Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates was nicknamed The Shadow. Could it be because his billowing lats cast darkness for miles whenever the mighty Brit walked onto a bodybuilding stage? This is the back workout Yates used in preparation for his final Olympia win in 1997.
- “I train my back separately — never with other bodyparts,” Yates says. “When you work out with really heavy weights and out-of-this-world intensity, doubling up bodyparts is impossible.”
- “If you can’t pause with a weight in the fully-contracted position, you’re going too heavy,” Dorian says. “Don’t let momentum be the force that moves your weights; be a master of form.”
REVERSE-GRIP MACHINE PULLDOWN
Start: Dorian uses a Hammer-Strength machine for this move. Set yourself firmly in the machine, set the pads onto your knees and take a reverse grip on the handles.
Move: Pull the handles down toward your chest, using a moderate rate of speed to minimise cheating, ensuring that your lats bear the brunt at every point during the movement. Contract your lats at the bottom, and control the weight during its ascent to the top position. Don’t let the weight touch down between reps, to keep the tension on throughout the exercise.
WIDE-GRIP SEATED CABLE ROW
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BENT-OVER BARBELL ROW
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ONE-ARM MACHINE ROW
Start: Dorian includes this exercise in his back arsenal because it enables him to work one side at a time, allowing for a fuller range of movement over free-weight rows. Sit with your upper body against the pad and grasp one handle.
Move: Pull the weight back without twisting your torso until your elbow is as far back as possible and you feel your lat under maximum stress. Release the weight slowly to complete the rep.
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