As one of the most accomplished bodybuilders of all time, when Dorian Yates imparts fitness wisdom, fans tend to listen. In his latest Instagram offering shared on August 6, 2024, Yates handed out useful tips for those struggling with pressing movements on shoulder day.
Having amassed a grand total of six Mr. Olympia titles, Dorian Yates’ legacy is set in stone. Not only did he prevent a wave of aesthetic bodybuilders from tasting gold while competing at the Mr. Olympia, but he carved out a one-of-a-kind physique with granite hardness, which is still lauded in today’s era of Open bodybuilding.
In addition, Yates boasted one of the best and most complete backs of all time, which he achieved with hardcore ‘blood and guts’ training sessions inspired by the late Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones –– two bodybuilding greats who favored going to failure over a set number of reps and sets.
Dorian Yates Talks Pressing Plateaus in Training, Gives Solution: ‘Just Do Isolation on Shoulder Days’
In retirement, Yates is the picture of longevity at 62. He regularly hands out advice to lifters of all skill levels, from beginner, to intermediate, and advanced. While his last tip to fans focused on protecting the rotator cuff and the shoulder, this piece of advice might help level up your pressing movements altogether, or the all-important bench press, which stands as one of the most popular chest exercises in a routine.
Yates explains that when pressing twice a week, it can cause you to get stuck. Instead, he recommends removing pressing from shoulder day altogether and instead incorporating front raise isolation.
“When you’re pressing twice a week, so you’re pressing for chest, you’re pressing for shoulders, I had a lot of people say I’m getting stuck on my pressing. No, all right, let’s drop the press from shoulder day and go front raises isolation.”
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By following his advice, Yates says it might help increase the weight of your bench press on chest day.
“As they’re not doing so much pressing now their chest pressing starts to go back up again. So sometimes two pressing workouts in a week, you might find it’s too much, so if you do just give it a try.”
Yates encourages his followers to give this a try, especially when they aren’t seeing results.
“This is the thing guys, if you’re not progressing, why not give it a try, right? You got nothing to lose. You’re not, nothings happening anyway, right? So if you get stuck on your pressing, drop it out and just do isolation on shoulder days and you might find that then things start to go forward. So it’s another little tip for you. It’s all for free as well cheeky bastards,” Dorian Yates shared.
Although he retired decades ago, Yates is celebrated for his youthful energy and toned physique. He has shared that his current leg day training split is comprised of two workouts a week, one focused on the upper body and the other being a lower-body dominant training session.
Aside from tips to aspiring talents, other athletes in the IFBB Pro League have mentioned Yates in name. When asked which bodybuilders from the past would he like to battle against, surging Men’s Open Pro Nick Walker named Dorian Yates, Mike Mentzer, and Guy Cisternino.
If you’re who Dorian Yates is talking about, perhaps taking a rest from pressing movements on shoulder day could result in massive benefits. Feel free to give it a try the next time you’re struggling with any type of shoulder pressing on the horizon.
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