Six-time Mr. Olympia, Dorian Yates, is known for his intense, no-nonsense style of training. He built one of the most iconic physiques in the bodybuilding community. And now, he is giving his take on the iconic EZ barbell curls.

Yates recently posted a throwback video on Instagram highlighting his preference for EZ barbell curls. He revealed how he preferred using the EZ curl bar on either the second or last set in his biceps routine. He also shared how the EZ curl bar’s angled grip was easier on his wrists than traditional straight barbells.

“This was usually performed either second or last in my biceps routine usually. I felt it a bit too much in my front delts and forearms as opposed to my biceps, so I decided to place them after either dumbbell or Nautilus machine curls, where it's isolation,” part of his caption read.

EZ curl bars are specifically designed curved barbells that help reduce strain on the wrists. The angled grip helps make exercises like bicep curls more comfortable, especially for those lifting heavy weights.

The angle on the bar, however, shifts some of the tension away from the biceps and into the brachialis.

Yates also shared how he typically performed EZ bar curls after isolation curls, as it helped target his biceps better. He went on to train each set to failure before adding slow negative reps with assistance, finally pushing himself beyond failure safely.

Building enormous, strong arms like Yates takes extreme focus, dedication, and hard work. However, he has shared his high-intensity, low-volume biceps routine that has helped him build his signature arms.

A look into Dorian Yates’ biceps routine

Yates’ key principle for building massive biceps was to train smarter and harder. He focused on maximum intensity on every working set, pushing himself beyond failure.

"Train to failure, go beyond failure, then rest and grow. Volume is not the answer. Intensity is,” he said, as per Routines.

Yates shared how he focuses on training just one muscle group per week, revealing that he believed muscles grew most during rest and recovery and not during training.

His sessions lasted for a maximum of 45 to 60 minutes, and he rested for 60 seconds or less between each set.

His typical biceps routine consisted of-

• Incline dumbbell curls
• EZ bar curls
• Nautilus curls

Yates’ workouts were not complex, nor were they high-volume. He appreciated intense training over complex workouts, and the results speak for themselves.

Would you ever try Yates’ biceps routine at the gym?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi