Dorian Yates’ championship mentality carried him to six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles. In a recent Instagram post shared on Dec. 10, 2025, he broke down his ‘spring’ technique tip to help maximize progress on pressing movements.
“Control the weight and use it as a tool to put maximum stress on the working muscles. Keep it tight and compact, then release with power whilst still keeping immense control.💥”
Dorian Yates denied all-time greats a shot at the Sandow trophy. From 1992–1997, he dominated the Men’s Open class, ushering in a new era of mass monsters. Over time, his training style grew in popularity. He adopted principles from the late Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer, who both focused on achieving failure rather than chasing a set number of reps or sets.
Thanks to this high-intensity training (HIT) approach, Yates was unstoppable throughout his prime. Having retired from the sport, technique mastery is still paramount; it keeps him from getting injured, allowing him to still push the pace inside the gym. Whether it’s a leg press, bench press, or hack squat, his tip can help spark real progress.
Dorian Yates’ Psychological Trick for Better Pressing Movements
In the video, Yates said to imagine your muscles as a big coiled spring when performing pressing movements.
“Psychological tip: on pressing movements, so if you imagine on a hack squat, leg press, or bench press, anywhere you’re pressing, when you take the weight, you visualize your muscles as a big coiled spring, like you get on a car suspension.”
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This visualization helps him control the weight and power from the bottom during each repetition.
“As the weight is coming down, that spring is getting compressed, so you’re coming down, it’s getting compressed, compressed, and then when you want to release the power, bang. It’s like a spring is coming out.
It’s just a little trick in the mind that I use. Keep the weight really tight and then power out of the bottom,” Dorian Yates shared.
In addition to pressing wisdom, Yates shared how to protect the elbows during triceps training. He cautioned that bringing the arms toward the chest during lying triceps extensions can backfire, turning the movement into a pullover. While he mentioned that lifters often need to reduce the total weight, he said the tweak can still elicit muscle growth.
Yates has even offered insight into how to preserve the shoulder and rotator cuffs. He explained that simply hanging by a pull-up bar for one minute three times can help loosen up the joints and ligaments for more impactful lifts.
Leading one of the best careers of any IFBB Pro, Yates still has plenty to offer the bodybuilding community. He believes the mind can be a powerful tool for maximizing training results.
RELATED: Dorian Yates Breaks Down Workout for Time-Efficient Gains: ’20 Minutes Max for Delts!’
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