It doesnāt matter if a person is a rank beginner or in the upper levels of strength and power, the workout routine should consist of the same foundations that Mike Mentzer points outāa weight training routine must be Brief, Intense and Infrequentāwhich means this: ONE SET TO FAILURE ONE TIME A WEEK!
PB: I have good genetics but when I was training too frequently and with too many sets, my gains were poor and I was getting injuries all the time. Now that I have reduced the Volume and Frequency to 1 set to failure with 1 workout every 7-14 days, I have the opportunity to reach my peak, optimizing my genetic potential. Itās interesting to me that you can have all the great genetics in the world but if you train incorrectly with volume work, you will not realize your ultimate level. And for those who are not blessed with extraordinary genetics and would like to get stronger and more muscular, these people should use Heavy Duty to get the most progress that is possible from their genetics. I say donāt limit your genetics, use Mike Mentzerās routine and find out how great it is.
Paul Brodeur is a sincere/honest, and believe itāa nice guy. I would like to again thank Paul for his bluntness and matter of fact no sugar coating honesty. Paul is a dedicated man with a determined, Intense Spirit. Paul told me he is 43 years old and as a result of 1 set, 1 time a week, he is now at the top of his game. Paul would like to reach another Apex in his competitive Powerlifting career. He would like to squat more than he has already. āI have some ideas for goals and I set no limits on what can be done.ā With the heart, the determination, the devotion to a complete effort of Commitment, focused on realizing a life time goal, Paul has a Strength and Spirit as big as all of Texas and then some. I would like to wish Paul Brodeur ALL THE BEST in securing his POWERLIFTING and LIFE GOALS.
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Paul āEveryone who disagrees with me is lying or wrongā Brodeur 
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I was about to say, after that handful of interviews he did, Iām not sure he was heard from much again. AND, there was never one iota of proof about the āgreatā success of his clients.
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Typical response. Poor response. Paul developed early Alzheimerās and passed away. Other than Darden and a few others that sell books and courses, what trainers put out documentation of their clients personal results?
Itās these kind of Stories about Paul doing only one set to failure ever 7-15 days that make me pause and consider if Iām working out too often . Of course Iām not power training on dead lifts and squats and such with record poundages but my routine and frequency is like night and day from his. I guess my biggest question relating to all this is knowing when I have recovered enough to work those muscles again . It always comes back to if you are making gains you are recovering and if not take more time off but thereās so many other factors involved that that not always the answer. I canāt imagine taking off 7 days much less 14!
Scott
Understandable. When younger, I did the Nautilus 3 days/week, 12 exercises per session system. Made some gains and then plateaued. Did not get any stronger or bigger. This is where most gym rats are- STUCK. Stuck in the gym lifestyle. āI love to go to the gym. I enjoy working out. I need to work out.ā Personally, I am very analytical. What do I do to get results. Anyway, Arthur wrote about how, at a point, he needed to work out less and so he would not go to failure on Wednesday workout. I understood the overtraining concept and applied it. I dropped 2 exercises per session. My reps went up and added weight. Then plateaued again. No increase for three workouts. So I went down to 8 exercises. Reps and weight went up. Guess what? Plateaued once more. So I figured my next step would be to simply drop Wednesday workout altogether. And I did. And reps and weight and size went up more. About this time we had our first of four kids and exercise has been inconsistent ever since. What I learned- 1) If you donāt chart your workout, you donāt know your results. Dorian Yates has years of workout plans and results. 2) If you are not making gains, you are likely overtraining. 3) Most rats have distorted information on HIT. HIT has been bastardized. Most have never exercised to failure. Besides, it does not fit in the gym lifestyle. Gym lifestyle is such a social endeavor and an emotional STATE pacifier. For me, results are the satisfying thing. Thatās my two cents worth. Shoot, Iām worth at least ten cents. lol.
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Training to failure is the easy part. Ever since finding Jones over 50 years ago when ever I have worked out it has been to failure in one form or another until I canāt do another rep in good form all the way to forced reps with extenders etc etc until I couldnāt move. Now stopping short of failure is the hard part. Itās still ingrained in my head to push until I canāt budge the bar. If I stop short of failure it feels like Iām wimping out but Iāve made better gains that way. I tried that once a week or every 10 days stuff and that didānt improve results. I just got fatter and more out of shape feeling .
Scott
Many years ago I spoke with Paul by phone. He was offering consultation for a fee. I was on the phone at work with other people in the area, so I really could not talk too much. He was was talking for a while offering his opinions. He was giving me advice without signing up for his consultation. He spoke somewhat vaguely, as I remember about some sort of 5 rep , low set routine done, I believe3 days per.week. I think it was some sort of varied 3 day per week power lifting routine. He never mention one set to failure every 7 or 14 days. I wish I would of asked. That was the reason I called him, based on the article , I believe from a Mentzer publication.
I also do not think his 1000lb squat was ever verified. I remember Brian Johnson also questioned the lift. He also told be he did a 560 lb bench press.
BTW he also spoke about taking steroids. I think he believed they were not harmful if cycled. I think he said the 560 bp was when he was on riods.
I would never train to less than failure excepting Dardenās 30-10-30, which has me excited and I am just starting. What is your rational for stopping short of failure? Or are you on 30-10-30 also?
Iāve been doing 30 10 30 for several months now. Iām doing a slightly different routine than he suggests, I do push one day , off the next and then pull with legs mixed in. Iāve been making gains so far but I am starting to plateau some I think ? Itās hard to tell because several life events like getting sick etc have messed things up. I really like how I can workout every other day . Taking a week off between workouts just kills me. I think I recover very quickly from 30 10 30 but like I say, I never know if Iām completely recovered? I wish there was some kind of definitive test for that !
Scott
What do you think about taking a tape measure to your chest and thighs?
At 66 and with poor genetics, Iām looking at 2 days a week with two different workouts.
I would like Dr Dardenās take on my plan.
Your plan seems fine to me.
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After reading his interview, I tried to get ahold of Brodeur for some training. He was about 20 miles from me in the DFW area. After multiple phone calls, and not even one answer, I had to wonder if he was hiding something. And I have experience trying to work the same groove (i.e. exercise) and just add and add weight (increasing rest days all the while) and FOR MOST, Iād say itās a good way to take a slow boat to nowhere.
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I agree. Even if he did just do one set every 10 days, that would certainly make him the exception, not the rule in regards to optimal powerlifting programming. PEDs are definitely another consideration to take into account here.
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Quote by Arthur Jones
Seven years later, more than 100 weightlifting meets later, his team was undefeated and untied; within a matter of a few months after they started training, he had boys in their middle teens who were benchpressing more than double their bodyweight. And how did he train his lifters? Negative only. Two weekly workouts with only one set of each, with from six to eight repetitions in each set.
End Quote
In another thread, someone posted about a device called the Electric Weight. It could be used to provide assist on the concentric of a barbell movement, hence allowing for safer and easier (no human assist) overloaded negatives. I suppose you could also eliminate the concentric entirely. It was being used in a hard core black iron (powerlifting) gym. Will be interesting to see how that plays outā¦
davemccright, youāre probably right about it. But if you want to achieve greater results, maybe you should consider about making free workouts from this resource. It has dozens of truly useful physical exercises, which can strengthen up all groups of your body muscles. I found this resource few months ago, and for today - I can say that it helped me a lot.
One other consideration: bringing up Carpinelli, again, but genetics would probably be the #1 factor here regardless of routine.
Being another native Texan, I trained at the same gym as bench pressing legend Ronnie Ray for a couple of years. He was in the gym doing an incredibly slow bench with +335lbsā¦I went to spot him and he said āthanks, Iām goodā. Geeze! He came over to thank me and shared he was doing a method called āSuper Slowā because of a shoulder injury but was prepping for a masterās bench press competition. I saw him off and on ā later learned who he was and the dude was monster in all of his lifts. Believe he had some kids with the same genetics.
Also knew a guy through his wife (prof at our university) who trained with the late Doug Young along with his brother Bob (went on to the NFL and the Cardinals) when they went to Texas Tech and knew Dennis Tinerino, Danny Padilla, Bob Birdsong and others. Like those two guys, he was a natural powerhouse ā but, heād taken 5 - 7 years off after school as heād gotten into the trucking business. Anyway, after weād met he asked me where I trained and he came with me to check out the gym. Even after the layoff, he was benching (as I recall) in the mid 200s for sets of 10 and in six weeks was back in the low 400s. Genetics, folks! 
Indeed, genetics is the #1 factor. There are so many genetic factors that suport or not support the goals or objectives one has. If Iām 54" tall and can I really believe I can play in the NBA? Even in the strongman and powerlifting arenas there are many variables. Some do well in some events and not as well as others, sometimes because of their genetics and not necessarily because of their training. Hell, I grew up with one of strongest persons on the planet who DID NOT Train. I dealt with folks for years who did not believe this guy did what he did - one engineer insisted that I was BSing. I once contacted Peary Rader, informed him of the guy and his unreal and almost superman capabilities (and who Tommy Kono knew personally by the way), and told Peary that maybe an article in his Ironman Magazine would be a treat for the world. Tommy was asked to do the interview and article but the guy refused to be interviewed for the article because some of his strength feats violated federal law. Anyway, when a new federal administration was put in place later, he agreed to be filmed in an episode broadcast on the TV show āThatās Incredibleā in September 1982 where he was shown tearing ā¦ quarter after quarter next to a big strong dude who could not even bend a quarter. 