IŒve finally found an article IŒve been looking for since 2003, namely an article in Flex magazine from 2003 about Dorian YatesŒ post-Mr. Olympia training routine. It reminds me somewhat of the Ideal Routine from MikeŒs revised Heavy Duty (1993). IŒm not sure if it truly is the same article, but it should be like this:
OLD-SCHOOL LESSONS
Flex, July 2003 by Dorian Yates
DORIAN YATESΠ2003 TRAINING PROGRAM (+ denotes a warm-up set.)
EXERCISE SETS * REPS
DAY 1: MONDAY
Hammer Strengh seated bench presses 1+x8-10, 1x 6-8
Hammer Strength incline bench presses 1+x8-10, 1x 6-8
Cable crossovers or flat-bench dumbbell flyes 1×6-8
Seated laterals 1+x12, 1 x 6-8
One-arm cable laterals 1+x20, 1 x 6-8
One-arm triceps pushdowns 1+x15, 1×8-10
Triceps pushdowns 1+15, 1×8-10
One-arm reverse-grip pushdowns or one-arm Nautilus extensions 1×8-10
Day 2: WEDNESDAY
Hammer Strength pulldowns 1+x15, 1x 6-8
Barbell rows or dumbbell rows 1+x12, 1 x6-8
Cable rows 1×8-10
Hammer Stregth rear-delt flyes 1×8-10
Hyperextensions or deadlifts 1+x15, 1×8-10
Alternate dumbbell curls or dumbbell concentration curls 1+x15, 1×15
One-arm Nautilus curls 1×8-10
Day 3: FRIDAY
Leg extensions 1+x15,1 x 8-10
Leg presses 1+x12, 1x 8-10
Hack squats 1+x12,1×8-10
Stiff-leg deadlifts 1 x8-10*
Dorian does one main set per exercise. The average bodybuilder may prefer performing three working sets per exercise following a light
warm-up set.
Q: Do you still train as hardcore as you did when you were winning Mr. O titles?
A: I still train with the same hardcore stick-to-the-basics, never-give-less-than-100% work ethic that became my war cry in the Œ90s.
The program I currently follow is similar in format and structure to my classic plan of action from back in the day. Of course, my goal is no longer to win the Mr. Olympia title; instead, the priority is to maintain a reasonable level of muscle mass and to keep my bodyfat as low as possible.
Besides establishing new training goals, the cold hard reality is that injuries have impacted how I train. Most people in the bodybuilding community are well aware that I tore my left triceps tendon in 1997, and that injury not only hastened my retirement but also dictated the nuts and bolts of my revised bodybuilding training system.
In the wake of the triceps injury, I had the appropriate surgery and completed the prescribed rehabilitation and physical therapy. At the end of the day, though, I had to accept that my left arm would never be as strong as my right arm. A weaker left triceps equates to more wear and tear on my left shoulder during heavy free-weight pressing movements.
ThatŒs why IŒve ditched the dumbbell and barbell overhead shoulder presses and bench presses in favor of comparable machine exercises. Hammer Strength equipment effectively replicates the movement of the bar or dumbbells without the risk factors that come with balancing the weight.The plan now, with all my travel and business commitments, is to get into the gym three days per week for weight training and to do 30 minutes of cardio on a stationary bike, treadmill or cross trainer.
I perform one warm-up set and one main set for most of my exercises. With one working set per exercise, you are totally focused on the intensity needed to trigger growth. You can also do each of these exercises in a more traditional way, with three working sets of eight to 10 repetitions, if you prefer.
Monday: Chest, shoulders and triceps I do my flat-bench presses and incline bench presses on a Hammer Strength machine, before moving on to either cable crossovers or flat-bench flyes, alternating between the two from one chest session to the next.
Fortunately, my weaker left arm does not preclude lateral movements, and so next itŒs seated dumbbell side laterals and single-arm cable side laterals to target medial delts. I finish the Monday workout with single-arm triceps pushdowns, two-arm triceps pushdowns and either one-arm reverse-grip pushdowns or one-arm Nautilus extensions.Wednesday: Back, shoulders and biceps I train rear delts on Wednesday, sandwiched between upper/middle back and lower back. Once again, I select exercises that offer the ability to lift heavy weight with minimal risk of injury.
Thank heaven that my injuries have not forced me to make major changes during my back and biceps workouts. I favor Hammer Strength machine pulldowns (I rely on a curl grip to allow my elbows to extend farther back at the midpoint, which promotes a more extreme stretch and contraction), barbell or dumbbell rows as the main mass builder, and cable rows with a wide overhand grip to add thickness to the teres major and rhomboids.
Next I dive right into Hammer Strength rear-delt flyes for one main set before closing the lat show with either deadlifts or hyperextensions (I switch back and forth between the two exercises for alternate workouts) for lower-back fine-tuning.
For biceps these days, itŒs alternate dumbbell curls and dumbbell concentration curls (flip-flopped between biceps workouts) and unilateral Nautilus curls, my favorite isolation exercise to push blood into the muscles for an extra pump.
Friday: Legs My lower-body routine has changed very little since the old-school training days, with leg extensions as the ideal warm-up for heavy compound lifts — leg presses, hack squats and stiff-leg deadlifts — to pack beef onto quadriceps and hamstrings.
Many people ask me how I can continue to train with the fire in the belly that made me a champion, but the simple truth is that I love the feeling of going all-out to test my limits of mental and physical strength. If I didnŒt love the struggle to push myself so hard, I would never have been a champion in the first place.
DORIAN YATESΠDAILY MEAL PLAN
7-8 AM (BREAKFAST) Porridge made with one cup of oatmeal (complex carbs), 10 egg whites (protein) and one scoop of protein powder, blended and cooked.
9-10 AM Meal-replacement drink
11 AM Training
12 PM Postworkout carb drink
1 PM (LUNCH) Two chicken breasts, potatoes or rice and a green vegetable.
3:30 PM Protein shake or meal-replacement drink
5:30 PM (DINNER) 12 oz filet mignon, potatoes or rice and a green vegetable.
8-9 PM A small serving of porridge, made with one-half cup of oatmeal, six egg whites and one-half scoop of protein powder
***
Notes:
1. It appears he now trains three days a week again, instead of four. I believe that′s a big improvent.
2. While doing less exercises than he used to do when he was training for the Mr. Olympia (check his book/video/dvd Blood & Guts or his book Dorian Yates – A Warrior′s Story for example), I still believe he does too much exercises, especially for the chest, shoulders, triceps, lats and quads.
3. No calve training anymore? (Although he might have the biggest pair of calves ever known to bodybuilding)