Dorian Yates Training System

[Massive G]

This is getting popularized again, most lately by Mark Dugdale who went over to the UK and was trained by DY for a while personally.
If you have seen his Blood and Guts video, you will realize that it isn't really HIT and definitely not Heavy Duty.
Dorian did tons of warm up sets and then multiple exercises for bodyparts.
The problem DY got into was he went to deeply into failure when he was depleted and ripped the bicep and tricep and quad. This was by his own admission he said many times if he could go back he would only train to failure and or stop short of it the last few weeks before a show when depleted.

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

I can type up what he did in his vids, but didn't know if someone could find the text of the routines posted.

Most of the stuff in the mags would post something like this
Nautilus Pullovers -1 set to failure
Reverse grip Pulldowns-1 set to failure
1-arm hammer rows- 1 set to failure
and so on when that was misleading as DY did as many as 4-5 warmup sets on the basics and then went to failure and beyond so the total sets for the bodypart could be 15 or more.

 

[healthfreak79]

Thanks for posting that masive. Any idea on rep ranges? Id like to see more of his work out also. Ive neer seen the videos

 

[JETHRO TULL]

MASSIVE G, DORIANS VIDEO AND TRAINING IMPRESSED ME MORE THAN ANY I'VE SEEN.

HIS FORM IS TERRIFIC AND I STILL THINK HE HAD SOMETHING OTHERS DIDN'T. I LIKE THE TWO DAYS ON, 1 OFF TRAINING SYSTEM.

EVERYONE WAS DOING IT WHEN DORIAN WAS WINNING...NOW EVERYONE IS TRAINING SIX DAYS A WEEK LIKE RONNIE.

NOT EVERYONE CAN TRAIN SIX DAYS A WEEK AND IMPROVE, THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOME AMAZING GENETICS. YET YOU'VE GOT GUYS WITH AVERAGE GENETICS TAKING ON TRAINING ROUTINES THAT WILL ONLY LEAD TO DISAPPOINTMENT.

 

[pc1663]

day 1 delt/trap/tri

smith machine front press (1x15x120, 1x12x240) 1x8-10x340
seated db laterals (1x12x50) 1x8-10x70
one arm cable laterals (1x20x35) 1x8-10x70
db shrugs (1x12x140) 1x10-12x185
pushdowns (1x15x80, 1x12x130) 1x8-10x180
lying ez curl bar ext (1x12x100) 1x8-10x140
one arm reverse pushdowns 1x8-10x70

day 2 back

hammer strength pulldowns (1x15x135, 1x12x220) 1x8-10x285
or
nautilus pullovers (1x15x220, 1x12x320) 1x8-10x440
bb rows (1x12x285) 1x8-10x375
hammer strength one arm row 1x8-10x245
cable rows 1x8-10xfull stack
hammer strength rear delt machine 1x8-10x55 (each side)
bent over db raises 1x8-10x95
hyperextensions 1x10-12x40
deadlifts (1x8x310) 1x8x405

 

[pc1663]

day 3 chest/bis

incline bb press (1x12x135, 1x10x220, 1x8x310) 1x8x425
hammer strength bench press (1x10x220) 1x6-8x350
incline db flyes (1x10x75) 1x8x110
cable crossovers 1x 10-12x90
incline db curls (1x10x50) 1x6-8x70
ez bar curls (1x10x100) 1x6-8x140
nautilus curls 1x6-8x120

day 4 legs

leg extensions (1x15x130, 1x12x200) 1x10-12x270
leg press (1x12x770, 1x12x1045) 1x10-12x1265
hack squats (1x12x440) 1x 10-12x660
lying leg curls (1x10-12x130) 1 x10-12x180
stiff legged deadlifts 1x8-10x350
single leg curls 1x8-10x50
standing calf raises (1x10-12x900) 1x10-12x1300
seated calf raises 1x10-12x250

All sets in () are considered warm up sets and do not approach failure. All other sets are considered work sets and taken to failure and sometimes beyond. Workout is a 2 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off, repeat.

 

[Frank N. Steroid]

I agree massiveG.I've often thought to myself that he doesn't do "One set per body part," as it is always claimed.Far from it.As you said,he actually does quite a lot of sets per BP.Definately not one.

 

[jayuk]

This is getting popularized again, most lately by Mark Dugdale who went over to the UK and was trained by DY for a while personally.
If you have seen his Blood and Guts video, you will realize that it isn't really HIT and definitely not Heavy Duty.
Dorian did tons of warm up sets and then multiple exercises for bodyparts.
The problem DY got into was he went to deeply into failure when he was depleted and ripped the bicep and tricep and quad. This was by his own admission he said many times if he could go back he would only train to failure and or stop short of it the last few weeks before a show when depleted.

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

I can type up what he did in his vids, but didn't know if someone could find the text of the routines posted.

