“It’s Just So Far Away, It’s Daunting”: Years After His Unchallenged Supremacy, 60-Year-Old Shares His ‘Mount Everest’ Philosophy That Made Him Bodybuilding Legend

The Shadow a.k.a Dorian Yates ranks third on the list of bodybuilders of most Sandow trophies. During his competitive bodybuilding days, Yates meticulously planned out competition strategies that made him unbeatable in the biggest bodybuilding competition from 1992 until his retirement in 1997. Instead of a head-strong tiresome workout approach, Yates opted for a philosophical approach. Years after leaving the bodybuilding stage, the veteran shared practices that were unique to his drills.

Yates is a firm believer in writing things down. The Shadow recalled he used to write down every workout he ever did from 1983 to 1997. Such was the dedication of the six-time Mr. Olympia champion! But what’s more interesting is the Mount Everest reference.

The Mount Everest philosophy that put Dorian Yates at the top of the sport for six consecutive years

Yates believes in setting a close target and building up from there. This was followed by him writing his short-term and long-term goals. The short ones included his plans for the next 30 days, whereas the long-term were his plans for the year.

Using Mount Everest to support his actions, Yates said, “So let’s say that you want to climb this mountain, Mount Everest. If you can see the top…it’s just so far away, it’s daunting. Right? So, why don’t you concentrate- ‘Yeah I will get to the top one day but first of all I will get to that ledge there. And when I get to that ledge there I will get to that ledge there and let me focus on that.’ So breaking it down into little achievable goals.”

Dorian Yates advocated breaking down big, at times scary goals, into several short ones. He believes in writing it down to remember the target and keep the progress in check. Well, Yates isn’t the only bodybuilder who included pen and paper in his workout. Yates claims it is also the method that helped him win for six consecutive years.

Read More: After Spending Part of His Youth in Prison, Dorian Yates, 60, Used This Simple Technique to Win 6 Mr. Olympia Titles Between 1983 and 1997

The Shadow was unforgiving and brutally honest in his notes

All throughout his bodybuilding career, Dorian Yates used to write down his ambitions on a piece of paper and sign it. These notes did more than just archive his experiences and processes. It would typically have details on how much he lifted during his core exercises. Post that if the results didn’t match his expectations, he used to note down the target for the coming month.

What do you think of Yates’ methods and philosophy? Let us know in the comments.

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