Transcript
Picking up from Part 1, and lower back mass, lets look at a few backs before we discuss how Dorian Yates’ back compares to Sergio Oliva, Lee Haney, and Ronnie Coleman. Check out Jean Pierre Fooks’s back development. The combination of spinal erectors blending with his trapezius is like one thick curvy tube spanning from pelvis to neck. J. P. Fux, who appears to be slightly offseason here, had a Paul Dillette level of mass and proportionately longer legs that carried a great deal of mass, a trait similar to Dorian Yates. Fux’s bodybuilding career was tragically shortened as a result of a squatting injury. Back to Dillette, his lats were not his strength, but his spinal erectors weren’t a weakness. Check out this tremendous bowing out of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s spinal erectors in this lunging three quarters back double biceps pose, although in this 1980s Mr Olympia lineup, both Dickerson and Zane are exhibiting more lower back detail and depth. Tom Platz exhibited massive lower back columns. Casey Viator had incredible overall back thickness. Here’s a seldom seen 1947 shot of Steve Reeves with a highly detailed lower back. And here is Jonnie Johnson with that spinal erector trapezius, tube effect.
Sergio Oliva’s spinal erectors figure prominantly into one of his signature back poses. In this lighting, the trapezius cast a shadow break between the trapezius spinal erector mass. Without the extreme lighting, the mass of the traps and the spinal erectors form one long column. Amazing three dimensional spinal erectors in Oliva’s double biceps pose. The three quarter back poses are also highlighting Oliva’s traps and erectors as one long curved mass. Not to be outdone, compare to Yates trap erector combo. Along with the scapular muscle mass, it forms sort of a circular shape. Of course, Oliva was no stranger to circular shapes. In this biceps pose, His forearms and triceps formed an arc.
How did Dorian Yates Compare to Lee Haney? In his final Mr. Olympia contest before retiring, Haney beat Yates. The 1991 Mr. Olympia was Yate’s first Mr. Olympia contest and only his third contest ever. Post 1991, Yates came back with such mass that he not only out massed his 1991 self but all previous versions of Lee Haney as well. Haney didn’t have any back weaknesses structurally or development wise, his back, lats, and traps were major assets, but Yates set a new standard in mass and had tremendous lower back and lat striations, to a degree that Haney didn’t.
Which brings us to Ronnie Coleman. As far as the back in general, Coleman’s traps out mass Yates. In this twisting back shot, Ronnie’s traps have a three dimensional thickness similar to Dorian Yates’ spinal erectors in some twisting poses. In this back shot, he appears to have traps on top of traps. Ronnie also appears to have more lats or mass under the scapula, like the serratus anterior. This mass on Coleman just hangs off his body. Although Coleman had substantial mass in the spinal erectors, Yates had a more effective Christmas Tree pose with thicker, more pronounced, striations in the lats and lower back. So, Coleman was more upper traps and lats width dominant, and Yates was more lower back development and thick striation dominant.