In a late June 2025 interview with Balance My Hormones, six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates revealed his diet and training after professional bodybuilding. Known as “The Shadow” for his reclusive, brutal contest preps, Yates preaches a more sustainable 80/20, health-centered lifestyle post-retirement.
To be the best is in no way a balanced situation. How do we get the benefits of exercise without the negatives?
—Dorian Yates
80/20 Diet Flexibility
Yates primarily follows a ketogenic and animal-based diet. He isn’t rigid, valuing dietary flexibility, especially when traveling.
I went to Italy…ate pasta and drank beer…and had tiramisu.
—Dorian Yates
Yates doesn’t eat as much as when competing, but his diet has always favored healthy fats and protein. He advocates for an 80/20 rule; 80% strict, 20% flexible.
The American Heart Association states that, “An overall heart-healthy diet is more important than agonizing over the occasional indulgence.” (1)
The 80 percent rule works for most body goals. Fitness author Thomas DeLauer suggests aiming for 80% protein, asserting that the rest of the diet tends to fall in place. A 2021 study found that diet flexibility, which includes desserts, was as effective for long-term weight loss as more rigid diets. (2)
Excessive Training
Yates advocates for proper training dosing, akin to a drug:
Too much exercise is not healthy. Look at exercise as a medicine…what’s the effective dose before getting all these side effects?
—Dorian Yates
Overtraining exists, but science hasn’t found an affirmative threshold. It varies, and there are many nuances. (3) “You can achieve the same as you get from doing 45 minutes to an hour…with three 20-second all-out sprints,” Yates claimed.
Yates endorsed sprint interval training as comparable to long cardio sessions. Studies show that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) most efficiently improves cardiovascular and metabolic health, body composition, and VO2 max. (4)(5)(6)(7)
HIIT might also preserve joints better than extended high-impact activities like jogging.
Functional Training and Longevity
Strength, flexibility, and mobility are key markers of longevity. “Grip strength is probably reflective of your general strength.” Research links grip strength with reduced all-cause mortality. (8)
Yates incorporates farmer’s walks, a functional gripping exercise, and recommends hanging from a pull-up bar to realign shoulders and improve grip.
Yates tailors inter-set rest to the muscle group and exercise intensity, warning against subsequent sets too soon. “They won’t reach muscular failure—they’ll reach cardio failure.” (9)
References
- Conlin LA, Aguilar DT, Rogers GE, Campbell BI. Flexible vs. rigid dieting in resistance-trained individuals seeking to optimize their physiques: A randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Jun 29;18(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s12970-021-00452-2. PMID: 34187492; PMCID: PMC8243453.
- Goh FQ. Can too much exercise be dangerous: what can we learn from the athlete’s heart? Br J Cardiol. 2021 Jun 2;28(3):30. doi: 10.5837/bjc.2021.030. PMID: 35747700; PMCID: PMC8992649.
- Edwards JJ, Griffiths M, Deenmamode AHP, O’Driscoll JM. High-Intensity Interval Training and Cardiometabolic Health in the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Sports Med. 2023 Sep;53(9):1753-1763. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01863-8. Epub 2023 May 19. PMID: 37204620.
- Yin M, Li H, Bai M, Liu H, Chen Z, Deng J, Deng S, Meng C, Vollaard NBJ, Little JP, Li Y. Is low-volume high-intensity interval training a time-efficient strategy to improve cardiometabolic health and body composition? A meta-analysis. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2024 Mar 1;49(3):273-292. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2023-0329. Epub 2023 Nov 8. PMID: 37939367.
- Poon ET, Wongpipit W, Li HY, Wong SH, Siu PM, Kong AP, Johnson NA. High-intensity interval training for cardiometabolic health in adults with metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Sports Med. 2024 Nov 12;58(21):1267-1284. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108481. PMID: 39256000.
- Su L, Fu J, Sun S, Zhao G, Cheng W, Dou C, Quan M. Effects of HIIT and MICT on cardiovascular risk factors in adults with overweight and/or obesity: A meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2019 Jan 28;14(1):e0210644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210644. PMID: 30689632; PMCID: PMC6349321.
- Kim J. Handgrip Strength to Predict the Risk of All-Cause and Premature Mortality in Korean Adults: A 10-Year Cohort Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Dec 21;19(1):39. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010039. PMID: 35010298; PMCID: PMC8751337.
- Singer, Alec & Wolf, Milo & Generoso, Leonardo & Arias, Elizabeth & DelCastillo, Kenneth & Echevarria, Edwin & Martinez, Amaris & Androulakis-Korakakis, Patroklos & Refalo, Martin & Swinton, Paul & Schoenfeld, Brad. (2024). Give it a Rest: A systematic review with Bayesian meta-analysis on the effect of inter-set rest interval duration on muscle hypertrophy. 10.51224/SRXIV.395.
Featured image: @thedorianyates on Instagram
