Dorian Yates Looks Back in Time as He Visits the Land of Peaky Blinders: “Blood, Sweat and Tears Never Truly Leaves You”

Bodybuilding legend Dorian Yates visited the place where he began his champion’s journey, Birmingham, UK. While Yates was born in the United Kingdom, the 61-year-old has lived in Spain for several years. The six-time Mr. Olympia recently visited his birthplace. However, the former champion uploaded a series of images that few of his fans expected.

In the images, Yates posed in front of a mural of the uber-famous TV show Peaky Blinders. Starring the 2024 Golden Globe Award winner for Best Actor, Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders has captivated audiences worldwide for five seasons. Interestingly, the mural and the place where Yates trained during his bodybuilding career are situated near one another.

Dorian Yates walks down memory lane

The bodybuilding icon wrote that he had a great time visiting old friends in “UK’s second city.” Dorian Yates wrote that today, Birmingham has become “far more recognizable” around the globe thanks to the Peaky Blinder’s TV show. The mural of the infamous gang that inspired the famous series lies “just around the corner from the site of Temple Gym,” said Yates.

While the Peaky Blinders might have made Birmingham famous, Dorian Yates did the same for Temple Gym. During Dorian Yates’ reign, people had the conception that people training and living outside the USA were at a severe disadvantage. However, The Shadow proved otherwise. He “toiled for years underground in that gloomy, deep dungeon,” called Temple Gym.

Every time the bodybuilding icon returns to Birmingham, he visits the nearly sacred sight. This time, he reminisced about his “300lb self who was on a quest to forge a legacy,” while walking down Temple Street. Yates felt like he retraced his steps to the “giant. red, becoming doors.” Unfortunately, this time, the doors he walked through countless times were “locked for good.”

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However, Dorian Yates has a new mission now. Although his competitive bodybuilding days are behind him, “the love for the iron and the grit, the blood, sweat, and tears never truly leaves you,” wrote Yates. Now, Yates channels his energy towards training his clients. Interestingly, the Peaky Blinders mural might also hold a different significance to the former Mr. Olympia.

A dark past

While most fans of the TV show may have never stepped foot in Birmingham, Yates spent a troubled childhood in the city. In fact, before embarking on his bodybuilding journey, Yates often got into trouble as a result of mixing with the wrong crowd. While TV might have made The Peaky Blinders famous, the reality was quite different. 

Dorian Yates also committed a crime when he was a teenager. The six-time Mr. Olympia spent time behind bars for his offense. However, the silver lining in Yates’ story was the time spent behind bars showed him a better path. Yates started working out in jail and turned bodybuilding into his passion after getting out.

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Today, Yates lives in Spain, and Temple Gym no longer opens its doors. However, the memories of the high-intensity, blood, and guts training remain.