Are you curious about the Blood And Guts back workout?
Do you wonder how Dorian Yates trained his back and rear delts to become one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
In this comprehensive guide, I will show you how to use the Blood And Guts back workout to take your back development to the next level!
Introduction
Dorian Yates is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.
He won the prestigious Mr. Olympia competition 6 years in a row from 1991 – 1997, and he would have won it a few more times if it weren’t for some upper body injuries!
Dorian has many standout body parts, such as his triceps and calves. However, his upper back is on a completely different level!
His lats and traps look like they belong on a silverback gorilla!
When people ask Dorian how he built one of the greatest upper backs in bodybuilding history, his answer is always the same: the Blood And Guts back workout!
Dorian Yates Stats
- Date Of Birth: April 19th, 1962
- Height: 5 Feet 10 Inches
- Weight: 265 Pounds
- Body Fat: About 3 Percent
- Nickname: “The Shadow”
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So what does the Blood And Guts back workout look like?
Dorian believed that the fastest way to build your upper back was to perform high-volume “Blood And Guts” workouts with many different exercises for your lats, traps, rear delts, and spinal erectors.
Unlike a lot of bodybuilders, Dorian didn’t believe in performing multiple sets per exercise. Instead, he believed the fastest and most efficient way to build muscle was to perform 1 working set to failure per exercise.
This doesn’t mean that Dorian used bad form in his workouts, or that he didn’t prioritize the mind-muscle connection.
Quite the opposite!
Dorian says that training to failure is all about making your muscles work as hard as possible on each and every rep.
“A lot of people have misconceptions about my training.
People think it’s just about throwing heavy weights around in the gym. We’ll use heavy weights, but it’s really about technique.”
“With bodybuilding, it’s about using the weight as a tool to put maximum stress on the muscle to trigger muscle growth.
It’s all about the intensity of the workout.”
Dorian trained his upper back once every 6 days using his high-intensity Blood And Guts training style.
His back workouts were so intense that he always followed them up with a much-needed rest day!
Here is the exact training split that Dorian Yates used when he was defending his Mr. Olympia titles. Check it out:
The Dorian Yates Training Split
- Day 1: Chest / Biceps
- Day 2: Quads / Hamstrings / Calves
- Day 3: Off
- Day 4: Shoulders / Triceps
- Day 5: Back / Rear Delts
- Day 6: Off
- Day 7: Repeat!
As you can see, Dorian performed his high-intensity Blood And Guts back workouts once every 6 days.
He says this was the perfect training frequency for him, as he could train extremely hard while still having plenty of time to recover between workouts.
Here is the exact back workout that Dorian used to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world. Check it out:
The Blood And Guts Back / Rear Delts Routine
Part 1: Upper Back Exercises
- Exercise #1: Pullover machine, 1 working set of 6-8 reps to failure**
- Exercise #2: Hammer strength pulldown (supinated grip), 1 working set of 6-8 reps to failure**
- Exercise #3: Standing barbell row to knees, 1 working set of 6-8 reps to failure
- Exercise #4: Seated 1-arm machine row, 1 working set of 6-8 reps to failure**
Part 2: Rear Delt Exercises
- Exercise #5: Bent-over rear delt machine, 1 working set of 10-12 reps to failure
- Exercise #6: Bent over rear-delt DB flys, 1 working set of 8-10 reps to failure
Part 3: Lower Back Exercises
- Exercise #7: 90 degree back extension (BB on back), 1 working set of 8-10 reps to failure
- Exercise #8: Conventional deadlift, 1 working set of 6-8 reps to failure
**Perform 1-3 forced reps after reaching failure with the help of your training spotter.
Talk about an intense workout! Dorian breaks up his back workouts into three separate parts.
First he trains his lats and upper back with different pulldown and rowing movements. Next he trains his rear delts with 2 shoulder isolation exercises.
Finally he performs some back extensions and deadlifts for his lower back.
Let’s start by talking about Dorian’s upper back exercises.
Unlike a lot of bodybuilders, Dorian started every single one of his Blood And Guts back workouts with the nautilus pullover machine. He says that this is the single best lat isolation exercise that you can perform in the gym.
In his opinion, no other exercise even comes close!
“We can’t talk about back training without talking about the nautilus pullover machine. I always started my back routine with that exercise.
I like it because it isolates the lats with no involvement of the biceps. There is no other exercise that does that.”
“So the idea with the pullover machine is that you are isolating the lats and pre-exhausting them so they work harder during your other pulldown or rowing movements.”
After performing the nautilus pullover machine, Dorian moves onto a variety of rowing and pulldown movements like the hammer strength pulldown machine, barbell bent over rows, and the hammer strength 1-arm row.
Next Dorian moves onto his rear delt isolation exercises.
Dorian says that you can put your rear delt exercises on your back day or your shoulder day. However, he always got better results training his rear delts on his Blood And Guts back day, so that was always his strategy!
Finally Dorian finishes his Blood And Guts workout with some direct lower back work, including the 90 degree back extension and Dorian deadlifts.
This is an absolutely brutal way to train – especially if you are truly going to failure on each and every set. However, Dorian believes this is the absolute fastest way to build up your upper back and rear delts!
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Conclusion | The Blood And Guts Back Workout!
Dorian Yates says that his Blood And Guts back routine is the fastest and most efficient way to build a world class upper back.
Unlike a lot of bodybuilders, Dorian performs 1 working set to failure per exercise. He even performs forced reps on specific machine exercises to further increase the intensity of his sets!
Dorian also uses the nautilus pullover machine in his workouts to pre-exhaust the lats. He says the pullover machine is the best lat isolation exercise ever invented.
If you want to maximally develop the lats, then you must use this machine!
If you are looking for an intense new workout to blow up your upper back, then you have to give the Dorian Yates Blood And Guts back workout a shot.
It may be just what you need to take your upper back development to the next level!
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