Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates is one of the greatest bodybuilders ever. He stood out not only for his dense, muscular physique, but also for his training views that go against the grain.
Yates was among the first bodybuilders to oppose barbell squats. He feels the same about the barbell flat bench press.
“Bench press is a shitty exercise,” Yates said bluntly. “It’s dangerous. You risk tearing your tendon. Unless you’re a powerlifter, don’t do it. Forget about it,” Yates said in his Aug. 5, 2025, Instagram post.
In his book Dorian Yates — A Warrior’s Story, Yates explained his distaste for the bench press, citing its unnatural nature; the pecs may not receive the stimulus required to achieve growth.
“While many obtain good results from the flat-bench press, I do not feel it is the best major mass-builder for the chest. When flat benching, the power of the front delts intrudes too much, taking stress off the pec muscles.” (1)
Yates suggested lifters perform other non-flat movements to develop the chest, such as the decline press, low incline presses, and dumbbell flyes.
Why risk getting injured for something that’s not really giving you any benefit?
—Dorian Yates
Yates’ book details a sample workout with the weights he used, including the incline barbell press as his opening lift instead of the flat bench press. This workout is similar to the one he performed in “Blood & Guts,” which was released during his Mr. Olympia reign. A portion of that video can be seen below:
Blood & Guts Workout
Below is a sample of the “Blood & Guts” workout:
Incline Barbell Press
- 12 reps, 135 pounds
- 10 reps, 220 pounds
- Eight reps, 310 pounds
- Eight reps, 425 pounds
Hammer Strength Seated Bench Press
- 10 reps, 220 pounds
- Six to eight reps, 350 pounds
Incline Dumbbell Flyes
- 10 reps, 75 pounds (each dumbbell)
- Eight reps, 110 pounds (each dumbbell)
Cable Crossovers
- 10-12 reps, 90 pounds (each side)
Is Yates Right About the Bench Press?
Yates is not the only bodybuilder who opposes bench pressing. Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler said it “is the worst exercise for bodybuilding,” and Wesley Vissers is also not a fan of the classic lift.
Other greats, including fellow Mr. Olympia winners Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Lee Haney, and Ronnie Coleman, consider the bench press a staple of their chest routines.
The bench press appears to be a major culprit in pec tears in other sports. A 2021 analysis of the National Football League (NFL) detailed that pec major injuries increased 40 percent over 22 seasons. Seventeen NFL players suffered pec major ruptures; 47% of them were due to the bench press. (2)
Ultimately, non-powerlifters who are training should decide if the bench press is worth it in their programming. Pay attention to form, weight, and consider having spotters available while doing it.
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References
- “Dorian Yates – A Warrior’s Story. A Portrait of Dorian Yates: The Life and Training Philosophy of the World’s Best Bodybuilder : Dorian Yates : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 1998, archive.org/details/dorian-yates-warrior-s-story. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
- Incidence of Pectoralis Major Injuries Has Increased 40% Over the Last 22 National Football League Seasons. Author links open overlay panelBlake M. Bodendorfer M.D. a, Steven F. DeFroda M.D. a, Henry T. Shu B.S. b, Derrick M. Knapik M.D. a, Daniel S. Yang B.S. c, Nikhil N. Verma M.D. a
Featured Image: @thedorianyates on Instagram
