Dorian Yates certainly knows what intensity looks and feels like. Sharing a chest-and-biceps workout from 1993 that helped set him on the way to securing the second of his six Mr Olympia titles, Yates's trademark high-intensity, low-volume approach is on full display.
He completed just one or two hard working sets for each exercise, but every set was taken to failure – often with forced reps added to squeeze out every last drop of muscle-building stimulus. Machines also gave him the opportunity to push even further. After reaching failure and completing his forced reps, he'd often employ a rest-pause technique, briefly re-racking the weight for a few seconds before grinding out another rep.
'My strength was still good at that time,' Yates wrote on Instagram. 'I found that 4-5 weeks out from the show, that's when it started to decline as I was probably losing some muscle at that point too.
'The rep range is generally pretty low, usually between 6-8 for upper body, but you can see I even went to 10 and 13 reps plus a few forced reps! The idea is to reach failure. If that's in 6-8 reps then great, but if I feel like I can get more, I wouldn't just suddenly decide to stop at say 9 reps, for example, if I had got 8 the previous week… I'd get as many as possible, nothing short of muscular failure.'
The Workout
A. Decline Bench Press x 4 sets (2 light sets, 1 medium-heavy set, 1 heavy set to failure)
B. Incline Smith Machine Press x 2 sets (1 medium-heavy set, 1 heavy set to failure)
C. Incline Dumbbell Fly x 2 sets (1 medium-heavy set, 1 heavy set to failure)
D. Cable Fly x 1 heavy set to failure
E. Pec Deck Fly x 1 heavy set to failure
F. Dumbbell Incline Curl x 2 sets (1 medium-heavy set, 1 heavy set to failure)
G. Barbell Curl x 1 heavy set to failure
How to Do the Movements
Decline Bench Press
- Lie back on a bench fixed to a decline setting, holding a barbell with your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing your feet.
- Start with your arms fully extended and hands over your chest, then slowly lower the bar until it skims the middle of your chest.
- Push the barbell back to the starting position explosively as you breathe out.
Incline Smith Machine Press
- Set a bench to an incline angle and place it in the middle of a Smith machine.
- Lay on the bench, gripping the bar barbell with your arms outside of shoulder width and un-rack your bar.
- Slowly lower the weight to the top of your chest under control, ensuring your elbows don’t flare too much.
- Pause here and press back up explosively before repeating.
Incline Dumbbell Fly
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie on an incline bench.
- Start with your arms extended directly above you and then slowly lower them out to the side, keeping a slight bend at the elbow.
- Reverse the action and bring your arms above you again, then repeat.
Cable Fly
- Attach stirrup handles to the high pulleys of a cable crossover machine.
- Take one in each hand – your arms should be outstretched with a slight bend at the elbow.
- Place one foot slightly forward, brace you core, and pull the handles slightly downward and across your body until your hands meet, then return to the start position.
Pec Deck Fly
- Adjust the seat so the handles are in line with your shoulders/
- Sit with your back flat against the pad, but with your chest proud, shoulders pulled back, and elbows slightly bent.
- From there, bring your elbows together, focusing on squeezing your chest as you do so.
- Pause for a beat before control the weight back to the start position.
Incline Dumbbell Curl
- Sit on an incline bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand at arms length.
- Use your biceps to curl the dumbbell until it reaches your shoulder, then lower them back down to your side and repeat.
Barbell Curl
- Grab a barbell with a shoulder-width grip and let it hang in front of your thighs.
- Brace your core as you curl the bar up to your chest, keeping your upper arms stationary.
- Return under control to the start position.
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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
