61-year-old, six-time Mr. Olympia champion Dorian Yates didn’t spend hours at the gym. So, he had to ensure that he perfectly executed the exercises he did perform. Now decades after his championship run, The Shadow has some invaluable advice for anyone struggling to grow their back or just looking for tips. Known for his granite-like back, the bodybuilding icon explained what you need to focus on.

“Back training is more technical than any other body part,” was the first thing Dorian Yates highlighted. However, the champion bodybuilder was one of the reasons the term “bodybuilding shows are won from the back,” became popular. So Yates revealed a few steps you should follow, no matter which back exercise you do.

“Form is essential,” said the English bodybuilding champion. Yates said exercise execution is paramount when training your back because it’s a large muscle group connected with the arms. The veteran bodybuilder explained that during rowing movements you must focus on contracting your back muscles. He also explained a trick to achieve full contraction.

“If you don’t have a slight arch in the spine, you won’t get a full contraction in the lats,” said the bodybuilding legend. The former Mr. Olympia also mentioned a third and final step to back training movements. “Control the weight… Don’t swing… don’t create momentum… don’t lean back,” instructed Dorian Yates.

Using momentum reduces time under tension and also increases the risk of injury. It also makes the lift seem earlier but ruins the execution. Meanwhile, leaning back instead of squeezing the back muscle transfers the load to the spine and lower back. Besides not being optimal, it’ll also lead to injuries.

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However, this isn’t the first time the bodybuilding veteran advised on back training. Last year, he explained how he grew Olympia-winning traps and upper back.

The secret to the bodybuilding legend’s monstrous traps

Dorian Yates shared a photo of his back during a guest posing session after the 1995 Mr. Olympia. The former champion drew people’s attention to how developed his traps looked in the photograph. The bodybuilding icon said that he achieved such defined and deep traps thanks to heavy dumbbell shrugs.

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The shrugs “were the dominant exercise I performed for traps. They gave me that freedom to pull up and back,” said Yates. While the bodybuilder said you could achieve similar results with machines, they restrict the movement. Hence, using dumbbells would net you the best results.

As the man who had one of the most legendary backs in Mr. Olympia’s history, Dorian Yates mastered back training. You can’t go wrong following the bodybuilding icon’s advice.

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