Dorian Yates changed the landscape of bodybuilding. After winning his first Mr. Olympia contest in 1992, Yates took his physique to the next level. The Englishman brought unmatched muscle mass on stage, regularly competing at 260 lbs and above. Yates trained with extreme intensity in the gym and followed the High-Intensity Training that Mike Mentzer pioneered.
The six-time Mr. Olympia was immensely disciplined and had training partners who pushed him beyond the limits. However, the former Mr. Olympia also had another method that helped him maintain the intensity. In his latest Instagram post, the former Mr. Olympia revealed how his peculiar training essentially helped him.
A tool nearly everyone uses in the gym
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Earlier, the original mass monster uploaded an old video of himself doing a maxed-out set of barbell bicep curls. While his training partner hyped him up, rock music could be heard in the background. “Music,” wrote the six-time champion. “I always knew the importance of having music on while training,” he added. However, there was a catch.
“It had to be the right type of music,” said Dorian Yates. While everyone listens to music while working out, Yates listened to a particular kind of music to amplify his energy and focus. “Energetic, hardcore, aggressive music… this reflected my training style!” explained the bodybuilding icon. He also named some of his favorite artists, whose music boosted his workouts.
“Nirvana… Guns n Roses, Pearl Jam and AC DC,” Yates wrote. He also mentioned his particular fondness for the track Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, which was also his entrance music at Mr. Olympia. The English bodybuilder said high-octane rock and grunge music helped everyone out at Temple Gym.
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“The yelling and screaming of both the artists in the songs and us training, both kind of worked together in conjunction with each other to produce an unparalleled atmosphere,” Yates wrote. In fact, one of the songs still reminds Yates of one of his training partners.
The bodybuilding icon’s memorable gym partner
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Music was so paramount to their training that the opening chords of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses still remind Yates of Paul Baxendale. Although it’s been three decades since they first had their intense leg workouts, Yates goes back to the glory days while the song comes on. Baxendale has also recently started sharing his stories with Yates.
At 57, Paul Baxendale has gathered a wealth of experience. A lot of that experience came because he trained with the former Mr. Olympia. Baxendale got an embarrassing welcome at Temple Gym for the first time. However, the bodybuilder drove for hours every day to train with the six-time Mr. Olympia.
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What did you think about the training essential Dorian Yates talked about? What is your go-to gym music? Let us know in the comments.