Dorian Yates is still sharing the secrets behind his insane back development. In a July 31 Instagram post, the six-time Mr. Olympia broke down why there is no better lat exercise than the machine pullover.
After Lee Haney‘s eight-year Mr. Olympia reign, Dorian Yates took over as champion. He completely transformed the Men’s Open landscape, ushering in a new era defined by freakish size and density. Throughout his career, Yates denied top talent from earning the Sandow trophy, including Kevin Levrone, Flex Wheeler, and Shawn Ray.
Yates adopted a training system invented by the late Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer. Using a ‘less is more’ approach, “The Shadow” built his physique through high-intensity training sessions, often utilizing only one set to failure.
To this day, Yates’ back is considered one of the best of all time. Though some struggle to train the back properly, the 64-year-old bodybuilding legend is laying out how to get the job done with one key movement.
Dorian Yates Explains Why No Exercise Compares to the Pullover Machine
In the Instagram post, Yates said he used the pullover machine to warm up the lats before more intense compound exercises. He wouldn’t take the sets to failure and relied on them as a pre-exhaust movement with no bicep involvement.
“In my opinion, there’s no better lat exercise than this… Warming up the lats on the pullover machine, nowhere near failure.”
“It’s total lat isolation through 180 degree of movement with no bicep involvement. That’s why I used it as a pre-exhaust exercise, before bringing the biceps into play with pulldowns and rows.”
Yates noted that you could use a dumbbell or cable, but it won’t be as effective:
“Yes you can use a dumbbell or cable but it’s not going to be as effective. It gets the lats fired up and ready to go!”
Yates isn’t the only Olympia winner to get behind machine pullovers. Shaun Clarida, a former two-time 212 Olympia champion, commented on his post, recognizing the exercise as a staple.
“Always part of my back days!”
In contrast, former 1983 Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout never felt machine pullovers when he tried them at the gym.
“I was near that machine since day one, Mike did use it but his back wasn’t his strong body-part…I personally think bent-over-rows is far better along with chin-up n reverse pull down etc… I just didn’t feel that machine n didn’t like it at all” Samir Bannout commented.
Yates hasn’t forgotten the bread-and-butter exercises that built his prime physique. Though the machine pullover is a rarer machine in today’s era, he believes it’s worth its weight in gold.
