Dorian Yates is a retired professional bodybuilder who belongs to England. Yates is legendary and won a six times Mr. Olympia title from the consecutive year 1992 to 1997.
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Dorian was the first mass monster Mr. Olympia in bodybuilding history. He came out from England and surprised everyone when he introduced himself to the Olympia stage by presenting a shredded physique with low body fat and great size and conditioning.
The shadow is one of the most famous bodybuilders in the world. Currently, he has over 1.1 million followers on Instagram and 2.6 million followers on Facebook.
Quick facts about Dorian Yates
Birth Date:- 19 April 1962 (age 59 years)
Place of Birth:- Solihull, England
Nickname:- The Shadow
Wife:- Gal Ferreira Yates
Net Worth – $5 Million
Body Stats
Height:- 5ft 10 inches (178 cm)
Weight:- Off-Season weight – 310lbs (141 kg)
Contest weight – 280lbs (128 kg)
Arms:- 20 inches
Chest:- 56 inches
Waist:- 36 inches
Thigh:- 32 inches
Calves:- 21 inches
Dorian Yates Early Life
Dorian Yates was born in Solihull, England, on 19 April 1962. He was raised in Hurley and grew up without a passion for sports. His father died because of a heart attack when he was only 13 years old. He and his family went to Birmingham when he was a teenager. After moving to Birmingham, he joined a skinhead gang at 16 in 1980. Unfortunately, he was arrested after the riots led him. At 19, he was sentenced to 6 months in a youth detention center.
He had never played sports and worked out as a child. He had grown up naturally. After exercising with others in a detention center, he realized that he had good potential and got better results than others. It helps him gain a reputation for his physique as a prisoner. He quickly packed on the muscle and realized that he had an excellent potential to become a successful athlete in the bodybuilding industry.
In a detention center, there were 300 prisoners, and he was considered one of the strongest prisoners in 300. This thing gave him respect for himself, and he decided that he would never be back in the detention center. After being released from the detention center, he joined the gym at 21 in 1983. After that, he was totally focused on bodybuilding.
Bodybuilding Career
Dorian, “The Shadow” Yates, started working out in 1983 at 21. He trained seriously and set his goals of competing as a bodybuilder after ten months of working out and dieting. He competed in his first show at the age of 22- the 1984 Mr. Birmingham novice, where he placed first. But he was hungry for success.
In 1985 at the age of 23, he took part in his first international competition IFBB World Games, where he placed 7th. After losing this show, he took a break for three years and began working out and dieting more seriously than before. Then he returned in 1988 to compete in the British Championships and won that competition and earned his Pro Card. After winning this competition, he became a professional bodybuilder.
After earning his Pro Card at the age of 26, he took another break for two years to develop his physique to win the bigger shows. At the age of 28, he made his comeback and competed at the 1990 Night of Champions, and he shocked the industry in his Pro debut by placing 2nd. This championship was the turning point of Dorian’s life to become recognized in the industry and gain his nickname “The Shadow”.
Mr. Olympia
He wanted to compete on the Olympia stage. The year came 1991 the most successful year for Dorian. He won the Night of Champions at the age of 29 in 1991, and the same year, he debuted on the prestigious stage Mr. Olympia, and he got 2nd place. At the end of the year, he also won the 1991 English Grand Prix.
In 1992, he won the Olympia title and became the first Mr. Olympia at 30. For the next five years, from 1992 to 1997 to his retirement, he won a single contest that he entered. After winning the six times Mr. Olympia titles, he became a legend. His career ended due to injuries, including torn biceps and triceps. These injuries happened five weeks before Mr. Olympia in 1997.
Due to injuries of torn biceps and triceps, he knew that his career was over. In 1994, he started a sportswear company with Ray and Mike Mentzer and took more interest in the business after his retirement.
Bodybuilding Titles
1:- 1984 Mr. Birmingham Novice – 1st place
2:- 1986 British Championships Heavyweight – 1st place
3:- 1988 British Championships Heavyweight, and overall – 1st place
4:- 1991 Night of Champions – 1st place
5:- 1991 English Grand Prix – 1st place
6:- 1992 Mr. Olympia – 1st place
7:- 1992 English Grand Prix – 1st place
8:- 1993 Mr. Olympia – 1st place
9:- 1994 Mr. Olympia – 1st place
10:- 1994 Spanish Grand Prix – 1st place
11:- 1994 German Grand Prix – 1st place
12:- 1994 English Grand Prix – 1st place
13:- 1995 Mr. Olympia – 1st place
14:- 1996 Mr. Olympia – 1st place
15:- 1996 Spanish Grand Prix – 1st place
16:- 1996 German Grand Prix – 1st place
17:- 1996 English Grand Prix – 1st place
18:- 1997 Mr. Olympia – 1st place
Life After Bodybuilding
After retirement from bodybuilding, he started a nutrition company with Kerry Kayes to form proteins and bodybuilding supplements. Dorian advertised his products in the U.S. He left the company in 2006 and created his own company Dorian Yates Ultimate Formulas, which provides proteins and weight-gain supplements.
Dorian Yates founded a second company in 2010, EU Peptides, which offers pro-hormone and peptide hormones supplements. He left the EU Peptides company in 2012. Dorian started a third company in 2011, DY Nutrition, which mainly specializes in pre-workout supplements. DY Nutrition is a line of supplements company that contains pre-workout, whey protein supplements, and post-workout supplements.
Some Bodybuilding books are written by Dorian Yates
1:- Dorian Yates From Shadow.
2:- The Wisdom of Mike Mentzer.
3:- Dorian Yates the Original Mass Monster.
4:- Dorian Yates High-intensity Training.
5:- Dorian Yates Biography.