After Spending Part of His Youth in Prison, Dorian Yates, 61, Used This Simple Technique to Win 6 Mr. Olympia Titles Between 1983 and 1997

Today Dorian Yates is known as one of the most impactful champions in bodybuilding history. However, before Dorian Yates ushered in the mass monster era, he struggled with childhood trauma and even went to prison. In December 2018, during an interview with London Real, the 61-year-old opened up about his troubled youth. Yates revealed that he thought his parents didn’t do “a great job” at raising him, and after his father died when Yates was 13, he had a chip on his shoulder. However, trying to prove his worth landed the former champion in trouble, and he went to prison at 18. Dorian Yates discovered bodybuilding behind bars and began following a simple technique that helped him improve.

In a recent interview with Escape Fitness, the six-time Mr. Olympia opened up about pursuing bodybuilding and how he trained to become a champion. In a clip Escape Fitness uploaded on YouTube yesterday, the bodybuilding legend revealed why he followed the technique and why others should do it too.

All you need is a pen and paper

In the interview, the host asked Yates about his mindset while competing in bodybuilding professionally. “(Did) you have this vision of the British Championships, and did you write things down?… how did you get that control?” asked the interviewer. The six-time Mr. Olympia revealed that he did one of the things the interviewer mentioned in his question.

The Birmingham native said that throughout his bodybuilding journey, he wrote down his goals on a piece of paper and then signed it. In fact, it’s a practice he recommends to everyone. “I tell people all the time, whatever it is, your training, business, even relationships, anything, write things down… on a piece of paper and sign it,” said Yates.

“From 1983 to 1997 (I) logged down, every exercise… and then I would write down short-term goals, which usually were a month, long-term goals were 12 months,” said the former Mr. Olympia. The 61-year-old said he wrote down how much he could lift during “key exercises like bench and squat and deadlift.” He would then write down his lifting goals for the following month.

READ MORE | Though Prison Helped Dorian Yates Find His Passion, He Was Still Homeless When He Embarked On His Bodybuilding Journey in 80S: “Had Nowhere to Live”

Hence the act of incrementally setting higher goals while holding himself accountable eventually helped him win six Mr. Olympia titles. However, he also mentioned another key factor.

Dorian Yates emphasized setting “reasonable” goals

During the interview, the English champion said anyone trying this technique must pace themselves correctly. The goals should be “reasonable” and “achievable.” Yates said, “If you’re gonna put something ridiculous, that you can’t achieve, it’s not gonna help you it’s just going to demotivate you.” 

Hence, according to the former Mr. Olympia, it’s essential to achieve the “little goals.” Yates said every journey an individual makes is made of little steps. Thus Yate’s advice echoes that of bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also emphasizes consistency over lofty goals.

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What did you make of Yates’s technique? Do you plan to follow it? Let us know in the comments.