IFBB Professional Bodybuilder - Dorian Yates

Six time Mr. Olympia! England's best Bodybuilder ever!

Dorian Yates - The Shadow. Dorian dominated Professional Bodybuilding during the 1990's, winning the Mr. Olympia crown no less than six times. Every British bodybuilder is quite rightly very proud of Dorian Yates, he was an absolute legend.

Dorian Yates' back was his best bodypart - other bodybuilders of his era may have been better from the front (such as Kevin Levrone or Flex Wheeler) but as soon as they turned around it was Game Over - his back really was that good. He was always the hardest onstage, his conditioning was supreme and gave him a very dense, hard look that was impossible to beat. His calves were another strong point, with only Mike Matarrazzo's calves being bigger.

Profile

Full Name: Dorian Andrew Mientjez Yates
Date of Birth: April 19th, 1962
Age: 47
Height: 5'10" (1.78m) Contest Weight: 270lbs Still competing: No (although a come-back is rumoured)
Wikipedia entry?: Yes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_Yates
IFBB Contest wins: 15 (Fifteen, including six Mr. Olympia wins - 1992 to 1997 inclusive)
Mr. Olympia titles: Six
Official website: www.dorianyates.net

Injuries

Dorian Yates sadly endured some major injuries including a torn left biceps and a career-ending torn left triceps injury that occurred just three weeks before the 1997 Mr. Olympia. Dorian opted not to have surgery and instead competed at the 1997 Mr. Olympia, not knowing whether his triceps would hold up during the contest. Fortunately it did and he successfully defended his crown for the fith and final time. Dorian Yates was a proponent of HIT - High Intensity Training (low volume, high intensity training). It is possible that this style of training is what led to his injuries.

Did Dorian Yates deserve to win Mr. Olympia six times?

Sadly some of Dorian Yates' Mr. Olympia wins are contested, with many people believing that he should not have won. He tore his biceps in 1994 and his waist grew thicker and wider over the years, which did detract from his physique and so it can be understood why some people believe other bodybuilders such as Kevin Levrone (who should have won in 1995, many say), Shawn Ray and Flex Wheeler should have placed first ahead of Dorian Yates. It is my opinion that Dorian Yates' overall physique was still tremendous and the decisions could have gone either way. It has always been that incumbent Mr. Olympia's have a high chance of retaining their title even with a slight deficit against their competitors - a sort of home advantage.

Dorian Yates only lost two Professional contests, the first to Momo Benaziza at the 1990 Night of Champions contest (which prompted Dorian to take the rest of the year off to improve his back before returning and winning decisively the 1991 Night of Champions contest). The second and final defeat was against defending Mr. Olympia Lee Haney at the 1991 Mr. Olympia. The contest could have easily gone either way but as per normal the defending Mr. Olympia was given the advantage.

I had the privaledge of seeing Dorian Yates train in his hey-day and it was one of the most awesome sights I have ever witnessed. I swear that his rear delts stuck out through his training top like ten-pin bowling balls and his forearms looked like legs. He was a giant amongst men.

Why Dorian Yates was so good

The best back in Bodybuilding history, full stop. Powerful, dense and hard physique, he was always ripped and ready on contest day. Dorian raised the bar for size, coming in at 260 pounds or more. Amazing calves and legs generally.

Dorian Yates' Contest History

1984 Mr. Birmingham novice 1st
1985 Novice West Coast (England) 1st
1985 World Games, 7th (amateur)
1986 EFBB British HW 1st (in London)
1988 British Championships 1st
1990 Night of Champions, 2nd
1991 Night of Champions, 1st
1991 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
1991 English Grand Prix, 1st
1992 Mr. Olympia, 1st
1992 English Grand Prix, 1st
1993 Mr. Olympia, 1st
1994 Mr. Olympia, 1st
1994 Spanish Grand Prix, 1st
1994 German Grand Prix, 1st
1994 English Grand Prix, 1st
1995 Mr. Olympia, 1st
1996 Mr. Olympia, 1st
1996 Spanish Grand Prix, 1st
1996 German Grand Prix, 1st
1996 English Grand Prix, 1st
1997 Mr. Olympia, 1st