Menzel joined his fellow forwards for a 'divisional' training run on Tuesday morning at Simonds Stadium.
He was then put through a punishing individual session, which included fast changes of direction, tackling drills and marks on the lead.
The 21-year-old remains on track to play in round one of the VFL season.
"Being the forwards coach, I have him (Menzel) in my office once a week and we go through how he's going," Cats assistant coach James Rahilly explained.
"There's been weeks where he hasn't been as good, but now he's getting closer (to playing) – he's getting the football boots on, he's doing a bit of running around with ball in hand – he's sees that the season is not too far away.
"He's excited and we're excited, too."
But while Menzel was slugging it out on the track in the 30-degree heat, Vardy was inside completing a cross-training program.
"We're very cautious on Nathan," Rahilly said. "He's a bit of a week-to-week process."
It is unclear whether Vardy will play any role in the remainder of the Cats' pre-season campaign.
Another of Geelong's emerging players, key forward Shane Kersten, has been on a slightly restricted training program due to a heel problem.
But the Cats believe that the 19-year-old, who booted three goals in Geelong's 63-point thrashing of Adelaide on Saturday, will get through the season without any major issues.
"It's just a gradual thing that he has picked up," Rahilly said.
"The physio guys have been all over it. They've got it really early and it seems fine.
"He might miss one light session a week, but he's ready to go, and he looked quite good on the weekend."
Daniel Menzel is a forward in AFL Fantasy. He did not play in 2012. Register your team at our AFL Fantasy hub.
Adam McNicol covers Geelong news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_AdamMcNicol
