Let’s get back to basics. If you’re into lifting weights, your social media algorithms probably serve you a diet of “optimized” strength training recommendations — bodybuilding advice punctuated with “studies show…” or a parenthetical attached.
But Dorian Yates, who won six Mr. Olympia titles and heralded the “mass monster” era of pro bodybuilding that influences the sport to this day, did things the old fashioned way; through trial and error. That’s how he came to adore the barbell row and sing its praises as perhaps the best back exercise out there.
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On Jul. 3, 2024, Yates gave a stump speech on social media all about the bent-over row and how it was one of his most cherished keepsakes throughout his bodybuilding career.
It was always a staple in my routine.
Dorian Yates
We’re going to dive deeper into The Shadow’s reasoning for endorsing the barbell row and why he thinks it is fit to hold the office of world’s best back-builder.
Dorian Yates on the Barbell Row
The way Yates tells it, no aspiring bodybuilder should skimp out on the barbell row:
- “A lot of bodybuilders confuse the issue by saying that they do a certain exercise for a specific part of the back. You can’t fire off muscle fibers situated in a specific part of the back without firing off fibers in surrounding areas. When training, think of the back as a whole entity,” Yates wrote in 1998.
Simply put, Yates believes your back is designed to pull as a synchronous unit. Yates was so enamored with the barbell row that he also utilized it as his preferred back workout warm-up, performing a “very light” pair of sets with 135 pounds for 15 repetitions before diving into his “actual” workout.
Yates also credited the bent-over row as both a comprehensive back-builder and an implement for developing muscular power, though he cautioned that you should go “balls to the wall” but limit momentum or swinging as much as possible.
From the Lab: Yates is on point about the broad applicability of the barbell row. Studies indicate the bent-over row applies “large amounts of muscle activation symmetrically across the back”, though it is particularly challenging for the lumbar spine. (1)
Barbell Row Tips From Dorian Yates
Pop open a copy of his seminal bodybuilding ledger, A Warrior’s Story, (2) and you’ll find page upon page of prescriptions and pro tips from the UK-born bodybuilding legend.
We’re particularly interested in the exercise order of Yates’ back training and the rationale behind the movements he selected. Here’s how The Shadow mastered the bent-over row:
- Grip: Yates used both an underhand and overhand grip, only opting for the latter after suffering a biceps injury doing bent-over rows in ‘94.
- Torso Angle: Between parallel and 45 degrees for standard barbell rows, and a more upright 70-degree angle if intentionally performing Yates rows.
- Sets & Reps: 1-3 sets of 8-10 “full-range” reps, followed by a few partial reps to cap things off.
- Intensity: “I used as much weight as possible within the parameters of good form,” Yates remarks. Yates was known to work with 450 pounds on the barbell row for reps.
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Time-Tested: Yates’ old-school bodybuilding recommendations largely align with contemporary evidence-based prescriptions for hypertrophy. Studies repeatedly show that applying as much mechanical tension as possible is integral for growth. (3)
How Yates Built His Back…Workouts
Yates in his heyday sported one of the best backs ever seen on a bodybuilding stage. How? Barbell rows…and a bunch of other simple, straightforward, blood-and-guts movements.
- Hammer Strength Lat Pulldown: “You can do regular lat pulldowns as well,” Yates notes of the first movement in his array of back exercises. He also preferred an underhanded “curl grip” a la Mike Mentzer to get his biceps in the game.
- Barbell Row: Yates also coined the “Yates Row” variation, which entails holding a mostly upright torso, high-intensity movement, and intentionally training for explosive power by “slamming” the bar into the abdomen.
- Hammer Strength Machine Row: “I stopped doing dumbbell rows once I could do 215 pounds for 12 reps,” Yates remarks, citing that the single-arm machine row enabled him to work with heavier weight in safer circumstances.
- Seated Cable Row: Yates used a wide overhand grip and endorsed partial reps and a few forced reps as well to thicken his upper back.
- Rear Delt Flye: Yates relied on a Hammer Strength machine for this move, but you can replicate the motion on the pec deck station or with a pair of dumbbells just fine.
- Back Extension: “The ‘Christmas tree’ look is greatly due to genetics,” Yates tells of his iconic lower back development. Still, he credits the back hyperextension station for beefing up his erector spinae muscles along the way.
- Deadlift: Yates famously performed deadlifts at the end of his back workouts. His rationale was such that by saving them for last when he was fatigued, he could accumulate lots of tension and a solid stimulus without having to lift heavy.
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Do you need to perform seven different back exercises to get a good workout? Of course not. But if you want to win the Mr. Olympia, it’s a different story. If you’re going to take a page out of the Yates playbook, you might want to heed the call of the barbell row and get back to the meat and potatoes of back training.
Yates may not have a PubMed citation to support all his claims, but he also boasted one of the best backs ever seen in physique sports. Talk is cheap — Yates walked the walk.
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References
- Fenwick, C. M., Brown, S. H., & McGill, S. M. (2009). Comparison of different rowing exercises: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23(2), 350–358.
- Dorian Yates 1998, 2006 – A Warrior’s Story. A Portrait of Dorian Yates: The Life and Training Philosophy of the World’s Best Bodybuilder.
- Krzysztofik M, Wilk M, Wojdała G, Gołaś A. Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 4;16(24):4897. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16244897. PMID: 31817252; PMCID: PMC6950543.
Featured Image: @thedorianyates / Instagram
