Dorian Yates Reveals His ‘Blood and Guts’ 1993 Mr. Olympia Biceps Workout – Fitness Volt

Bodybuilding legend Dorian Yates is dusting off his old training journal. In an August 11 Instagram post, he revealed the ‘blood and guts’ biceps workout that helped him win the 1993 Mr. Olympia. 

Dorian Yates adopted a high-intensity training approach to reach the top of the Men’s Open class. En route to building his legacy, he defeated a crop of bodybuilding stars, including Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, and Flex Wheeler. Yates was known for his incredible back detail, and admitted his arms were never his strongest body part. 

Making his job even harder, Yates suffered two major arm injuries. He tore his bicep six weeks before the 1994 Mr. Olympia, then injured his triceps in 1997 but still competed and won his final title, despite it being 90 percent detached. Now, “The Shadow” is offering more insight into his intense training approach. 

Dorian Yates’ 1993 Mr. Olympia Biceps Workout Routine 

Find his biceps workout from the post below: 

• Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls: Set 1 (Warm-Up) 50 lbs for 7 reps + Set 2 (Working Set) 70 lbs for 6 reps and 1 forced rep 
• Standing Barbell Curls: Set 1 (Working Set) 155 lbs for 5 reps and 1 forced rep, followed by a dropset of 110 lbs for 3 reps 
• Single-Arm Cable Curls: Set 1 (Working Set) 40 lbs for 8 reps 

Yates shared that this was his go-to arm routine for the 1993 Mr. Olympia, which followed directly after his chest workout. 

“All performed after a short break as his chest routine was completed…Heavy duty, Blood & Guts effort to muscular failure,” shared Dorian Yates. 

Since retirement, Yates has been far more open about the strategies he used to conquer the sport. He recently shared his Bruce Lee-inspired ab routine that helped him prepare his midsection for the Mr. Olympia. According to Yates, pairing abs with one of his less intense workouts of the week produced the best results: 

“I usually trained abs once per week and they were usually done as an extension at the end of shoulders & triceps. This was because I felt that shoulders and triceps was probably the ‘easiest’ workout of the week (well, easier than the others!) and didn’t take as much out of me, so I added them on to the end here.” 

In addition, the bodybuilding icon has laid out which chest exercises helped him most throughout his dynasty. He credited barbell bench presses, incline presses, and Smith machine presses for building muscle. For added intensity, he used rest-pause reps. 

Beyond the stage, Yates continues to inspire and educate the next generation of bodybuilders. Biceps can be a stubborn muscle to grow, but he believes that with effort and intensity, you don’t need a long, grueling workout. 

RELATED: Exercise Scientist Critiques Dorian Yates’ High-Intensity Training