After His Horrifying “Injuries Crept Up,” ‘The Shadow’ of Bodybuilding Reveals His Secret to Pain-Free Life

Bodybuilding veteran Dorian Yates had a decorated career. From 1992 to 1997, Yates won six Mr. Olympia titles. To remain a champion and push the envelope, Dorian Yates followed the High-Intensity Training (HIT) philosophy. However, over time, Yates suffered multiple severe injuries, causing chronic pain while training. Earlier, the bodybuilding veteran shared a clip from an interview where he revealed his secret to living pain-free.

Like Ronnie Coleman, ‘The Shadow’ also suffered severe injuries during his bodybuilding career. Thankfully, unlike Coleman, Yates didn’t have joint-related or spinal issues. Yet, tearing the biceps and other muscles had a lasting impact. Hence, he took a systematic approach to eliminating pain.

Dorian Yates puts bodybuilding on the back burner

During a 2019 interview, Dorian Yates revealed for around 15 years, the bodybuilding champion focused only on making gains in the gym. However, after retiring, “If I lift weights, it’s kind of an imbalance, and then this shoulder starts hurting,” said Dorian in the Instagram clip. So the former champion turned to improving two aspects of his body.

“I got to work on my mobility, my flexibility, started looking to yoga,” disclosed the Englishman. During the 2019 interview, Yates said he had been doing it for three years. He also began focusing on his cardiovascular health. “I love hiking. I like using my body as a vehicle,” said The Shadow.

While he focused only on muscle building for a decade and a half, “when the injuries crept up,” Yates made significant changes. The 61-year-old’s “multi-dimensional” approach has done wonders for him. Earlier this year, the bodybuilding icon took a fitness test. He found that his current biological age is “30-39 years” because of the versatile training he does. Dorian Yates’s current state is a far cry from his past, injury-ridden body.

The injuries that ended Yates’s career

Dorian Yates had been training intensely since the beginning of his career. Despite lifting heavy during his HIT sessions, Yates’s tunnel vision to become and remain a champion sometimes worked against him. In a past interview with David Robson, Yates confessed his injuries happened because he either went too heavy or didn’t give a muscle enough time to recover.

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In 1994, while training, Yates tore his biceps. While it didn’t affect his training, it altered the shape of the muscle. However, in 1997, Yates tore his triceps. 95% of the champion’s tendon got detached. Despite the massive injury, Yates won his sixth Sandow but looked diminished from his prime. He retired soon after and decided to look after his body. While Dorian Yates didn’t pay attention to anything other than muscle building in his youth, he has realized the importance of improving one’s “overall fitness.”

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