ND (or others), what year is this Yates picture from? best back of all time!

[NarcissisticDeity]

I got word from Peter McGough that the pic is 48 hours before the 1996 Mr Olympia and that show was tested for diuretics so his condition in that show is simply amazing

[NarcissisticDeity]

The problem is, that shot looks really impressive because it is half completed. When Dorian completed the pose the deliniation between the muscle groups (giving that "lumpy" apearance) is not nearly what is was when the arms are not in the traditional stance:


dorian's back double bi was always one of his worst poses.

His worse pose? I disagree I think its one of his better poses and like GMC said besides the lack of bicep peaks that back double bicep shot is one of the best in the sport , seriously , Yates back was among the widest , thickest , and most complete , including top middle & bottom , his detail was excellent just hard to see at times .

[Hulkster]

His worse pose? I disagree I think its one of his better poses and like GMC said besides the lack of bicep peaks that back double bicep shot is one of the best in the sport , seriously , Yates back was among the widest , thickest , and most complete , including top middle & bottom , his detail was excellent just hard to see at times .

 I disagree about the excellent detail - Dorian's back was seldom detailed come contest time. Obviously, there are a few times where he has sucessfully dried out that area, but most times, it looked like this - huge, thick, but not really detailed (at least in the upper back. Dorian's lower back is probably the greatest of all time).

[nicorulez]

Here is a pic of Coleman that is purported from the 2005 Mr. Olympia.  I don't know about the bumps in the back, but the difference between Yates and Coleman is Yates is drier with lats that insert near his posterior iliac crest (down to his ass basically).  He is thick as shit, but his arms are definitely lacking and his glutes are not striated.  Coleman is as thick but wider, but his lats don't taper down as far.  His arms are way better as are his hams/glutes.  Yates kills him in the calves, though.  I personally think Coleman is the more aesthically pleasing BB, but this is very subjective.  Overall, probably the two best back double bi's in history.  Take your pick, there is no slam dunk winner.  Kind of like Bird vs Magic.

[nicorulez]

BTW, I honestly think Jay is the widest dude in history as his shoulder width is the stuff of a caricature.  However, he does not have bumps, Yates does.  In some ways, I think Jay with a thicker lower back and more detail could have a back that easily rivals Coleman and Yates.  Problem with Cutler is his lack of conditioning from the back. Have to admit he looks pretty damn good, though.

[Hulkster]

Jay and Dorian who? - too bad his calves SUCK!

In all seriousness, Jays back has improved a lot, and Ronnie's is not what it used to be (but of course he is a lot older now than he was back in 98 or 99).

However, I still don't agree with Flex Magazine's contention that Jay had better back poses than Ronnie at this past Olympia.

[pumpster]

Yates looks GREAT in that first shot, the DENSITY was SUPERB and was always one of his strong points over virtually anyone else. Few have had that kind of density going back several decades. The advantage in density's even more obvious in videos, more than pics. Unfortunately even with the tan he still got washed out somewhat from the show lighting-that's the problem, not his back in any way.

One of the ONLY things Ron doesn't have over Yates is DENSITY. Ron's back is HUGE but was never as dry or dense as Dorian's. Even when Ron was an anatomy chart, he had great definition, not the same as density.

Jay's back is drier, closer to Yates but not quite as detailed or dry.

[nicorulez]

Pumpster, very good point.  Yates is freaky dense, almost like iron.  Ronnie is bigger and better shaped IMO, but you gotta give Yates props for conditioning.  Of todays athletes, Branch from the front seems to have that quality .  He is very hard and grainy...Dorianesque.  Unfortunately for him, he turns around and his back disappears.  It almost looks like he forgot to train his back for the first five years he was training.  It is good enough against 2nd tier competitors but when he goes against Ronnie, Jay, Dex and even Gunther or an in shape Badell he loses.  Ronnie really doe shave everything except for that super dry, grainy condition.  Haney also had that look in 1991 in his last Mr. Olympia (especially in the upper body).

[pumpster]

Only a few others had that density-Robinson more than anyone, Haney, Columbu, Birdsong and a few others more recently, but not many.

[Hulkster]

Ronnie really doe shave everything

really? how would you know?

To me, I have been in the minority in that I have always felt that Dorian did NOT look that dry simply because he lacked a lot striations and seperation in key areas (like delts, arms, quads and chest).

to me, a more striated bodybuilder looks more dense than one who is not as striated.

Striations = dryness.

and dryness (when combined with muscle volume) = density.


one of the most dense looking back shots ever, IMO.

