Dorian Yates' physique changed considerably over the years in bodybuilding, and a comparison between his 1988 and 1995 physiques speaks volumes about the changes in his workouts.

In 1988, when Yates earned his Pro card, very few knew what his workouts looked like. Well, this didn't change much in 7 years, but his stature for the 1995 Mr. Olympia displayed that the 6x Mr. Olympia champion had altered his training regimen for his improved shape.

However, three days ago, the 63-year-old revealed the unknown specifics of his workouts with an Instagram post. Yates also tallied his '88 workout to his '95 training sessions, along with snaps of his physiques from both years to highlight the difference.

So, let's take a look at the details of Yates's 1988 and 1995 workout sessions.

Dorian Yates’ 1988 Workouts

The 63-year-old mentioned that in 1988, he "followed a 3-way split which was back & delts, chest & arms, and legs." So, the specifics of his February 18, 1998, workout for back, delts, and arms were:

• Pullover: 320 × 92 F → Chins.
• Pullover: 310 × 62 F → Chins
• T-Bar: 333 × 9 2F 333 × 62 F + Burns
• D.B. Row: 170 × 10 × 10
• Lying B.O: 55 × 11 55 × 7
• Shrug: 100k × 12 + B 110k × 8 2F
• Deadlift: 310 × 10 405 × 8 495 × 6
• PBN: 40k × 10 60k × 10 80k
• Lateral: 60 × 82 F + B 55 × 7 2F.

His February 23 training session included:

• C.G. Pull: 225 × 10 333 × 7 2F 315 × 62 F
• B.B. Row: 245 × 10 365 × 8 365 × 6
• Pulley: 315 × 7 2F 300 × 6 2F
• B.O. Raise: 85 × 10 80 × 8 + B
• B.B. Shrug: 450 × 8 + B 450 × 8
• P.B.N: 135 × 12 180 × 10 245.

Yates admitted that he was not a big fan of the t-bar because it hit one’s chest while doing it. He also said, “The one we had was operated on a pulley and was on a platform where you’d stand so you’d get full range of motion."

"The stack itself was 300lbs and I added 33lbs on top - where it says ‘burns’ that meant partial reps at the end. Also, back then, for delts, I was performing behind-the-back press on the Smith machine!"

Dorian Yates' 1995 workout

Speaking about his 1995 workout sessions, 'The Shadow' said, "I changed to a 4-day split - the one you see in Blood & Guts, and from the off, you can see the workout is a lot shorter with just a single working set to failure."

For pullovers, he increased his weight from 170 to 490 lbs, and by 1995, he started doing a 405lbs barbell row.

He said, “I had Hammer Strength machines at the point to,o which I felt were excellent, especially the pulldown with its plane of movement where it comes almost ‘round and down’ into the last”.

So the workouts of Dorian Yates from 1995 were:

Pullover

• 260 × 10
• 350 × 8
• 490 × 6 w.

Wide Pull

• 80 kg × 8
• 120 kg × 6 w.

U/ham row

• 117½ × 6 w.

BB row

• 310 × 8
• 405 × 7

U/ham rd

• 60½ × 10.

L/Flye

• 45 × 10
• 43 × 6: BW × L.

BO raise

• 95 × 7 + B.

These training regimens helped Yates etch his name in the history of the sport. So, are you thinking of incorporating some of his exercises into your fitness routine?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy