The Dorian Yates 1987-1992 workout routine is an advanced bodybuilding split built around a single rotating sequence of 4 training days: Chest/Biceps/Triceps, Legs/Calves (Heavy), Back/Shoulders, and Legs/Calves (Light). After warm-ups, every exercise is taken for 2 working sets to failure. Dorian Yates, the six-time Mr. Olympia who reshaped the sport in the early 1990s, ran this exact structure during the build toward his first Olympia title and treated each working set as a true all-out effort.
This is the earlier version of Yates’ training, and the distinction matters. From 1987 to 1992 he performed 2 working sets to failure per exercise, often finishing the second set with a drop set or forced reps. His later training style (i.e. Blood n Guts style training) used just 1 intense working set per exercise. The routine on this page is the 2-set era, not the single-set Blood and Guts era. The intensity is the same brutal train-past-failure approach that defined Yates, but the working-set volume is higher.
This routine is built for advanced bodybuilders who are comfortable training to failure and recovering from it. The volume is low on paper but the effort per set is maximal, so it rewards lifters who can push genuine all-out sets and manage the recovery that follows. If you want a more conventional bodybuilding split, see the PHAT workout routine or the PHUL workout routine before committing to this one.
This routine rotates through a 4-day body part split that hits the following muscle groups per training day:
- Day 1: Chest, Biceps, Triceps
- Day 2: Legs, Calves (Heavy)
- Day 3: Rest
- Day 4: Back, Shoulders
- Day 5: Rest
- Day 6: Chest, Biceps, Triceps
- Day 7: Legs, Calves (Light)
Because of how Dorian splits his workouts, each week has 4 or 5 training sessions in it. This is reflected in the spreadsheet.
Table of Contents
1987-1992 Dorian Yates Training Style
While Yates’ later training style (i.e. Blood n Guts style training) used just 1 intense working set, his training from 1987 to 1992 used more volume: 2 working sets.
Both working sets are effectively AMRAP sets and are performed to failure. The spreadsheet provides recommended rep ranges where you should be failing (e.g. 6-8 reps means perform an AMRAP set where the last rep you can muster is the 6th, 7th, or 8th rep).
During these years Yates often used the drop set and, if necessary, the forced rep technique for his second working set. After the first working set, he would rest 45 to 60 seconds, reduce the load by 10 pounds or so, and perform another set to failure.
How the 2-Set Era Differs From Blood and Guts
The 1987-1992 routine and the later Blood and Guts routine share the same philosophy: warm up properly, then take your working sets to absolute failure and beyond. The difference is the working-set count. In this earlier era, Yates performed 2 working sets to failure per exercise. In the Blood and Guts era he trimmed that down to a single all-out working set per exercise and leaned even harder on intensity techniques like forced reps and negatives to make that one set count. If you have seen the single-set Blood and Guts framing elsewhere, this page is deliberately documenting the higher-volume 2-set version that came before it.
Spreadsheet: Dorian Yates 1987 – 1992 Workout Routine
Body Part Split
Dorian would divide his training up by the following muscle groups per training session. Only the working sets are shown in the tables below.
Chest, Biceps, Triceps Workout
A triple drop set means performing one set to failure, dropping the weight, immediately performing another set to failure, dropping the weight, and performing a third and final set to failure. This is one triple drop set. Two of these are performed for the dumbbell fly.
| Exercise Movement | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 2 | 6-8 |
| Incline Press | 2 | 6-8 |
| Dumbbell Flys (Triple Drop Sets) | 2 | 6-8 |
| Concentration Curls | 2 | 6-8 |
| Barbell Curls | 2 | 8-10 |
| Hammer Curls | 2 | 10-12 |
| Cable Extensions | 2 | 10-12 |
| Lying Tricep Extensions | 2 | 8-10 |
| One Arm Dumbbell Extensions | 2 | 8-10 |
Legs, Calves Workout
Dorian used two different leg workouts: heavy and light. The heavy workout is shown below. The light workout uses the same exercises, but in the 15-20 rep range.
| Exercise Movement | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Extensions | 2 | 8-12 |
| Leg Press | 2 | 8-12 |
| Hack Squats or Smith Machine Squats | 2 | 8-12 |
| Leg Curls | 2 | 8-12 |
| Stiff Leg Deadlifts | 2 | 8-12 |
| Standing Calf Raises | 2 | 8-12 |
Back, Shoulders Workout
| Exercise Movement | Sets | Reps |
| Close Grip Pull Downs | 2 | 8-10 |
| Weighted Chins | 2 | 6-8 |
| Bent Over Row | 2 | 8-10 |
| Hyperextensions | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Seated Dumbbell Press | 2 | 8-10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 2 | 8-10 |
| Bent Over Lateral Raises | 2 | 8-12 |
| Shrugs | 2 | 8-12 |
