💪 Dorian Yates’ Favorite Back Exercise Should Be Yours, Too

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Here’s what we have for you: 

• Legendary six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates explains why the barbell row is the best back exercise 

• Fitness content creator Jeff Nippard ranks the 20 best and worst quad exercises for leg development 

• A breakdown of Olympia coach Hany Rambod’s four favorite exercises for a bigger back 

BODYBUILDING 

"The Shadow's" Favorite Pull Move

Securing a Mr. Olympia title demands a well-defined back and a commanding lat spread. Dorian Yates, celebrated for clinching the Mr. Olympia crown six times, credits much of his triumph to his meticulously sculpted back. “The Shadow” champions the barbell row as his pulling exercise of choice.

Yates advocates for the back to function as a cohesive unit, challenging the notion that individual back muscles can be targeted in isolation without engaging adjacent muscle fibers. He favors the barbell row for its comprehensive back engagement, including the lats and rhomboids, categorizing it as a compound pull movement that effectively activates the entire back. Learn the grip, torso angle, sets, reps, intensity, and other foundational back exercises that defined the training regimen of the six-time Mr. Olympia winner.

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TRAINING 

Best & Worst Quad Exercises

Building robust quads enhances the appearance of your legs and lays a strong foundation for squats and upper body exercises such as the standing overhead press. Jeff Nippard, a fitness content creator who employs scientific methods, has identified the best and worst 20 quadriceps exercises. As a seasoned bodybuilder and powerlifter, Nippard evaluated these exercises using a color-coded tier system, ranging from "S" for Super to "F" for Fail.

For an exercise to ascend to the higher echelons of this system, it must fulfill Nippard's triad of criteria: induce high muscle tension while stretched, be comfortable without causing pain, and allow for straightforward progression. For example, he assigned a failing "F" grade to exercises like squat shoulder presses and lunge curls, citing the undue fatigue they impose on the arm muscles. So, which exercise did he crown as the ultimate quadriceps movement to incorporate into your routine, and which one did he caution to steer clear of entirely? Discover his recommendations below.

WORKOUT

4 Back Builders 

A robust back is essential for bodybuilders to display their best physique. Hany Rambod, a renowned coach with 24 Olympia titles, shared an effective back workout. This routine, designed to sculpt a muscular, three-dimensional back appearance, targets different back muscles through four specific exercises, emphasizing contraction to foster muscle growth and definition.

Rambod advises maximizing the benefits of each workout by employing a full range of motion for the initial reps and reserving partial repetitions for the concluding reps. For instance, incorporate extended partial reps after approaching failure in the final sets of the lat pulldown. Additionally, Rambod recommends incorporating pauses at the fully stretched position in exercises like the single-arm dumbbell row to enhance the workout's effectiveness.

THE DROP SET 

Age Is Just a Number

• A well-developed torso is extra important in the Men’s Physique category because competitors wear board shorts, which hide the legs. The reigning Mr. Olympia Ryan Terry is training his chest and triceps this way. 

• Mastering the lat spread plays an integral role in winning bodybuilding shows. Learn how to perfect the lat spread from seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath. 

• Is age just a number? For bodybuilder Vasile Serban, it is. See how the Romanian bodybuilder dominates shows and maintains being shredded at 73.