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Episode
Dorian Yates Reveals the Dark Side of His Bodybuilding Career
~156 min
Episode Brief·YouTube

Dorian Yates Reveals the Dark Side of His Bodybuilding Career

Thomas DeLauer
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TL;DR

The four things you'd lose by not watching

4 items

TL;DR

The four things you'd lose by not watching

4 items
1

Dorian Yates emphasizes that ego, while a motivator for success, needs to be controlled and adapted, especially after retiring from a highly competitive field like professional bodybuilding.

2

He views his intense training during his bodybuilding career as a spiritual practice, transforming negative emotions and traumas into fuel for building his body and career.

3

Yates now prioritizes health, longevity, and quality of life over extreme muscle mass, actively reducing his body weight and engaging in activities like yoga, Pilates, hiking, and cycling.

4

He advises listening to your body's signals regarding rest, distinguishing genuine need from laziness, and highlights the challenge of transitioning from an all-consuming goal to a more balanced approach.

Protocols

Concrete recipes — what, when, how much, and why

4 items

Post-Contest Training Adjustment

WhatAfter a bodybuilding contest, instead of taking a full month off, Dorian Yates would immediately resume training with next year's competition in mind, gradually reintroducing foods and controlling the post-contest rebound.
WhenImmediately after a contest, following a week of photo shoots.
DoseNo full month off; training resumed the next week.
For whomCompetitive bodybuilders, particularly those with a strong internal drive and long-term competitive goals.
WhyTo maintain focus on future goals, control metabolic rebound, and avoid excessive weight gain, leveraging his love for training.
CaveatsThis approach is highly demanding and may not be suitable for all athletes, especially those who need a mental and physical break. Yates notes that most bodybuilders take at least a month off.
Personal experience

Yates states, "I never did that [take a month off]. Um because I like training." He recalls a journalist asking when he'd start preparing for next year, and he replied, "next week." He learned to control the rebound, gradually reintroducing foods instead of 'pigging out' as he did after his very first contest.

Next week I go back to the gym and I'm thinking about next year already. So I never really had that rebound too much and I learned to control it.

Training with Low Calorie Intake (Contest Prep)

WhatDuring the final weeks of contest preparation when calorie intake is severely restricted, shift training focus from building muscle to maintaining existing muscle mass.
For whomCompetitive bodybuilders in the final stages of contest preparation.
WhyWhen calorie intake is low, the body lacks the necessary fuel to build new muscle. Pushing for intense growth during this phase increases injury risk without significant benefit.
CaveatsThis advice is a retrospective adjustment based on Yates's own injury experiences. He emphasizes that intense training is great, but not when the body is under-fueled.
Personal experience

Yates got injured twice in the last 6 weeks before a contest because he was 'still going 100% but without the fuel.' He now advises his clients: "you build the muscle right you've already built it now the job is maintain the muscle lower the body fat. So we don't need to train past failing and stuff like that."

I coach people now, I'm like, yes, super intense training is great, but when the intake, calorie intake is lower, maybe it doesn't make sense to push to that point because you don't have the uh materials to build more muscle. So you're shifting your mentality to maintaining.

Listening to Body Signals for Rest

WhatFor disciplined individuals, if you wake up feeling tired and unmotivated to train, it's likely a signal from your body and mind for rest, not laziness. It's better to take that rest day than to push through a suboptimal workout.
For whomDisciplined individuals with a strong training ethic.
WhyFor highly driven people, laziness is not their nature. Therefore, signals of fatigue are genuine needs for recovery. Resting when needed can lead to a more productive workout the next day and prevent overtraining or injury.
CaveatsThis requires self-awareness to distinguish genuine need for rest from mere procrastination. Yates advises analyzing the feeling to determine if it's feedback or just a desire to avoid training.

Yates explains that his past rigid adherence to training schedules, even when his body signaled otherwise, led to injuries. He now advocates for a more flexible approach, especially for those who are inherently disciplined. He argues that if a disciplined person feels tired and unmotivated to train, it's usually a legitimate need for rest, not laziness. Taking that day off allows for better recovery, leading to a more effective and higher-quality workout the following day, ultimately being more beneficial than forcing a subpar session. This flexibility is an 'art' that comes with experience.

