Ray Mentzer

Ray Mentzer (1953 to 2001) was an American IFBB professional bodybuilder who won the 1976 Junior Mr. America, the 1978 IFBB Mr. USA and the 1979 Mr. America. His brother Mike Mentzer won the rival IFBB Mr. America in 1976, the year of his own Junior title. He followed the heavy duty, high-intensity training approach with Mike, retired from competition in 1982 and in 1983 went to Florida to train under Arthur Jones. At a then unthinkable bodyweight of more than 250 pounds, he added muscle within a month, reaching 260 pounds but leaner, and after six weeks of training to disprove the Bulgarian system he squatted 902 pounds for two repetitions. He died of kidney failure from Berger's disease at 47, two days after discovering Mike's body, and the brothers had filmed a bodybuilding documentary the day before Mike's death.