[GMCtrk]

really? how would you know?

To me, I have been in the minority in that I have always felt that Dorian did NOT look that dry simply because he lacked a lot striations and seperation in key areas (like delts, arms, quads and chest).

to me, a more striated bodybuilder looks more dense than one who is not as striated.

Striations = dryness.

and dryness (when combined with muscle volume) = density.


one of the most dense looking back shots ever, IMO.

Ronnie rarely displays striations. Case in point the 99 grand prix....Flex had striations everywhere, yet where were Ronnie's?

[pumpster]

It's subtle, but striations & defo aren't the same as density and dryness.

Dryness is having nothing between the muscle and skin. Ron even at his best had a little something there between the muscle & skin, despite great defo and striations.

Dryness and density have to do with having nothing between the skin & muscle.

[TrueGrit]

Am I the only one who thinks Nasser looks 'better' than Yates in that pic???

[Hulkster]

Ronnie rarely displays striations. Case in point the 99 grand prix....Flex had striations everywhere, yet where were Ronnie's?

right in front of you:


check out the quad seperation.



check out the delt seperation, not to mention back detail.


check out the lower back.


even his BICEPS were striated (check out the muscle fibers).

And let us not forget the striated glutes and hams.

Not exactly sure which contest you were watching??

Ronnie back the day was seperated/striated as hell!

[GMCtrk]

I'm not seeing hardly any striations there as well...."check out the quad separation" WTF does that have to do with striations LMAO

Ronnie with no quad striations...

[GMCtrk]

MONSTER ab & thigh

[Hulkster]

I'm not seeing hardly any striations there as well...."check out the quad separation" WTF does that have to do with striations LMAO

Ronnie with no quad striations...

true, Ronnie didn't display a lot of actual quad strations post 1997.  But, as you can see from the pic I posted, his quads still looked fantastic and dry being as seperated as they were.

And here is one of my beefs with saying Yates was dense:

his quads had little seperation OR striations:


how can someone who is so "dry and grainy" have quads (a huge muscle group) that show so little seperation, and look puffy??

It has never made sense to me - if Yates was dry and grainy he should of at least had seperations between the quad muscle groups.

[GMCtrk]

true, Ronnie didn't display a lot of actual quad strations post 1997.  But, as you can see from the pic I posted, his quads still looked fantastic and dry being as seperated as they were.

And here is one of my beefs with saying Yates was dense:

his quads had little seperation OR striations:


how can someone who is so "dry and grainy" have quads (a huge muscle group) that show so little seperation, and look puffy??

It has never made sense to me - if Yates was dry and grainy he should of at least had seperations between the quad muscle groups.

The famous black and whites, still the most shocking bodybuilding pictures ever taken are what many attribute Dorian's dryness and grainyness.

Also, just for the record, I think Ronnie's all-time best look is post olympia 1997....esepcially in his first training video, he looks absolutely rediculous when he poses in that video

[Hulkster]

by they way, Ronnie is not even flexing his quads yet in EITHER of those pics that you posted..


even unstriated quads can still look fantastic.

[Hulkster]

The famous black and whites, still the most shocking bodybuilding pictures ever taken are what many attribute Dorian's dryness and grainyness.

those shots are impressive for several reasons:

1. Yates was 269 pounds.
2. the pics were taken in black and white
3. it was not onstage
4. it was pre-tear.

Hell, even Ronnie's "best ever shots" were taken in much the same way (not onstage, heavy weight, etc etc)


I don't think these screenshots ever made the magazines though..

[GMCtrk]

I contend, that in coleman's post GH era, the BFTO '02 pictures are his all-time freakiest and best ever.

[GMCtrk]

This is pre-GH ronnie at his all-time best:

[Hulkster]

I contend, that in coleman's post GH era, the BFTO '02 pictures are his all-time freakiest and best ever.

hard to believe that he could look SO different at the 2002 Olympia:


every time I see these shots, I think that it looks like someone photoshopped his arms down.  But they are real shots.

how Ronnie won in 2002 I'll never know.

[GMCtrk]

hard to believe that he could look SO different at the 2002 Olympia:


every time I see these shots, I think that it looks like someone photoshopped his arms down.  But they are real shots.

how Ronnie won in 2002 I'll never know.

Something went wrong, obviously, and he knew what is was becuase he corrected it in '03. Had he come in properly in '02, we basically would have seen the "new standard of '03" set in 2002

[pumpster]

I don't know why he had to use GH based on the earlier pics.