Most of the stuff in the mags would post something like this
Nautilus Pullovers -1 set to failure
Reverse grip Pulldowns-1 set to failure
1-arm hammer rows- 1 set to failure
and so on when that was misleading as DY did as many as 4-5 warmup sets on the basics and then went to failure and beyond so the total sets for the bodypart could be 15 or more.

MG

But those sets he never counted as "stress" sets but merely sets to warm the muscle up, and prepare the CNS for the pending work load. I guess it depends which way you look at it, if you count warm up sets as "working" sets, then yes what you say is right, but if you are just counting the main "progress" sets then its a different angle..

Jayuk

 

[Frank N. Steroid]

MG

But those sets he never counted as "stress" sets but merely sets to warm the muscle up, and prepare the CNS for the pending work load. I guess it depends which way you look at it, if you count warm up sets as "working" sets, then yes what you say is right, but if you are just counting the main "progress" sets then its a different angle..

Jayuk

Yeah but what he calls warm up sets aren't really warm up sets at all.Some of them are yes,but there are definately more work sets than what he claims there are.

 

[Ashop]

Ive used this style training and made gains. I think the DC training is better but with similar ideas. DC has just perfected this method IMO.

 

[LATS]

i have written about this before but, i saw dorian train after one of his seminars many years ago.. he does 3-4 wu sets on the first exercise.. after that he generally does one w/u set then one all out set.. i saw him do back and hamstrings.. he did 3 w/u with 135, 225, 315 then straight to 405 on barbell rows.. the w/u were very sub max and he did about 8 reps per w/u set.. after that he did low pulley row (one w/u set then 1 all out sets), chins (same), deads (two w/u sets 1 all out) then rear delt raises with no w/u set and one all out db rear raise.. one rear pec dek machine (1 set).. the back workout lasted roughly 45 minutes..

 

[Matte220]

off topic but still the best BB video I've seen to date. Completely motivational IMO!

 

[healthfreak79]

i have written about this before but, i saw dorian train after one of his seminars many years ago.. he does 3-4 wu sets on the first exercise.. after that he generally does one w/u set then one all out set.. i saw him do back and hamstrings.. he did 3 w/u with 135, 225, 315 then straight to 405 on barbell rows.. the w/u were very sub max and he did about 8 reps per w/u set.. after that he did low pulley row (one w/u set then 1 all out sets), chins (same), deads (two w/u sets 1 all out) then rear delt raises with no w/u set and one all out db rear raise.. one rear pec dek machine (1 set).. the back workout lasted roughly 45 minutes..

I miss the story times with lats, when mite we see another.

 

[nosejob]

intense, intense, and intense,

the only word i can use to describe his workout and his training video. i love the dungeon and the black and white.

but is it really necessary for leroy to yell like he does?

 

[Golgo13]

I thought the B&G book had some great insight on recovery.

 

[STEVO 47]

That a boy, heavy and basic. I'm going to watch this every morning
before I head to the gym.

 

[LATS]

healthfreak.. in about another day or two.. friday at the latest..

 

[Massive G]

HIS FORM IS TERRIFIC AND I STILL THINK HE HAD SOMETHING OTHERS DIDN'T. I LIKE THE TWO DAYS ON, 1 OFF TRAINING SYSTEM.

EVERYONE WAS DOING IT WHEN DORIAN WAS WINNING...NOW EVERYONE IS TRAINING SIX DAYS A WEEK LIKE RONNIE.

NOT EVERYONE CAN TRAIN SIX DAYS A WEEK AND IMPROVE, THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOME AMAZING GENETICS. YET YOU'VE GOT GUYS WITH AVERAGE GENETICS TAKING ON TRAINING ROUTINES THAT WILL ONLY LEAD TO DISAPPOINTMENT.

YES that's one of the things that is most impressive was his form and control over the weight, you don't see that much today.

 

[LATS]

yea.. very good form and a very slow cadence.. yet he still got hurt numerous times.. even with great form if you dont listen to yyour body and push it too often it will let ya know it needs a rest..

 

[bigtwig]

No question, Yates was the man. And, while not following 70s traditional terminonlogy of HIT, I'd still say it falls under the HIT umbrella, because the focus is less on volume and more on intensity. As mentioned, the warm-ups were mainly submaximal, and for the majority of exercises only 1-2 warm-ups were utilized, again submaximal, with a focus on good form and control of the weight.

bigtwig

 

[SD1959]

No question, Yates was the man. And, while not following 70s traditional terminonlogy of HIT, I'd still say it falls under the HIT umbrella, because the focus is less on volume and more on intensity. As mentioned, the warm-ups were mainly submaximal, and for the majority of exercises only 1-2 warm-ups were utilized, again submaximal, with a focus on good form and control of the weight.

Exactly. And as one of his inspirations profoundly mused:
"You can train long, you can train hard, but you can't do both".
RIP Mike Mentzer