Dorian Yates former bodybuilding champion who won the Mr.Olympia title six times in a row, making him the person with fifth highest number of Mr.Olympia wins is a 58 year old English bodybuilder weighing 275 lbs at 5’8″ who competed during the early 90s winning the title consecutively from 1992-1997 popularly Nick named ‘The Shadow’ was a notable name in the history of body building circuits for his revolutionary and unique diet and workout regimen which was later on called the “Dorian Yates workout routine-The Age of Intensity.
The Dorian Yates Workout routine is not your regular workout routine suggested to you buy your gym instructor or regular bodybuilding coaches. This Dorian Yates routine boasts of a unique set of workouts and diet as studied and tried out by Mr.Dorian Yates.
What makes the Dorian Yates workout routine unique?
What is so different in this routine that it has a seperate fan following? Here’ what :
one would imagine a bodybuilder to spend every waking minute in the gym, never skipping a day at the gym, that’s were Yates surprises us with his one hour a day split across 4 days of the week on rests between
Dorian Yates was influenced by Mike Mentzer’s HIT training method and incorporated his own variations to it.
His philosophy for training is based on doing different exercises for different groups of muscles , 4 days a week with maximum intensity for only one set to failure , excluding warm-up sets for 30 minutes each day.
Yates believed that doing one intense set per day was enough stimulation for the muscle , being done with light weights whereas very hard sets and additional sets would break the muscle unnecessarily.
Yates also suggests doing cardio on off-training days says it helps the blood flow to the newly developing muscles.
He believed that doing cardio right after a workout would inhibit active muscle growth.
His routine did not involve lifting heavy weights or big monstrous equipments but rather doing reps slowly with a perfect technique. He did a quick pulling (concentric phase of pull-ups) and a extremely slow lowering down ( eccentric phase of pull-ups)
Yates also believed in right eating at right intervals as a key to healthy,fit body. He said maintaining a regular eating rhythm was as essential as working out. He states that if the body knows when it will get food , it doesn’t need to store food and energy and the available energy would go into muscle growth.
His routine was drastically different from those typically seen on the Californian state where many a bodybuilders sweat it out with their trainers pushing them to their limits.
It’s important to note that Yates had no guru, trainer or coach, it was simply his efforts and determination which took him places.
One another note-worthy aspect of Yates and his belief was to aim to complete long term goals. If your aim was to gain 1Kg doing bench press, and if you got there at the end of the month, then that is progress.
Dorian Yates never did pull ups , bench press or squats which are considered the foundation of muscle building. He did Hack squats instead of squats and inclined bench press instead of bench press.
The 7 day Dorian Yates workout routine:
Monday: Triceps, Shoulder & Abs
In this routine , Yates perform 9 exercises with couple of warm up sets and then one working set.
Yates Triceps, Shoulder & Abs Workout
1.Cable Press Down
2 warm-up sets
12–15 reps
1 working set 10–12 rep
- Dumbbell Shrugs
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set 8–10 rep
- Lying EZ-Bar Triceps Extension
1 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set 8–10 rep
- One Arm Cable Lateral Raise
1 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set 8–10 rep
- Smith Machine Shoulder Press
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set 8–10 reps
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set 8–10 rep
- Reverse Crunches (1 Set 20 rep)
- Crunches (1 Set, 20 rep)
- Roam Chair Situps (1 Set, 20 rep)
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Tuesday: Back
In his back routine Yates perform 7 exercises
Yates Back Workout:
- Hammer Pulldown
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set, 10–12 reps
- Hyper Extension
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Barbell Deadlift
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Wide-Grip Cable Row
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set, 10–12 reps
- Reverse Grip Pulldown
1 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Dumbbell Pullover
2 warm-up sets
10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
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Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: Chest, Biceps & Abs
In this routine, Yates follows 9 Exercises followed by one warm-up sets then a workout set.
1.Incline Bench Press
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Machine Chest Press
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Fly
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Decline Bench Press
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Cable Crossover
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Standing EZ Bar Biceps
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Machine Preacher Curl
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Incline Dumbell Biceps Curl
2 warm-up sets, 10–12 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
Friday: Rest Day
Friday will be a rest day in Dorian Yates Workout Routine.
Saturday: Legs
- Leg Press
2 warm-up sets, 14–15 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Leg Extension
2 warm-up sets, 14–15 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Hack Squat
2 warm-up sets, 14–15 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Stiff Leg Deadlift
2 warm-up sets, 14–15 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Hamstring Curl
2 warm-up sets ,14–15 reps
1 working set,8–10 reps
- Seated Calf Raise
2 warm-up sets, 14–15 reps
1 working set, 8–10 reps
- Calf Press ( 4 set Rest-Pause till failure)
Dorian Yates and his peculiar yet successful workout routine has a special status and respect amongst bodybuilding professionals. If you’re a newbie bodybuilder who is looking to try out routines and find what is best for you or if you’re simply trying to get fir and grow your muscles in a nonconventional yet legit way, do give this Dorian Yates routine a try!
Hi, I'm Dave Moffat the founder and Chief Editor of steroidsourcetalk.com and certified International Personal Trainer and Certified Nutritionist. My passion has always been bodybuilding but with 15 years' experience in weight loss programs too, it's hard not to mention all that when you're working at your fitness level fullest (I hope). When Im not in the gym or spending time away from my family i often think about what advice would help others achieve theirs goals just like these inspired mine.
