The 3 Dorian Yates Training Rules That Built a Mr. Olympia Physique

Going beyond Blood and Guts.

When people think of Dorian Yates, the first thing that comes to mind is his legendary one-set training—the "Blood and Guts" style that redefined bodybuilding in the 1990s. But if you look deeper into his philosophy, you'll find that Yates had much more to offer to the world of bodybuilding. In fact, some of his most important lessons have little to do with sets and reps at all. Here are Dorian Yates' three most valuable pieces of training advice that every lifter can apply, regardless of whether you stick to a single set style of training or high volume.

Key Points You Need to Know!

Dorian Yates' routine is primarily known for his ultra-intense "one-set" workouts
The reality is his training evolved throughout his career; he used 3 working sets in his beginning years
His training always revolved around a few key principles, which can be summed up in "find what works for you and commit to it.

Dorian Yates' Gift To The World Of Bodybuilding And Fitness

Dorian Yates is one of the most talked-about bodybuilders of all time. Apart from being a 6X Mr. Olympia Winner, his training style was in stark contrast to the majority of bodybuilders, bringing much critique.

Being a massive fan of Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates' routine emphasized intensity over volume, bringing his muscles beyond failure in 1 or 2 sets.

This is what he has become most famous for, but we're not discussing that in this article. If you'd like to learn more about his actual training, please check that out here and here.

In this article, we're going to look at 3 different rules that Dorian followed that apply to anybody in the gym, regardless of whether you're low-volume, high-volume, or somewhere in between.

We primarily gathered these insights from his autobiography, A Warrior's Story: The Life and Training Philosophy of the World's Best Bodybuilder (1998).

Rule 1. Stop Program Jumping. Stick To One And Crush It.

The Problem: Beginners, and even intermediates, often waste time looking for the best program rather than just training.

They may try Program A for a few weeks and then see an Instagram Reel with Program B, so they try that. This goes on and on because they think they're missing out; some gym FOMO.

Unfortunately, this wastes time and energy as they're never able to acclimate and apply progressive overload in a meaningful manner.

What Dorian Had To Say: Dorian Yates has spoken about this often, calling it one of the biggest mistakes new lifters make. Check this out;

"I've been told by many bodybuilders - including professionals - that they feel they wasted their first two years in the sport by jumping from one program to another…"

Practical Takeaway: To see progress, you must stick to a program, as this is the only way to properly apply progressive overload and track progress. Focusing on your training and hitting your workouts with intensity is much more valuable than worrying if you should be doing another program.

Do This Instead: Depending on your training level, follow a program for at least 12 weeks; if you're a beginner, 6 months is a much better goal. You can make slight adjustments, but it's best to stick with the basic program.

Some of the few exceptions are if you find your program is causing issues (exercise not compatible, too demanding), you experience an injury, or some life circumstances alter your time availability.

Rule Number 2: Find What Works For You

The Problem: Another major issue plaguing the fitness industry is that lifters often look to copy someone else's training program, such as that of professional bodybuilders, Hollywood actors, or social media stars.

Worse, even when a training program isn't working (or even hurts), they continue to follow it because "research says it's the best" or they're favorite lifter uses it.

What Dorian Had To Say: Dorian's training evolved the way it did because it worked for him. He studied bodybuilding and constructed a program that he wanted to follow.

While he was committed, he did make the necessary adjustments as he evolved.

For example, when he began using his Beginner Training Split, he initially planned on training 4 days a week. He discovered he wasn't able to recover properly, so he changed to every other day. It still wasn't enough, so he opted for training three days a week.

He also began using machines and adjusted the number of exercises per session; he listened to his body and made adjustments accordingly.

"If I have one message for bodybuilders of all levels, it would be that you are the best judge in the world of how your body responds, or doesn't respond, to the components of your bodybuilding program. Listen to the signals your body sends. Don't ignore them."

The Take Away: Every lifter is different. What works for one may not work for another. Yates believed the best lifters were the ones who learned to listen to their own bodies.

Copying your favorite pro won't guarantee their results; even copying Dorian won't.

Do This Instead: Don't get too caught up in what your favorite lifter is doing. We all have various issues that can make an exercise beneficial or detrimental to us.

If something doesn't feel right, stop doing it. If something works for you, do that instead.

Pay attention to recovery, performance, and progress, then make adjustments based on your own response.

Rule 3: Stay Committed To Your Program And What Works

The Problem: This is attached to Rule #1; it's the chase of the new best thing. Something may be working well for a lifter, but they hear about a new method. They then throw away what has been working and try this new, unproven method.

What Dorian Had To Say: Not only did Dorian preach about no program jumping, but he believed you should follow a program if it's working until there's no more juice to squeeze. In fact, he used his "Beginner Workout Program" for 2 years!

I didn't revise my workout schedule because I believe in the maxim "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The program had served me well, and I knew there was still an appreciable amount of muscle mileage left in it.

Practical Takeaway: As Dorian said, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." This can include a program, an exercise, or a training style.

This doesn't mean you can't ever experiment, but at some point, you know what works for you. Lifters need to accept that the biggest indicator of success is going to be consistency long-term, not some "secret" program.

It may not be glamorous, but it works.

Do This Instead: When you're following a workout program that yields good results, continue doing it. You can make some minor adjustments, but if a program is working, there's really no reason to try a completely new one.

If you do find a new style or method of training, insert it so it's not altering your entire program.

For example, if you hear about the importance of exercise variation to fully hit a muscle, experiment with one muscle; instead of doing 3 sets of bicep curls, do 1 set of 3 different bicep curls.

What Today's Lifters Can Learn From Dorian Yates' Training

If we take these lessons from Dorian, they are ultimately summed up by focusing on your goals and what works for you to achieve them. Don't let yourself get sidetracked by fancy exercises and flashy programs.

Stick with one plan, commit to it long enough to see results, and learn how your body responds to it. These principles outlast any training fad and explain why Yates built one of the most dominant physiques in history.

When we speak to clients, one of the first things we do is ask them if they're still progressing on their current program. If they say "yes", we ask if there are any issues. If they say "not really", we usually tell them to keep going.

References

Yates, D., & Miller, P. (1998). A Warrior's story: The life and training philosophy of the world's best bodybuilder. Dorian Yates Enterprises. https://archive.org/details/dorian-yates-warrior-s-story
Yates, D., & Wolff, B. (1993). Blood and guts: The ultimate approach to building maximum muscle mass. Weider Publishing Ltd.