• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Bodybuilding News » Dorian Yates' 10 Go-To Exercises To Get Extra Jacked

Dorian Yates’ 10 Go-To Exercises To Get Extra Jacked

“The Shadow” advocates not overcomplicating your training.

Phil Blechman
Written by Phil Blechman
Last updated on November 22nd, 2024

Not all exercises are equally effective for building muscle. Effectiveness for hypertrophy is impacted by an exercise’s loading potential and resistance curve.

Six-time Mr. Olympia champ Dorian Yates shared his top 10 muscle-building exercises in a video published on coach Charlie Johnson’s YouTube channel on July 17, 2024. These lifts are the cornerstone of his training philosophy and were instrumental in his competitive bodybuilding success.

Dorian Yates’ 10 Go-To Exercises For Hypertrophy

  • Leg Extension
  • Squat or Leg Press
  • Standing Calf Raise
  • Nautilus Pullover
  • Lat Pulldown
  • Bench Press
  • Flyes
  • Dumbbell Lateral Raise
  • Concentration Curl
  • Triceps Cable Pushdown

Check out the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN5RcsiMqaU&ab_channel=CharlieJohnson-CJCOACHINGTransformations

[Related: Dorian Yates: No Bodybuilder Today Can “Match Up” With ’90s Pros]

Legs

1. Leg Extension

Isometric exercises are effective for enhancing mind-muscle connection and maxing out muscle pumps, which can promote muscle stimulation and growth (1). Focus on fully extending the knees at the top of each rep for a sharp contraction.

2. Squats or Leg Press

Yates suggested choosing between the conventional barbell or Smith machine squat variations based on personal preference. The leg press may be more effective than barbell back squats for targeting the hamstrings, depending on how it lines up with one’s structure. Use slow, controlled eccentrics to increase time under tension. (2)

3. Standing Calf Raise

Prioritize a full range of motion over load for optimal gastrocnemius recruitment. After reaching mechanical failure (form breaking due to muscle fatigue), perform lengthened partials to stimulate growth. (3)

Back

4. Nautilus Pullover

Yates helped popularize the Nautilus pullover machine through his Olympia training videos. This exercise isn’t just for the lats. It also targets the serratus anterior, a muscle crucial for shoulder stability and scapular movement.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dorian Yates (@thedorianyates)

[Related: The 10 Biggest Mass Monster Bodybuilders of the 1990s]

5. Lat Pulldown

Yates suggests choosing between rowing exercises or lat pulldowns. However, he recommends pulldowns in his 10-exercise list. Experiment with different grips to best target the upper back. (For more on why Yates thinks you should avoid a wide grip, head here.)

Chest

6. Bench Press

This compound exercise targets the chest, anterior deltoids, and triceps. Focus on feeling a deep stretch when lowering the bar to the chest.

7. Flyes

Yates recommended any flye that feels comfortable while isolating the chest. Use them to pre-exhaust the chest at the beginning of a workout so that you can feel greater muscle fiber recruitment during compound lifts like the bench press without needing to lift super heavy.

Shoulders

8. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Yates recommended dumbbell lateral raises to bias the medial deltoids. He prefers dumbbells over the cables as he feels the former offers a more natural ROM. 

Initiate the movement with the elbows. Focus on isolating the medial delts and resist trap involvement. A common cue is reaching during concentrics.

Arms

9. Concentration Curl

Perform concentration curls seated or standing, depending on what feels more comfortable. Focus on peak contraction at the top of each rep. Use three-second eccentrics.

10. Triceps Cable Pushdown

Maintain a slight forward lean and keep your elbows tight to your torso. This can help better isolate the triceps and prevent the shoulders from taking on load.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dorian Yates (@thedorianyates)

Yates recommended beginning each workout with a one-minute cardio session to warm up. Follow with one or two warm-up sets for each exercise before performing a final set to muscle failure.

Two or three sets on each exercise…would be enough stimulus to grow muscle mass.

Yates believes many lifters overcomplicate bodybuilding. He asserts these 10 exercises performed twice per week consistently should be effective for hypertrophy. 

References

  1. Hirono, T., Ikezoe, T., Taniguchi, M., Tanaka, H., Saeki, J., Yagi, M., Umehara, J., & Ichihashi, N. (2022). Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 36(2), 359–364. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003478
  2. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
  3. Kassiano, W., Costa, B., Kunevaliki, G., Soares, D., Zacarias, G., Manske, I., Takaki, Y., Ruggiero, M. F., Stavinski, N., Francsuel, J., Tricoli, I., Carneiro, M. A. S., & Cyrino, E. S. (2023). Greater Gastrocnemius Muscle Hypertrophy After Partial Range of Motion Training Performed at Long Muscle Lengths. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 37(9), 1746–1753. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004460

Featured image: @thedorianyates on Instagram

Phil Blechman

About Phil Blechman

Phil is a native New Yorker passionate about storytelling, bodybuilding, and game design. He holds a BFA from Syracuse University.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap