Everything suffices to say that a six-time Mr. Olympia champion like Dorian Yates is a specialist in developing a workout plan for putting on bulk. The 59-year-old former athlete, who won championships from 1992 to 1997, recently went on YouTube for a minute segment to clarify several illusions about the sport, particularly how people should exercise to gain muscle.
Dorian Yates Career
Yates was born in Birmingham, England, and started working out in 1983. He won his first British Championships in three years and then won again two years later. In 1991, he competed in his first Mr. Olympia, finishing second in the sport’s most prestigious tournament. Between 1992 and 1997, he won six Mr. Olympia titles in a row before retiring due to injuries following his sixth triumph.
Dorian’s training method was unlike any other bodybuilder at the time, favoring short, high-intensity, high-volume workouts. Although his workout program was based on Mike Mentzer’s work, Yates made it his own by making many significant alterations to fit his requirements.
Dorian Yates Diet
Dorian Yates eats a well-balanced diet that includes both proteins and carbs. He feels that his diet has improved significantly since the bulking meals during his competitive days, particularly in 1987-88. A bodybuilder’s diet includes high calories and nutrients. Dorian’s diet includes some of the following items:
- Porridge made with one cup of oats
- Ten beaten egg whites
- One protein powder sachet
- Two breasts of chicken
- Green vegetables
- Protein Shake
- Rice and Potato
Dorian Yates Workout
Yates maintains a four-day workweek and recommends doing moderate cardio for 20-25 minutes on non-training days 2-3 times a week.
He emphasizes the importance of avoiding performing cardio right after a workout since it inhibits muscular growth. Yates only exercised for an hour a day, four days a week. The majority of the other bodybuilders put far more time in the gym. He was one of the first to spend less time in the gym to maximize his results.
Yates experimented with and devised various training techniques but found that “one hour four times a week” was the most beneficial. Yates exercised each muscle group once a week. Most people workout each muscle group twice or three times a week. Unlike the majority of the other bodybuilders, Yates did not have a coach or teacher.
What can be learned from Dorian Yates
Unlike the California bodybuilders, Dorian Yates didn’t have time for magazine shoots, beach training sessions, or partying. For the last 12 years, he hasn’t taken a single day off. Dorian didn’t do anything except eat, work out, study, and sleep. For nearly a decade, he maintained a razor-sharp concentration and extraordinary commitment. He exercised no more than four times a week in his Birmingham Dungeon.
Dorian prepared his meals, calculated his nutritional intake, modified his supplements, reviewed training outcomes, and rested. Yates has long maintained that going to the gym does not equal growth. To drive the body to adapt to the stimuli, you must impose maximal stress on your muscles throughout your exercises. Nutrition and rest have a significant role in growth. Thus recovery is just as vital as training when producing world-class outcomes.
Dorian Yates reminds you to do what works for you. While the experts might provide you with a foundation don’t be afraid to customize it according to your needs. Always start a workout with exercises and volume that make you feel comfortable. Then use progressive overload and a periodization plan to increase your results. Finally, listen to your body. It will tell you what to do next. When soreness, fatigue, and diminishing returns set in rest more. If the weight is too light increase it until it isn’t. Use fitness calculators to see what your body is saying about your diet and your body metrics.
The last word on Dorian Yates
Yates still is a divisive figure in the bodybuilding community. He was adamant about not training like the rest of the bodybuilders. Dorian also did not teach what the majority of the folks did. He refused to dress in the manner in which most people dressed. His success was based on his strong personality and monastic discipline. Yates ushered in the era of the bulk monster in the sport of bodybuilding. No other Olympic Champion has progressed the sport in the same manner. Like Yates, do you know how to listen to your body? What does your body tell you about your diet and workout program? Please share in the comment section below.
