Squeezing out every possible rep is what turned Dorian Yates into a six-time Mr. Olympia bodybuilding champion. In a recent Instagram reel on Oct. 31, 2025, he bashed the idea of reps in reserve and underscored that muscle growth comes from achieving failure.
“My opinion on ‘reps in reserve’… Like I’ve said before, I only know where 0 and 100 are. Just train hard to failure. Training does NOT need to be complicated.”
Yates rose to stardom thanks to his iconic ‘Blood and Guts’ workouts throughout his career. He adopted principles from the late Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer, two specialists who were known for intense training methods. “The Shadow” didn’t hammer joints with junk reps and volume; he maximized results on each set, regularly achieving failure.
This meant he was less focused on a specific number of repetitions. Today, science-based lifters have gotten behind reps in reserve, which they believe offer similar hypertrophy outcomes while limiting fatigue. However, this conservative strategy has been scrutinized by Yates. Above all else, he believes effort dictates progress, not the amount of reps you leave in the tank.
Dorian Yates Blasts ‘Reps in Reserve’ Concept, Says It’s for ‘Wankers’
In the recent Instagram reel, Yates criticized reps in reserve and called it a ‘Wanker’s workout.’
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“I don’t like it when like the muscle starts burning… and it feels uncomfortable. I think that’s not good for you. You should put the weight down at that point. I mean, who wants to be uncomfortable? It can’t be good for you now, can it?” Dorian Yates jokes.
“Reps in reserve… we’ve got a different term for that in England. It’s called a wanker’s workout. It’s very technical and an English term, you can look it up if you’d like, if my people from America don’t understand what a wanker is, it’s reps in reserve.”
Yates isn’t the only high-profile bodybuilder who’s been critical of science-based lifting concepts like reps in reserve. Newly turned Classic Physique IFBB Pro Sam Sulek also tackled the topic. He weighed the validity of science-based lifting and concluded that, for the most part, it’s people selling a ‘snakeoil of an idea’ instead of a legitimate product.
Reps in reserve might work for some, especially for those who are wary of picking up an injury from pushing too hard. For Yates, he believes achieving failure safely is the best route to a bigger and better physique.
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