When six-time Mr. Olympia champion Dorian Yates advises on back training, lifters around the world stop and listen. According to “The Shadow,” one old-school machine movement helped him carve out a wide back and boast massive lat gains.

Yates shared an Instagram post on July 31, 2026, highlighting the benefits of warming up his lats on the machine pullover. According to him, this underrated machine helps isolate the lats through a full range of motion without engaging the biceps. For him, it is the best warm-up exercise to pre-fatigue his back before engaging in compound pulling exercises.

“In my opinion, there’s no better lat exercise than this,” Yates said. “Warming up the lats on the pullover machine, nowhere near failure. It’s total lat isolation through 180 degrees of movement with no bicep involvement."

"That’s why I used it as a pre-exhaust exercise, before bringing the biceps into play with pulldowns and rows,” the Instagram caption read.

He further explained how using other equipment also works, but none are as effective as the machine pullover.

“Yes, you can use a dumbbell or cable, but it’s not going to be as effective. It gets the lats fired up and ready to go!” Yates explained in the Instagram post.

Unlike cable pullovers, the machine provides constant tension throughout the full range.

Typically, Yates warmed up on the machine pullover with 2 light sets of 10-15 reps. However, his full working set consisted of 1 all-out set of 6-8 reps done to failure.

His back workout routine is not only impressive but also incredibly effective, helping him build his iconic wide back.

 The full workout: from warm-up to heavy rows

The machine pullover was just the warm-up for Yates’ brutal yet effective back-building routine. He followed it with heavy compound lifts that helped him build his iconic back.

According to fitness resource The Barbell, Yates’ legendary back workout included:

Upper back workout

• Nautilus machine pullover (1 warm-up set with 8-10 reps)
• Barbell row (1 warm-up set with 8-10 reps)
• Hammer Strength machine one-arm row (1 set with 8-10 reps)
• Cable row (1 set with 8-10 reps)

Lower back workout

• Weighted back extension (1 set with 8 reps)
• Deadlift (1 set with 8 reps)

Do you agree with Yates’ opinion about the machine pullover being the ultimate lat exercise?

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Written by

Avantika Das