Dorian Yates is known for his no-nonsense attitude and high-intensity training. The 61-year-old won six Mr. Olympia titles and changed the face of bodybuilding, ushering in the mass monster era. His passion for the sport started from somewhere unique- from prison. He was imprisoned at 18 for six months in his hometown, Birmingham for breaking traffic rules. It was during this time that Yates took to fitness and bodybuilding and became hooked on it.

Yates was known for his dedication towards the sport and, in a recent video, he revealed how this was something that was there from the beginning of his career. Yates never wanted to show off. He wanted every pose, workout, and even photoshoot to be authentic.

Dorian Yates on his first photoshoot at the Mecca of bodybuilding

In a YouTube short video uploaded by Muscle Mind Media, Yates discussed his first photoshoot in a Gold’s Gym and revealed how he was not comfortable wearing sunglasses. Why? Because he was there to show his real self and prowess, not to pose.

Yates recalled, “I said, Mate, I’m not wearing sunglasses. Good thing I had a British photographer, Chris Lund, so he could relate to me a little bit because the Americans never really understood me. Why I’m not that guy that’s always wanted the attention, why I’m not telling everyone how great I am and all the time and all this stuff.” According to him, they never really got him. 

He even asked the photographer if he could lift some 200 lbs weights and show his real hard work in the photos. Yates also told Lund that he would not smile because he was lifting weights and not posing for a photo. That became his first-ever cover with a 200 lbs dumbbell.

Yates’s candid confession showcased his respect for the sport he gave his all for. Earlier, he had revealed how he took to bodybuilding because it gave him the utmost happiness.

Bodybuilding helped Yates move away from the negativity

In a previous Instagram post, he said, “At the time, I had many reasons to feel negative, so I guess it was time to strive for some happiness, bodybuilding was that happiness for me.” He recalled how this feeling came about in 1983 after he saw a bodybuilding event as an audience.

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Moreover, the bodybuilder recalled that his intentions with bodybuilding were never to be Number 1 or have fame and money. The vigor to pursue the sport came from a positive and happy place in his mind as it made him feel good about his physique.

Is it because of such noble intentions to pursue the sport that Yates reached the pinnacle of success? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

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