A workout may look simple on paper, but that does not mean it is easy. Professional bodybuilder Dorian Yates recently offered his take on what really makes a training session effective. 

In a recent Instagram post, Yates explained why he does not believe workouts need to be fancy or overcomplicated, pointing to the effort put into each set as the key factor.

“It looks simple on paper and well,” Yates said. “That’s because it is actually simple. It doesn’t need to be fancy or overcomplicated in my opinion.”

For Yates, that intensity comes from pushing each set instead of stopping when the exercise simply becomes uncomfortable. He further explained that the effort put into each set matters more than simply adding more exercises. 

“It’s what you put into it. It’s the intensity,” Yates said in a @thedorianyates Instagram Reel. “That’s the message I’m trying to get across.”

Yates’ training philosophy was built around intensity rather than simply doing more work. After winning his first Mr Olympia in 1992, he moved to one main working set per exercise, believing he could put everything into that single set.

He used pullovers and pulldowns as an example to show why the number of exercises alone does not define a workout.

Yates emphasized that a routine with three sets of pullovers and two sets of pulldowns could look like a warm-up when written on paper, but that did not mean the work was easy. 

For Yates, it comes down to making every rep count, with the focus being on effort and intensity rather than complexity.

But individual responses to training can differ, which may change what works best for each person. 

Different rep ranges may work for different people

According to John Fawkes of Spartan.com, commonly recommended rep ranges may not work the same way for everyone. He pointed to research suggesting that individual responses to training can vary. 

Fawkes noted that people may feel they perform better at certain rep ranges and believe they get better results from them.

He then pointed to a 2008 study led by New Zealand researcher Martyn Beaven that examined individual responses to different training protocols. 

“Now, I’m not usually a ‘just do what feels right’ guy — quite the opposite, in fact,” Fawkes wrote. “But in this case, they may be right.” 

The study Fawkes referred to involved 16 amateur rugby players, who completed four different workout protocols based on strength, bodybuilding, high-rep and power training.

Fawkes pointed out that researchers then identified each participant’s strongest response and compared it with their weakest response. 

According to his report published on Spartan, the results showed that participants gained the most strength and muscle mass with their individual best-performing workout, while their least effective workout produced the smallest gains. 

The findings suggest that an effective training approach may depend on how an individual responds, rather than following one fixed rep range. It ties right in with Dorian Yates' philosophy.

Do you think intensity matters more than the number of exercises in a workout?

Written by

Divyanshi Raj

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit