Exercise selections can make or break a physique, especially in bodybuilding. On Feb. 23, 2026, coach Jeff Cavaliere analyzed Dorian Yates’ top 10 list of the most essential exercises. He offered swaps and revealed which options work.
Yates was an outlier in the IFBB Pro League. During the 1990s, most competitors trained the same; they focused on a fixed number of sets and reps to build muscle. In contrast, Yates developed his training regimen based on teachings from mentors Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer.
They focused on high-intensity training and achieving failure throughout workouts. This ultimately produced results, with “The Shadow” cementing himself as a six-time Mr. Olympia champion. In retirement, Yates has been open about his training, prompting Cavaliere to take a closer look.
Yates’ List of Essential Exercises
Find Yates’ list of exercises below:
- Leg extensions
- Squat or leg press
- Nautilus pullover
- Lat pulldown or row
- Bench press
- Fly movement
- Dumbbell lateral raise
- Standing calf raises
- Concentration curl
- Tricep pushdown
Cavaliere’s Thoughts on Yates’ Essential Exercises
Below, Cavaliere provided insights into each of Yates’ selections and revealed whether he agrees with the bodybuilding legend or not:
Leg extensions
“Leg extension, I’m not a huge fan of, but I will say I know why he picked it,” said Cavaliere. “Your leg extension is going to get your quads better than any other exercise to isolate the quads if you want to build them up.”
“I wouldn’t have it in my top 10, but I know why it’s there.”
Squat or leg press
“I definitely like the squat better than the leg press. I think the leg press, there’s so many ways you can cheat that. You really can’t cheat a squat all that much.”
Nautilus pullover
“He is one of the originators of that exercise and made it popular, certainly with me, because he did it,” Jeff Cavaliere said. “The issue is it’s not as accessible at a lot of different gyms. If you are going to do the exercise, you’ve got to drive with the elbows.”
Lat pulldown or row
“He said a row or a lat pulldown. So, if it was me, I’d go with the seated row because I think the seated row is truly one of the absolute best back-building exercises you can do.”
Bench press
“You have to do some variation of a bench press, especially when you’re limited to 10 exercises and you’re trying to get all the pushing muscles to be worked in concert. There’s nothing better than a horizontal bench press. For me, though, it’s going to be dumbbells.”
Fly movement
“I just don’t like the fly because I don’t think that your shoulder is as protected as it can be,” he shared. “A cable fly variation [is best] so you have a safety net behind you. If you have to just drop it down, you can.”
“This is probably the only one I would literally take out, but I would just swap it out for the standing cable crossover, respectfully.”
Dumbbell lateral raise
“The lateral raise is definitely going to be the best, I think, because it’s developing the middle delts,” he said. “I love it, dumbbells, cables, any single variation, single-arm, I love that exercise.”
Standing calf raises
“You’re not going to build your calves, necessarily, unless you’re doing something focused on your calves.”
“You’re going to have to do one [if you don’t have good calf genetics]. I definitely like the straight knee variation here of a standing calf raise versus a seated calf raise.”
Concentration curl
“I’m not doing the concentration curl. Not that I don’t feel it good in the bicep, and could get a good solid contraction, but I don’t know if you can build the biggest biceps by doing that exercise.”
“If you’re looking to build it up, I’d probably do a classic, heavy cheat curl, or a strict curl into a cheat curl.”
Tricep pushdown
“I like it. It would be really close for me. I would probably lean towards the lying tricep extension just to get the long head and put a little more stretch [on the muscle].”
Cavaliere has examined other workout routines from bodybuilding icons. He recently outlined former seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Golden Six’ exercises. Though he agreed with most of Schwarzenegger’s options, Cavaliere did offer a few modifications.
Information on social media can make it tough to develop a well-rounded training routine. For the most part, Cavaliere’s beliefs align with Yates’ picks, barring a few exceptions.
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