Every week, fans eagerly await the drop of a new Huberman Lab episode, curious to see which guest neuroscientist Andrew Huberman will speak to next on his highly rated podcast. While Huberman frequently hosts experts from the fitness world, bodybuilding fans were especially excited to see retired bodybuilding legend Dorian Yates appear in an unlikely crossover this week. Widely regarded as one of the most influential athletes in the sport’s history, Yates is a six-time Mr. Olympia and the founder of the “Blood and Guts” training style, producing results that revolutionized modern bodybuilding.
Around the podcast recording, Yates guided Huberman through a brutal and efficient back workout at Gold’s Gym Venice. Throughout the workout, Yates explains exact techniques and form tips for building a fully developed back. Give it a try yourself and see how your back fares.
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How to Do Lat Pullovers
Yates starts Huberman off with a few sets of pullovers to isolate the lats with minimal bicep involvement, making the following compound exercises more effective. You can use a pullover machine, do dumbbell pullovers on a bench, or straight-arm lat pulldowns on a cable machine.
Keep your elbows stable and push them down slightly during the movement. Focus on your upper arm moving down and back relative to the torso to fully engage the lats. Avoid letting the movement swing and focus on a full range of motion.
- Sit on a pullover machine and grab the bar with an overhand grip, pushing elbows into the pad.
- Bring the bar up until you feel a stretch in the lats.
- Pull the bar down toward the torso and briefly pause before resetting to the top.
How to Do Lat Pulldowns
Lat pulldowns are a staple for building thickness and mid-back strength. There are many variations, but Yates favors a close underhand grip to emphasize the lower lats and biceps. Performing pullovers first to pre-exhaust the lats helps you feel them activate more clearly during the pulldowns, which is especially useful for anyone who struggles to fully engage the stubborn muscle.
- On a lat pulldown machine, grab a bar with an underhand grip, keeping hands slightly over shoulder-width apart. Sit down on the machine.
- Pull the bar towards the chest, driving elbows back.
- Return the bar to the starting position slow and controlled.
How to Do Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
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Dumbbell rows are a classic, targeting the lats, mid-back, traps, and rhomboids. Avoid pulling the dumbbell too high for excessive upper back emphasis. Keep your body stable and avoid excessive rotation.
“Start in line with the shoulder. You’re gonna pull up and back,” Yates says. “So, you go into the hip, basically. Then, you would bring it back down.”
- Place one hand and knee on bench, keeping your back flat.
- Pull a dumbbell from the floor toward your hip.
- Control the motion as you reset.
How to Do Cable Rows
Shifting focus to the rear delts and upper back changes the movement from pulling the arms down and back to pulling while letting the elbows flare outward. When setting up for cable rows, grab the bar and allow your shoulders to move slightly forward. Keep your torso upright and stable as you pull the bar in, emphasizing the contraction in the upper back.
- Sit at a cable row machine and grasp the handle with an overhand grip.
- Pull the handle toward your torso and focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Slowly extend arms back to the starting position.
How to Do Rear Delt Bent-Over Raises
Yates says there’s no need to pause at the top with these, just keep it moving. Focus on contracting the muscles rather than chasing exact arm path.
“I’m gonna bend over, like parallel to the floor. Arms bent, and they stay like that. They hook, yeah?” Yates says, demonstrating the exercise. “And you can even rest your belly on your legs a little bit for stability.”
- Bend over at the waist, parallel to floor.
- Keep your elbows bent, lifting dumbbells out to the sides.
- Maintain controlled, continuous movement through the reps.
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