So if you're getting you're getting up in the morning and you feel tired and you don't feel like going today, you don't feel like going today, probably you should listen to that, you know, because not you're not being lazy.

Also said
“So, it's better to miss that day that you had that less than optimal workout because your body and your mind didn't want to do it, man. Yeah. You know, and it's not you being lazy because you're a disciplined person. So, laziness don't really exist.”— Reinforces the idea that for disciplined individuals, fatigue signals are not laziness but a need for rest.
“I tell people when you get that feeling don't want to go to the gym today, analyze what that is. Is that feedback or is that just you like I just don't want to go today. So you have to decide what it is.”— Provides a practical step for self-assessment when feeling unmotivated to train.

Low Protein Diet for Health

WhatAdopt a low-protein diet to actively lose muscle mass and reduce overall body weight for health reasons, particularly if carrying excessive muscle mass is contributing to health issues like high blood pressure.
For whomIndividuals, especially former bodybuilders or those with significant muscle mass, who are prioritizing long-term health and functional fitness over extreme size.
WhyExcessive body weight, even if it's muscle, can be detrimental to health as one ages. Reducing muscle mass can improve health markers and functional mobility.
CaveatsThis is a specific strategy for individuals who have historically built and maintained very high levels of muscle mass. It's not a general recommendation for everyone to reduce protein intake.
Personal experience

Yates himself adopted this diet after a health checkup revealed high blood pressure. He went from 250 lbs to 230 lbs, actively losing muscle mass. He found it a 'mental ego check' and didn't care about others' opinions on his reduced size, as it was for his personal health benefit.

So, I went on a low protein diet and actively lost muscle mass to bring my body weight down for health reasons.

What's new

Personal practice updates, fresh positions, predictions

4 items

Redefining Ego in Bodybuilding and Retirement

0:40

Dorian Yates discusses how ego, while essential for competitive drive, must be managed and adapted, particularly after retiring from a sport like bodybuilding, to find new directions and maintain mental well-being.

Why this matters: Yates, a former Mr. Olympia, offers a nuanced perspective on ego, acknowledging its positive role in achieving peak performance but also its potential to hinder post-career adaptation and personal growth.

Background

Yates's career was defined by an intense drive to be the best, fueled by a competitive ego. Upon retirement, he faced the common athlete's challenge of identity loss and the need to redefine himself outside his sport.

Yates explains that ego isn't inherently negative; it's a necessary component for anyone striving to be the best in their field. However, he stresses the importance of being aware of and controlling one's ego to navigate life's changes. After his bodybuilding career, he consciously worked to 'give up the ego' associated with being Mr. Olympia, which had become his primary identity. This involved embracing new activities where he wasn't a champion, like yoga and Pilates, which he initially would have scoffed at as a young bodybuilder. This process was a 'good test to give up the ego' and allowed him to transition to a more balanced life focused on health and quality of life.

Personal experience

Yates shares his personal journey of having to control his ego after retirement. He started doing yoga and Pilates, activities he would have laughed at as a younger, heavy-lifting bodybuilder. He found himself 'pretty shitty at it' initially, but saw it as a necessary step to move forward. He also learned horse riding and biking up mountains, deliberately seeking out uncomfortable areas to challenge his self-perception.

Absolutely. I mean, ego is not always a bad thing, right? You know, I if if I didn't have an ego, you wouldn't want to be the best in the world at something.

Also said
“So, being Mr. Olympia became became me became my image and then when I retired it's not there anymore so how do I adjust to that and that definitely took some time.”— Highlights the identity crisis faced by athletes post-retirement.
“So uh I had to give up the ego and uh I forced myself actually to to not force myself but I wanted to try other things do other things where I wasn't any good I wasn't uh I wasn't the champion you know I started up some point doing yoga and I would have laughed about that probably when I was a kid 25 years old lifting heavy weights that's just for women.”— Illustrates the specific actions taken to shed his former ego-driven identity.

