Dorian Yates is a bodybuilder like no other, with his chequered past and unyielding attitude toward perfection. The fitness icon of the early 1990s found his passion for sports while spending time in the detention center. From there on, he found his true calling, ushering in the era of mass monster years. The Beast of Britain would silently hone his body to perfection at the famous Temple Gym in England.

Moreover, at every Olympia competition from 1992 to 1997, he presented an upgraded version of his muscular stature. Earlier, the Instagram handle of Flex Magazine posted a video clip that shows the retired IFBB pro, revealing a unique reason for hiding his body at the gym while working out. 

Dorian Yates did not want praises to affect his focus

The 6x Mr. Olympia (1992-1997) introduced a novel approach to bodybuilding by focusing on High-Intensity Training instead of spending hours at the gym. The Shadow would lift weights till muscle failure, then focus on recovery. These short bursts of intensive training helped him achieve unparalleled muscle mass and conditioning. At his prime, Yates weighed close to 270 lbs on a 5’10 frame.

Yet, the English pro never liked opening his shirt while working out, revealed Yates in the Instagram post. “You can ask the guys in my gym. Even when I was training for pro contests, Even my own training partners didn’t see me without my top off in the gym.” The confident bodybuilder knew that the reaction would be positive. However, the flattery would do him no good.

“I didn’t want to get the feedback from the guys in the gym, because obviously, I did look amazing to them. But they were not judges at the Mr. Olympia. They were not seeing the other guys. So wasn’t that useful for me ..to get smoke blowing up my a**,” added the insightful strength athlete. 

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This disclosure may come as a surprise in the age of social media, where every achievement gets posted on the internet for likes and clicks. Additionally, it is astonishing that the harbinger of herculean size and dense muscles would hide his body from the rest so that appreciation does not deter him from his goal. Yates has always been elusive and humble in his approach, an insight even his training partner, Paul Baxendale, can vouch for.

Yates was unpretentious even at the zenith of his career

Paul Baxendale used to work out with the Shadow in the Temple gym. The professional bodybuilder recollected an incident on Instagram about Shawn Ray, who was enamored by the minimalistic approach of Yates. Bodybuilder and IFBB pro-Ray had said, “Many of us Californian guys had the nice cars and the dream lifestyle, and here was a guy, even when he was Mr. Olympia, who didn’t seem interested in that stuff.” 

Ray thoughtfully observed, “He loved bodybuilding and being the best at what he did.” It highlights the inner workings of the mind of Dorian Yates, who has changed the bodybuilding sport with his scientific training approach. There is a lesson right there for the overall budding fitness enthusiasts.

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