Dorian Yates offers top-notch advice regarding building an etched-to-the-bone back, considering he boasted one of the best rear double biceps poses at the height of his bodybuilding career. In a recent Instagram reel shared on August 12, 2024, Yates explained why doing deadlifts at the end of a back workout results in maximum muscle-building benefits
In the Men’s Open, the key to a winning physique is having a thick and detailed back, which Dorian Yates made look easy. Throughout the 1990s, Yates reigned supreme for six consecutive years on the Mr. Olympia stage, consistently bringing a once-in-a-lifetime look to the stage.
Through high-intensity training inspired by Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones, who were both known to push to failure, Dorian Yates sculpted his physique into a bodybuilding masterpiece still recognized in the sport today. After his successful career, Yates never truly walked away from bodybuilding.
Want to Build A Better Back? Dorian Yates Explains Why Deadlifts Should Be Included on Back Day
Instead, he serves as a beacon within the fitness community, offering his invaluable advice for aspiring athletes today. Through social media, Dorian Yates breaks down how to achieve maximum gains across all muscle groups. In his latest offering on Instagram, Dorian Yates explained the reasons for performing deadlifts at the end of a back workout.
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“Because deadlifts, basically after you’ve isolated everything, you’ve exhausted everything in your back, yeah? Now, you bring your legs in and you’re pulling ad literally every muscle in your is working in that deadlift and the spinal erector, that you know goes up the whole spine, that’s working.
I just think that when you do, you don’t need to do all but at least some basic free weight exercises” Yates shared.
Dorian Yates went into further detail regarding the benefits of doing deadlifts last including a lower risk factor due to lighter weights.
“Partial deadlifts… at the END of back day?🤔”
“Before this point, Dorian would’ve performed 5 exercises, 4 for back and 1 for rear delts… so by this point the back was exhausted!”
“Performing them last allowed him to obtain maximum benefit from the movement without the risk factor that would’ve increased had he done them first, since the weight used is less due to the muscle’s fatigue.”
Additionally, Yates revealed that this exercise allows for constant tension therefore helping with more muscle growth.
“It’s constant tension on the back muscles throughout the movement, the weight never touched the floor until it was over.”
“The aim is to build a better back and to get the muscles to grow. Try them out this way and do them last in your back workout and see how you get on.”
If you are looking for more than one way to improve your back workout, Dorian Yates has you covered. In the past, Yates emphasized that a wide overhand grip on the lat pulldown machine was a waste of time. Instead, he recommends doing underhand pulldowns, which allow for a greater range of motion, ultimately resulting in bigger and better gains.
Yates reminds his followers that ‘volume is nothing’ when trying to build muscle. More reps doesn’t mean more muscle. That’s why Yates recommends maxing out the weights, focusing on quality and intensity rather than completing numerous sets.
At 62, Dorian Yates is still showing off his incredible physique with his massive back stealing the show. If that isn’t a testament to his methods being effective I don’t know what is! As Yates has said in the past, give it a go and see how it works for you. What do you have to lose?
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