Dorian Yates left an indelible legacy with his six consecutive Mr. Olympia wins. However, it may surprise many to learn that he was also the inspiration behind the popular Iso-Lateral D.Y. Row machine, now found in gyms worldwide.

How a Custom Solution From Dorian Yates Became a Worldwide Phenomenon

“Dorian Yates, he was a famous athlete. He was training for one of his later events, and he injured his wrist, and he could not do his favorite barbell exercise for working his left,” said Hammer Strength founder Gary Jones on Instagram, sharing the story of how an injury to Dorian Yates influenced him to design the popular machine

Gary further revealed that Yates' wrist needed to be in a certain position, and that when he "built the machine, put it on a pickup truck, and had it delivered to the club that he was training at.”

Not even Gary or the people at Hammer Strength were expecting any follow-up orders for the product, but the reality turned out to be very different.

Within a very short period, they began receiving calls from across the country and around the world, requesting shipments of the product.

“We are getting calls from all over the country and eventually all over the world. How do I get one of those? So then I basically went in and redesigned it, if you will, cleaned it up, and made it a product,” said Gary.

Yates' career was as much marked by injury as it was by success. He famously tore his biceps in 1997 and triceps back in 1994 in training at maximum intensity, which led him to adapt exercises instead of halting intensity training altogether.

The Iso-Lateral D.Y. Row, which was designed with the intention of introducing more natural movement to Dorian Yates’ training, soon became one of the most beloved workout machines overall.

The D.Y. Row primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and biceps, delivering a complete back workout with maximum muscle engagement.

Have you come across this equipment? If yes, what is your favorite aspect of it? Or, do you think otherwise?

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das