“What the F**K Is That”: Decades After Championing the ‘Mass Monster’ Era, Bodybuilding Veteran Once Revealed How He Didn’t Wish to Fit Into Set Norms

Eras mark significant shifts in the sports landscape within the realm of professional bodybuilding. Dorian Yates, with his unwavering work ethic, intense training methods, and exceptional physique, redefined the limits of size, density, and sheer muscle mass, dominating an era famously known as the ‘Mass Monster Era.’

With his trademark “blood and guts” approach, he immersed himself in every set, relentlessly pushing his muscles to the brink of failure and beyond. This fact has been repeatedly verified by Paul Baxendale, a former bodybuilder and now an academic who imparts his extensive old-school knowledge through online training and coaching. Having trained with numerous legendary bodybuilders, Baxendale sheds light on Yates’s mindset in bodybuilding in his recent Instagram post. Let’s delve into Baxendale’s revealing post to gain insight into Yates’ approach.

Unveiling the evolution of Dorian Yates from 1990 to 1991

In a recent Instagram post, Baxendale provided a comparison of Yates’s physique between the years 1990 and 1991. Recognizing the need to elevate his presence on the stage alongside renowned bodybuilders like Lee Haney and Mohammed Benaziza, Yates embarked on a journey of self-improvement following his debut in 1990. Baxendale disclosed, “Dorian once said to me after training one day, “I don’t want the judges to look up and say, ‘Oh that’s a nice physique.” I want then to look up, drop their pens and say ‘What the f**k is that!!” I loved that.”

Motivated and dedicated, Yates consistently strived to enhance himself. Fueled by the desire to earn a pro card, he poured his heart and soul into refining his physique, leading up to the 1991 Night of Champions. “He began to develop his unique posing style, perfect execution of the mandatory poses and often preceding his rear poses with a heavy stomp of his right foot behind him, this began to build an explosive drama around his posing,” Baxendale further revealed in the caption.

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Training with the level of intensity that Yates embraced is undoubtedly not for the faint-hearted. The body undergoes significant stress during such rigorous workouts, making the recovery process a challenging endeavor. A while ago, Yates shared the secret behind his recovery from a tiring workout. 

Dorian Yates’ secret to becoming a Mass Monster

Yates shared an image from his prime bodybuilding days, giving a glimpse into his training routine recently on Instagram. In the caption, he unveiled his post-workout regime that played a crucial role in his transformation into a mass monster. Emphasizing the significance of sleep in an athlete’s life, Yates wrote,  “After every workout, I’d head home to eat my post-workout meal and then sleep for two hours.”

Furthermore, Yates emphasized the significance of quality sleep and how it played a vital role in his journey to becoming a mass monster. Yates told, “Sleep was so important to me, I’d make sure I got my eight hours at night, but then I’d take a two-hour nap in the afternoon too.”

In the world of bodybuilding, Dorian Yates’ refusal to conform to set norms made him an iconic figure. Decades after championing the ‘Mass Monster’ era, his revelation about not wanting to fit into preconceived notions continues to resonate. Are you ready to challenge the norms?

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