Every sport had its top superstar in the 1990s. It was Michael Jordan for the NBA, Ken Griffey Jr. for many baseball fans, and Hulk Hogan was the biggest name in the world of professional wrestling until Stone Cold Steve Austin came along.
The top man in the world of bodybuilding was Dorian Yates. The British muscleman known as “The Shadow” came in like a ball of fire in the early portion of the decade, and he was the number one man in the sport by 1992. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get to finish the decade out as injuries led to an early retirement.
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It’s been over 25 years since he last put on the posing trunks, but his dominance and legendary training style known as “Blood and Guts” is remembered fondly by older fans and revered by younger generations. Here’s a glimpse at how the man from England became an international icon in his sport.
Early Life
Yates grew up on a farm in Hurley, Warwickshire, England. He lost his father at age 13 due to a heart attack. He moved with his mother and sister to Walmley in Sutton Coldfield. By age 18, he and several friends were arrested while crossing Birmingham to go to a party. He would spend the next six months in a detention center. It was there that Yates discovered and developed a passion for weight training.
He maintained that commitment following his release and developed his physique throughout the 1980s. He won the British Championships in Heavyweight in 1986 and was seen as a future pro in the making by the media in that part of the world. He would again win the British Championship heavyweight title in 1988 and claimed the overall victory as well, making him an IFBB Pro. He took 1989 away from the stage to prepare for his next steps.
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Career History
Yates’ pro bodybuilding career lasted from 1990 to 1997. He entered 17 competitions in that time, never finishing lower than second. He left with the trophy and gold medal 15 times in that era. The only two men to have beaten him were Mohammed Benaziza and eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney. Haney retired following his lone showdown with “The Shadow” at the 1991 Mr. Olympia, paving the way for the British superstar to forge his own legacy.
To fully appreciate how dominant Yates was, one must understand the list of legends that he defeated to win his six Sandow Trophies. Among the superstars he posed down against and placed ahead are: Lou Ferrigno, Lee Labrada, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Kevin Levrone, Chris Cormier, and the late Nasser El Sonbaty.
While Yates would win those showdowns, they would not be without controversy. Specifically, many fans from that time feel that Ray and El Sonbaty both should have at least one of those Olympia titles. Ray finished second in 1996 and El Sonbaty did the same in 1997. Yates’ full list of contests is below, courtesy of Muscle Memory.
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1990
- Night of Champions — 2nd
1991
- Night of Champions — 1st
- Grand Prix England — 1st
- Mr. Olympia — 2nd
1992
- Mr. Olympia — 1st
- Grand Prix England — 1st
1993
- Mr. Olympia — 1st
1994
- Mr. Olympia — 1st
- Grand Prix England — 1st
- Grand Prix Germany — 1st
- Grand Prix Spain — 1st
1995
- Mr. Olympia — 1st
1996
- Mr. Olympia — 1st
- Grand Prix England — 1st
- Grand Prix Germany — 1st
- Grand Prix Spain — 1st
1997
- Mr. Olympia — 1st
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Retirement
Following the 1997 Mr. Olympia event, Yates realized that he would no longer be able to compete at the highest level due to the mounting injuries he faced.
After rumors about his future circulated throughout the bodybuilding industry in 1998, he formally retired at that year’s Mr. Olympia contest, paving the way for Ronnie Coleman to upset then-favorite Wheeler to win his first of eight Sandow Trophies.
As for Yates, he took time away from the sport to recover and focus on his future.
Dorian Yates Workout, “Blood and Guts” for Back
Yates began training following a traditional high-volume style, but he would ultimately switch to high-intensity training (HIT), a style that focuses on performing fewer working sets but taking these few sets to total failure and beyond. He would sit under the learning tree of former Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer and consider him a mentor throughout his active career.
Yates also opted not to perform standard classic movements such as the flat barbell bench press and barbell squat. Rather, he incorporated presses from an incline or decline position and favored hack squats for his main quadriceps movement.
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Yates created his own version of HIT and called it “Blood and Guts.” His workouts never lasted longer than 45 minutes, and he made the most out of each working set by adding forced reps, drop sets, and partial reps training into his workouts.
This Dorian Yates back workout is a Blood and Guts session that came from his 1998 autobiography “A Warrior’s Story.” Note how he had several movements to train the back from as many angles as he could, yet he only did one working set for each.
- Barbell Row: 2 x 12-15, with a very light weight
- Hammer Strength Pulldown: 1 x 8-10
- Barbell Row: 1 x 8-10
- Hammer Strength Single-Arm Row: 1 x 8-10
- Seated Cable Row: 1 x 8-10
- Machine Rear Delt Flye: 1 x 8-10
- Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear Flye: 1 x 8-10
- Back Hyperextension: 1 x 10-12
- Deadlift: 1 x 8
Business Ventures and Social Media
The second act of Yates’s bodybuilding life saw him follow other legends into the supplement industry. He founded DY Nutrition and started working as a coach for both competitors and lifestyle fitness enthusiasts. He also became a public speaker and took part in seminars for bodybuilding and personal development.
His supplement company is still active today, and he works with several competitors through his DY Academy as their trainer/coach, most notably second-generation bodybuilder Sergio Oliva Jr. He also represents the Darc Sport clothing line as one of their athletes.
Yates is also active on social media, primarily through his Instagram page, which has 1.6 million followers as of February 2024. His Dorian Yates YouTube channel has 104,000 subscribers, and he recently launched his new podcast “Shadow Talk.”
He also has 2.7 million followers on Facebook and over 159,000 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. It is worth noting that he had not posted on the latter since October 2023.
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2024 and Beyond
Yates still gets stopped for autographs and photos, and he shares tips for people when he is at bodybuilding events. He still garners a lot of attention online as well, thanks to being on various podcasts and shows. While he hasn’t been an active competitor in almost three decades, Dorian Yates is still a name that yields immediate respect and admiration in bodybuilding circles — and likely will be for years to come.
Featured Image: @thedorianyates on Instagram
