Arash Rahbar discusses what made Dorian Yates’ Blood & Guts training so ingenious and the reason it rarely works for modern bodybuilders.
Dorian Yates became a legend not only because of his phenomenal physique but the training that went behind it. Blood and Guts training was a viral video before the internet made it so common. His training was so hardcore, so intense, that it inspired an entire generation of bodybuilders. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Arash Rahbar breaks down why Dorian Yates’ Blood and Guts training is so genius. He also details why bodybuilders today can’t seem to recreate it.
Dorian Yates’ Blood and Guts training is still watched by many today. It’s an important piece of bodybuilding history. It’s an amazing insight into how Dorian Yates changed bodybuilding with his physique. But when Arash Rahbar looks back at Blood and Guts training he thinks about it tactically rather than focusing on the legendary hype.
During our recent video interview, Arash Rahbar explains how Dorian Yates’ training style was essentially HIIT (high intensity interval training). It was less sets and reps but increased intensity. Arash details how at the time, people didn’t believe that Yates’ training routine was real. Looking at the workout on paper – it seemed to have far too few exercises, sets, and reps for a bodybuilder.
But that’s the genius behind Dorian Yates’ training style, that is, according to Arash Rahbar. Dorian Yates had such an extreme intensity that he only had to do two to three exercises per body part. He sometimes only trained three times a day.
This all sounds interesting, so why don’t we see more bodybuilders training like this today? Dorian Yates was a legend that changed bodybuilding. So why don’t more bodybuilders attempt HIIT Blood and Guts training?
Arash Rahbar believes the problem lies in the level of intensity. “It’s not what you do but how you do it,” Arash states in our interview. Intensity is a hard thing to judge. It’s hard for a trainer or outsider to know what is 100% and beyond into pushing new limits.
Arash Rahbar believes that Dorian Yates’ style of training never caught on because most bodybuilders simply couldn’t train with the same level of focus and intensity as him. This holds especially true today.
The internet creating more avenues for bodybuilders to build their brand. That means bodybuilders can’t simply focus on just training and dieting. They need to do video posts, interact with fans in comments, and more. Simply put – there are more distractions now than ever before.
Arash Rahbar thinks these distractions lead to a culture where Dorian Yates’ intensity can’t exist. There will always be exceptions of course. But on the whole – very few can train with the intensity of Dorian Yates.
That’s what makes Blood and Guts such a fantastic piece of history. It’s incredible and inspiring to watch. But it also feels unattainable. Simply copying Blood and Guts on paper won’t work. A bodybuilder would have to find deep within his or herself the hardcore intensity that Dorian Yates had.
There’s no guide or worksheet to teach someone to increase intensity. It’s almost indescribable. It’s something from within. That’s what made Dorian Yates a unique legend in the sport. It’s also why Arash Rahbar finds Yates’ training method genius.
You can watch Arash Rahbar break down the true power of HIIT training for bodybuilders in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
