Dorian Yates, a legendary bodybuilder, did not build his legacy on gentle, high-volume workouts. His “Blood and Guts” philosophy was known for its low-volume, high-intensity brutality. Even now, in his 60s, Yates uses the same logic for cardio.
Yates says that the problem with traditional steady-state work isn’t just that it’s boring. It’s just wear and tear. He says in an Escape Fitness video, “Long drawn-out cardio has negatives to it.” “If you’re running, you’re wearing your joints and making free radicals.“
His gut told him that if you can get the heart health benefits without putting too much stress on your joints or adding too much volume, why not?
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Dorian Yates’ 7-Minute Sprint Interval Workout*
Yates’ current favourite workout is interval training on the air bike. It’s short, sharp, and (as is typical of Yates) makes you sick.
Get ready, then do:
- 1 minute at a steady, moderate pace
- 20 seconds of full-on effort, as if your life depended on it
- Go back to 1 minute of moderate
- Do the sequence five times.
You only have to work for about six and a half to seven minutes, but anyone who has ever ridden the Devil’s Tricycle will know how hard this will be.
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“Great workout for your heart.” He says, “That’s all you need to do.” “Two or three times a week.”
Why the Air Bike?
He’ll switch between different types of machines, like the rowing machine and the cross trainer. Yates likes the air bike best. “You are pushing, pulling, and using your legs all at the same time.” He says, “So every muscle is working on there.”
That full-body demand makes the heart rate go up quickly. You don’t have to wait 10 minutes to “get warm.” An air bike can get you from zero to one hundred in no time.
Yates’s career was based on getting the most out of the least amount of wasted effort, no matter how bad it was. This makes sense.
The Science
When it comes to workouts backed by science, Yates is sarcastically optimistic: “Trust me, you’ll hear it from the scientists in a few years.”
To be fair, there has been a lot of research on high-intensity interval training over the years that shows it can improve VO₂ max, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular efficiency in a lot less time than traditional steady-state sessions.
That doesn’t mean long runs are useless. Without doing actual endurance work, it’s very hard to build up your endurance and stamina. But if you’re short on time and don’t have any marathons coming up soon, sprint work is a great way to build your engine.