Bodybuilding as a Spiritual Practice and Fueling with Negative Emotions

7:00

Dorian Yates describes his intense bodybuilding training as a spiritual experience, where he channeled negative emotions, traumas, and anger into fuel for his workouts, transforming them into positive energy for building his body and career.

Why this matters: This offers a unique, almost alchemical perspective on extreme athletic dedication, framing it as a profound internal process of self-mastery and emotional transmutation rather than just physical exertion.

Yates explains that for him, every workout was a 'spiritual experience' and a 'war' where he was 'slaying demons.' He consciously used his traumas, angers, and negative emotions as fuel, transforming this 'dark and negative' energy into something 'light' by building his body and career. This intense mental approach meant he never went to the gym casually; every session was meticulously planned and rehearsed in his mind, with a goal of constant progression, even if it was just one more rep. This 'life or death' mentality, though not literally true, was his internal driver, allowing him to maintain unwavering focus and dedication.

Personal experience

Yates recounts a childhood experience at age 11 during a charity run where he pushed past physical limits, entering a 'zone' and completing a half-marathon distance with no prior training, driven by an egoistic challenge. He later recognized this as an early manifestation of his ability to tap into deeper levels of mental and physical endurance. He also describes his gym routine: meticulously taking notes of previous workouts, setting reasonable but progressive goals, and entering the gym with 'tunnel vision,' avoiding distractions, a focus that even his early training partners noticed.

So for me, every workout was like a spiritual experience, you know, trying to push my limits and also my mental approach that I was going into the gym. It it was a war.

Also said
“I was slaying demons or whatever I was imagining in my mind. It was a life or death situation on every workout. That was my mentality.”— Emphasizes the extreme mental intensity and internal battle during training.
“So in my mind I was taking something that was dark and negative and through the workout I was transforming it into something that was light because I was transforming this energy into building my body and building my career and uh everything like that.”— Explains the alchemical process of converting negative emotions into productive energy.
“Like literally my attitude was if my partner's on fire, I'll call the fire brigade and go to the gym and do my workout today. Everything is secondary to that.”— Illustrates the unparalleled focus and prioritization of his training.

Post-Retirement Shift to Health and Longevity

13:00

After retiring from competitive bodybuilding, Dorian Yates consciously shifted his focus from extreme muscle mass and competition to health, longevity, and quality of life, actively reducing muscle mass for better functional fitness.

Why this matters: This represents a significant paradigm shift for a former Mr. Olympia, challenging the conventional bodybuilding mindset that often prioritizes size above all else, even at the expense of long-term health.

Yates now trains for health, not competition. He maintains muscle mass but avoids excessive amounts, recognizing that it's no longer beneficial for his current goals of mobility, flexibility, and overall well-being. He engages in activities like hiking, biking, yoga, and Pilates, which promote functional fitness. This change was prompted by a health checkup revealing high blood pressure, leading him to actively lose muscle mass through a low-protein diet to reduce body weight. He views this as an 'ego check,' demonstrating his willingness to prioritize health over the image of a massive bodybuilder, despite external opinions.

Personal experience

Yates recounts a specific instance where he had a health checkup, and his blood pressure was too high. This prompted him to intentionally lose muscle mass by adopting a low-protein diet, reducing his weight from 250 lbs to 230 lbs. He found it 'interesting to observe myself' and 'other people's' reactions, as many commented on him 'getting skinny.' However, he states, 'I don't really care about anyone's opinion,' seeing it as a refreshing exercise in losing ego and doing what's best for his current health goals.

So I'm training now for my health, not for a competition that finished uh finished uh nearly 30 years ago. It's not uh it's not relevant to me anymore that goal that you know I'm here for my health and my well-being mental and physical.

Also said
“I don't lift heavy weights. I do a little bit of weight training because I want to maintain the muscle mass I've got. Uh, but I don't need excessive amounts of muscle mass. It wouldn't be beneficial for what I'm trying to do.”— Clarifies his current training philosophy and why he no longer seeks extreme muscle.
“I did an exercise which was physical but it was also mental ego check few years ago I was uh still weighing like 250 but you know residual muscle mass from my training I was staying 250 and I was doing still eating the same kind of way more or less still doing the same things because that's what I do right and I said I just checked myself I went to the have a health checkup and my blood pressure was a little too high.”— Details the catalyst for his health-focused transformation and the 'ego check' involved.
“I don't care because it's what I need. I need to lose weight. I'll be more functional. And I do training. I did uh yoga. I did Pilates. is I did some functional type training because I need to be uh mobile. I need to have good flexibility, good strength, good endurance.”— Outlines the specific benefits and types of training he now prioritizes for functional health.

Distinguishing Discipline from Habit and Listening to Body Signals

20:00

Yates differentiates between discipline and habit, suggesting that true discipline sometimes means being flexible and listening to your body's need for rest, rather than rigidly adhering to a schedule, especially for highly driven individuals.

Why this matters: This offers a counter-intuitive perspective for high-achievers, challenging the notion that pushing through all signals of fatigue is always beneficial. It emphasizes self-awareness over brute force adherence.

Yates acknowledges that his intense drive sometimes worked against him, leading to injuries because he would override his body's signals to rest. He now advises that for disciplined individuals, feeling tired and not wanting to train might not be laziness but a genuine signal from the body and mind needing recovery. He suggests that listening to these signals and taking a rest day, even if it deviates from a planned schedule, can lead to a more effective workout the next day, ultimately being more productive than pushing through a suboptimal session. This flexibility, he notes, is an 'art' learned through experience, especially when the all-consuming goal of competition is no longer present.

Personal experience

Yates admits that during his competitive career, his 'go forward, go forward' mentality often led him to 'over-prepare' and push too hard, resulting in injuries, particularly in the last six weeks before contests when calorie intake was low. He now coaches clients differently, advising them to shift from building to maintaining muscle during contest prep when fuel is scarce. He also reflects on his own current practice: if he doesn't feel like going to the gym, he doesn't, opting for alternative activities like walking or biking, because he no longer has the 'all consuming absolute life goal' driving him to override his body's needs.

So if you're getting you're getting up in the morning and you feel tired and you don't feel like going today, you don't feel like going today, probably you should listen to that, you know, because not you're not being lazy.

Also said
“But maybe sometimes the signals that you know maybe you shouldn't. But because you've already determined that you're going to do it, you're just going to go through it. And I think that mentality in a way sometimes worked against me. That's why I got injured because I was just going to keep going to keep pushing and keep pushing.”— Explains how his past rigid discipline led to injuries.
“So, it's better to miss that day that you had that less than optimal workout because your body and your mind didn't want to do it, man. Yeah. You know, and it's not you being lazy because you're a disciplined person. So, laziness don't really exist.”— Reinforces the idea that for disciplined individuals, fatigue signals are not laziness but a need for rest.

Recommendations

Products, supplements, and tools mentioned in the episode

2 items

Yoga

Practice

Adopted by Dorian Yates after retiring from bodybuilding to challenge his ego, improve flexibility, and support overall health and mobility.

Yates, who once viewed yoga as 'for women' and would have laughed at the idea, embraced it as a way to step outside his comfort zone and shed his bodybuilding ego. He found himself 'pretty shitty at it' initially, but saw it as a valuable test. It's part of his current regimen focused on being healthy, having a good quality of life, and maintaining a balanced mind, prioritizing mobility, flexibility, and endurance over sheer muscle mass.

Personal experience

Yates started doing yoga after retiring, noting he would have laughed at the idea when he was 25 and lifting heavy weights. He found it challenging, especially balancing on one leg, but considered it a 'good test to give up the ego.'

I started up some point doing yoga and I would have laughed about that probably when I was a kid 25 years old lifting heavy weights that's just for women um and I went to the class and you know you got to balance on one leg and or stuff I hadn't done before and I was pretty shitty at it but uh uh uh it was a good test to give up the ego.

Find Yoga

Pilates

Practice

Integrated into Dorian Yates's post-bodybuilding routine for health, mobility, and functional fitness, similar to yoga.

