Dorian Yates is one of the most recognizable names in the fitness industry. With 6 Mr. Olympia titles to his credit, he is one of the few bodybuilders who have achieved a great height of success in their bodybuilding careers. With such a wonderful physique, it’s no surprise that he single-handedly dominated most of the competitions in his era. His 15 major contest wins got him a place among bodybuilding icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lee Haney. In this read, you will get a deep insight into the life story and bodybuilding career of Dorian Yates.
Once he retired as a competitive bodybuilder he forayed into the field of bodybuilding supplements. He is also known to have numerous gyms opened to transform the dreams of many youngsters into reality. It is never a smooth ride for legends and the same was the case with Dorian Yates. He has a history of spending time in a youth detention center. He also encountered a lot of injuries in his career.
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Dorian Yates Stats
| Date of Birth | 19th April 1962 |
| Wife | Gal Ferreira Yates |
| Nationality | British |
| Alias | The Shadow, The British Bulldog, The Beast of Britain |
| Best Win | Olympia (1992-97) |
| Height | 5′ 10″ |
| Weight |
265-282 lbs in contests, 290-309 lbs in the offseason |
| Arms | 20″ |
| Chest | 57″ |
| Waist | 34″ |
| Biceps | 22″ |
| Thighs | 30″ |
| Calves | 22″ |
Dorian Yates Early Years
Dorian Yates grew up in Staffordshire same as Eddie Hall. He lost his father at a very young age, leaving him without someone to look over him in his formative years. He soon took the company of a bunch of skinheads. He even got jailed for being involved in some notorious riots. He didn’t want to spiral down into a life of crime so he started to work out as soon as he was 21. He decided to never get behind bars again.
Start of Fitness Journey
There was no record of Yates working out or even playing sports as a child. Even then, he grew up to be a natural athlete. He had a realization that he had the potential to build muscle so started working on getting jacked with hard and dense muscle.
Within five years, he won two British Championships. His first Mr. Olympia competition was in 1991 where he stood second but the next year in 1992 he started his winning streak and continued winning the coveted title till 1997!
Unfortunately, he suffered an injury after his final victory so he retired.
Dorian was immensely popular among bodybuilders of that era because of his unique style. He adopted short, high-intensity sessions instead of long high volume sessions.
Life As a Professional Bodybuilder
After earning his Pro Card, Yates took some time off the limelight. He didn’t participate in competitions back to back. With an aim to improve and build his body he trained hard in between competitions. In 1990, he participated in the Night of Champions. Not just this, he won the show and shocked everyone by placing ahead of pros like Danny Padilla and Robby Robinson.
The Making of ‘The Shadow’
Dorian Yates gave a new perspective to bodybuilding through his weightlifting training. At his prime, he was given the nickname ‘the shadow’. The reason behind this nickname was very interesting as most of the bodybuilders and athletes back then wanted a spotlight. They wanted to be photographed for magazines and cover photos. However, Yates was a different person. You wouldn’t see him around for months. It was as if he had simply vanished!
Bodybuilders were busy living their celeb lives on the beaches and fancy hotels while Yates was sweating blood and tears in his gym. Whenever the season of competitions arrived, Yates would come out of the dungeon and take the trophy home. He had no desire to be viewed as a star or a celebrity. His tough mentality and thorough training earned him lots of admirers. There was nobody like Dorian Yates as he surpassed his genetic potential in training and bodybuilding.
Injury and Retirement
The fame and popularity of Dorian Yates came at a cost as he suffered several injuries after Mr. Olympia in 1997. As a result, he had to retire. His torn biceps and triceps won him many trophies but in the end, he knew his career was over.
Way back in 1994, he started a sportswear company in collaboration with Mike and Ray Mentzer.
But this is not all!
He further advanced his career by setting up a nutrition and weight gain supplements brand in 2006. He is also the founder of a franchise of gyms that has its branches in America and England.
Dorian Yates’ Workout Routine
Everyone wants to know the workout routine of Yates as he built one of the most impressive bodies in bodybuilding. Anyone wanting to stay disciplined and improve his physique over time can follow this routine. But of course, it can’t guarantee you six Mr. Olympia titles.
Dorian Yates had his inspiration from Mike Mentzer’s HIIT training method. He had four days of training with three days of rest. This program is not taxing at all as compared to the higher volume training plans of the rest of the bodybuilders.
What made his workout routines stand out is that they were short and concise. Not just this, he limited each of the exercises to mere one or two sets.
Each body part had different sorts of exercises with maximum intensity for only set to failure without the warm-up sets.
On the days that he did not work out, he would do 20-25 minutes of cardio training.
Also, he did not do cardio on the days when he trained with weights so that he did not lose the muscle that he put in so much effort to gain.
Monday: Shoulder, Triceps, and Abs
This routine includes 9 exercises with a couple of warm-up sets and then a single working set.
- Smith machine shoulder press: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell lateral raise: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- One arm cable lateral raise: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Dumbbell shrugs: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Cable press down: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- EZ-Bar Triceps Extensions: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Chair sit-ups: 20 reps
- Crunches: 20 reps
- Reverse Crunches: 20 reps
Tuesday: Back
Yates focused on his back on Tuesdays. He had seven different exercises which are mentioned as under:
- Dumbbell Pullover: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Hammer Pulldowns: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Reverse-Grip Hammer Pulldowns: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Wide-Grip Cable Row: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Barbell Deadlift: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Hyperextension: 1 set of 8-10 reps
Wednesday: Off Day
Yates needed a day to give enough rest to his body which in return improved his recovery rate.
Thursday: Chest, Abs, and Biceps
This routine revolves around the chest, biceps, and abs.
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One high-intensity heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Decline Bench Press: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Flyes (45 degrees): 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Flat Dumbbell Flyes: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Machine Chest Press: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Cable Crossover: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Biceps Curl: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Standing EZ Bar Biceps Curl: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Legs
Yates focused on his quads, hamstrings, and calves on Saturdays.
- Leg extensions: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Leg Press: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Hack Squat: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Seated Hamstring Curl: 2 sets of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Calf Press: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
- Seated Calf Raise: 1 set of 10-12 reps, One heavy set of 8-10 reps
Sunday: Off day
This workout may look easy and doable but Yates inserts maximum intensity for every single exercise. He doesn’t put pressure on the same muscles over and over again. He plans a full-body workout for a week and then focuses on separate muscle groups.
Dorian Yates Workout Tips
- Make sure you get proper rest within tough training workouts
- The diet must be balanced and healthy
- Take care of what works for you and get rid of what doesn’t match your system
The Dorian Yates Diet Plan
Yates has made changes in his diet through the years but he maintained his focus on complex carbs, green veggies, and proteins. He also made sure he was not overdoing the carbs before training sessions. He would eat every 3 hours. He has mentioned quite many times that his diet has improved since the mass-bulking foods of his competition days at the end of the 1980s. Here is his diet plan:
Meal 1:
Porridge made with a cup of oatmeal
9-10 egg whites
A few scoops of protein powder
Meal 2:
A pre-workout protein shake after breakfast and before the first gym session
Meal 3:
Balanced amounts of proteins and carbs in lunch.
Two chicken breasts
Lots of green vegetables
Rice/potato
Meal 4:
A large glass of protein shake
Meal 5:
Dinner by 6 pm consisting of 12oz filet mignon
Green vegetables
Rice/potato
Meal 6:
A small serving of porridge cooked with half a cup of oatmeal
6 egg whites before going to sleep
Dorian Yates had a routine that worked for him. There can be certain variations in the eating and training routines of different individuals depending on their desired outcomes.
Dorian Yates Supplements
Yates had dietary supplementation to make sure he had achieved maximum potential.
Quality protein supplement
It is the best way to meet your body’s protein needs. Find out more about the best protein supplements that include Tri Protein from Crazy Nutrition.
Are legal steroids a good choice?
In order to speed up muscle growth, it is also a good idea to include a good testosterone supplement in your daily schedule. As a matter of fact, you can also throw in a legal steroid such as Dianabol alternative in order to make speedy gains. Dbol and test cycle is a highly preferred cycle for gaining muscle mass. The best part is that you can now get natural alternatives for both these anabolic steroids to help you gain muscle quickly without any negative side effects or PCT.
If you are someone, who wants to blend in even more legal steroids then you may consider test, deca, dbol cycle which consists of 3 legal steroids alternatives ie., alternatives for testosterone, Deca Durabolin and Dianabol.
Creatine
Creatine enhances the strength of workouts. Check out the best creatine supplements for men and women by clicking here.
Pre Workout
Pre-workout lets you get more of your training sessions. You experience more energy, more pump, and improved focus. Check out the best pre-workouts for men and women including Intensive Pre-Train from Crazy Nutrition.
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that is known to build the immune system. It supports intestinal health and brings an improvement in muscle recovery.
BCCAs
It is an important factor behind muscle recovery and growth. It is also crucial in case your diet is not rich in proteins.
Conclusion
The products recommended by Yates are the same as he used. He suggests that by starting a fitness journey, you can bring a change in your life. He believes that hard work can get you the results you are looking for. He wanted to achieve the title of Mr. Olympia so he left no stone unturned and eventually won Mr. Olympia six times.
