As the first man from England to clinch the Mr. Olympia title, Dorian Yates inspired numerous others during his career and still continues to do so. The English champion gave new hope to aspiring bodybuilders from England by not only winning but also dominating the Olympia stage for six years. His work ethic and mentality inspired Paul Baxendale so much that the bodybuilder sacrificed his relationship with train with Yates.

Professional bodybuilder Paul Baxendale was a greenhorn at competitive bodybuilding when he first visited the famous Temple Gym. He met Dorian Yates and understood he had a long way to go if he wanted to become an elite pro bodybuilder. Baxendale then decided he would train with Yates and his team, even though the Temple Gym was hours away from his home.

Paul Baxendale sacrificed a lot

In his latest Instagram post, the retired bodybuilder recounted his story of visiting the Temple Gym in 1992. While he wanted to train with Dorian Yates, the author wasn’t sure the Mr. Olympia winner would allow him into his inner circle. Dorian Yates immersed himself in the brutal blood and guts training philosophy, and very few could even manage to keep up with the champion.

However, Baxendale found that he could keep up. As he became part of Yates’ circle, the bodybuilder found himself making sacrifices in other aspects of his life. Training at Temple Gym three and often four times per week wasn’t to time-consuming, especially because High Intensity Training (HIT) sessions didn’t last for hours. However, driving to and from the gym took over three hours.

“The distance, time, sacrificing my career prospects at my job… The financial cost is impossible to add up. My relationship suffered eventually leading to us separating,” wrote Baxendale. However, despite these blows to his personal life, Baxendale said training with Yates was “the top two best decisions of my life.”

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To Paul Baxendale, the sacrifices made sense because he wanted to be a pro bodybuilder. He understood that he would have to train with the best.  While the bodybuilder never won Mr. Olympia, what he learned at Temple Gym changed his life and gave him the courage to follow his passion. Surprisingly, despite the relationship that they went on to share later, Baxendale didn’t impress Dorian Yates during their first meeting.

An embarrassing welcome

Paul Baxendale had started his competitive bodybuilding career and was fresh off competing in the NABBA Britain when he visited Temple Gym. After the show, the bodybuilder felt confident in his physique, but it didn’t last long. He caught a glimpse of Dorian Yates. Yates also spotted the bodybuilder and made an unflattering remark.

“Good condition lad, you just need some muscle to go with it,” the Mr. Olympia told Baxendale. The author explained that he felt a little embarrassed by the comment. However, this also lit the fire that enabled him to make sacrifices and chase his bodybuilding dream.

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