Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates made history after becoming the first Mr. Olympia from England. However, that wasn’t his only landmark achievement in bodybuilding. Weighing close to 300 lbs in the offseason, the English bodybuilder also proved that a radically different training method was viable for building an Olympia-worthy physique.

Unlike most bodybuilders who followed different variations of the traditional training methods, Yates followed HIT (High-Intensity Training). He used to work out four days a week. After following the training method throughout his bodybuilding career, the 61-year-old revealed some of his knowledge to his Instagram followers on how to build an Olympia-caliber physique.

High intensity is not sustainable for long periods

The training method Yates followed was based on intensity. The bodybuilding icon did short workouts but put in the maximum effort, moving massive weights with each set. However, such intensity was also taxing on his body. “I believe that it’s a good idea to cycle the intensity of your workouts,” said the 61-year-old in his Instagram post.

As per Yates, instead of giving 100% effort all the time, a week of low-intensity workouts or not even touching the weights for a week would be more beneficial. The “deload” week is necessary, “especially if you’ve hit a plateau,” because no one can keep pushing their body without rest. He stated, “What I personally did and what I’d recommend, is to take it ‘easy’ for a week after six weeks of brutal intense training.”

“It’s extremely, actually pretty impossible,” he said, “to train with my level of intensity all year round without any sort of rest…” Yates also said if a person didn’t take a break, it would take a toll on their central nervous system. “Rest and recovery is when the growth happens…” wrote the 61-year-old. So, how did Yates’s preferred training method work?

HIT is what made Yates win six times consecutively

Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones put HIT in place and mainly focused on strength and muscle mass through extremely heavy sets with maximum effort. Mentzer became the first Olympia-caliber bodybuilder to follow this training method religiously. 

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Instead of spending long hours doing multiple sets, HIT is the exact opposite. A short workout with a lower number of sets and reps. Later on, Yates did the same and dominated the Olympia stage for years. 

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While Yates stays by his High-Intensity Training, bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger swears by his 4-1-1 technique. Likewise, in bodybuilding, there are a lot of strategies to follow, but what suits the best must be followed.