Like yoga, Pilates was an activity Yates adopted to challenge his former identity and improve his overall physical well-being. It contributes to his current goal of being mobile, flexible, and having good endurance, which he now prioritizes for a high quality of life, rather than the extreme demands of competitive bodybuilding.

Personal experience

Yates mentions doing Pilates alongside yoga and other activities like horse riding and biking up mountains, all part of his new approach to fitness focused on health and functional movement.

So I like to go into areas where I'm a little bit uncomfortable and since I've retired from professional bodybuilding I've done yoga, I've done pilates.

Find Pilates
Disclosed sponsorships2speaker disclosed

Seed Daily Symbiotic

Supplement Sponsored · disclosed

Recommended for anyone making dietary or lifestyle changes, emphasizing the importance of gut health as a starting point.

DisclosureThe host mentions a 20% off discount link for Seed Daily Symbiotic.

The host highlights Seed Daily Symbiotic as a product that combines a prebiotic and probiotic in one capsule, designed for proper absorption throughout the digestive system. The prebiotic component breaks down first, followed by the probiotic, which colonizes later in the gut. The host praises Seed for its extensive research, multiple clinical trials, and data-driven approach to understanding the microbiome.

After today's video, I popped a link down below for Seed Daily Symbiotic. So, if you're trying to make any kind of dietary change or different lifestyle at all, one of the first things you want to focus on is your gut health.

Also said
“The cool thing is is Seed is paving the way for a lot of that research. They've got multiple clinicals. They've really looked at the data and how this stuff works.”— Highlights the scientific backing and research focus of the recommended product.
“So, that symbiotic down below, that is a 20% off discount link for their prebiotic and probiotic that's inside one capsule. So, you get proper absorption throughout the right areas of the digestive system.”— Explains the product's formulation and mechanism for effective delivery.
Find Seed

DY Life products (upcoming range)

Product Sponsored · disclosed

A new range of supplements from DY Nutrition focused on longevity, quality of life, and healthy aging, reflecting Dorian Yates's current personal interests and health philosophy.

DisclosureDorian Yates is the founder of DY Nutrition and is developing this new product line.

Yates is actively working with his team to develop a new line of products under the 'DY Life' brand. This range will move beyond traditional bodybuilding supplements to address areas relevant to his current focus: longevity, quality of life, and healthy aging. He is as obsessed with researching these topics now as he was with bodybuilding in his youth, aiming to share beneficial products with his customers, including both younger followers and those who grew up with him and are now facing similar aging-related health concerns.

We're bringing out a whole range uh DY life products which is more in the health and uh wellness longevity which is now as I was a kid when I was obsessed with bodybuilding reading as much as I could and I'm doing the same in that area because it's it's where I'm at now.

Find DY

Notable quotes

Lines worth pulling out — contrarian, specific, or perfectly phrased

4 items
So, being Mr. Olympia became became me became my image and then when I retired it's not there anymore so how do I adjust to that and that definitely took some time and uh something I'm aware of if you look a lot of athletes when they finish and when they retire they have problems mental problems and so on because they don't have that absolute goal perhaps to strive for and also who am I now outside of that.
Articulates the profound identity crisis and mental health challenges many elite athletes face upon retirement, losing their primary self-definition and driving goal.
Like literally my attitude was if my partner's on fire, I'll call the fire brigade and go to the gym and do my workout today. Everything is secondary to that.
A striking and extreme example of the tunnel vision and singular focus required for elite bodybuilding, highlighting the sacrifices and prioritization.
I had a a picture that I put on the wall of my gym gym gym cuz you got to think back to the 1980s, 80s, 90s. Bodybuilding was an American sport. Everything was based here. All the champions were here. All the gyms were here. Uh the Weda magazines was were here, the Weda Empire. Uh it was very American. Now it's much more international. Uh, so there was this general feeling around in England in the bodybuilding community, maybe even my own gym, you can't do this, man. You can't beat the Americans.
Provides historical context on the dominance of American bodybuilding and the external skepticism Yates faced as a British competitor, which he used as motivation.
I don't care if he's obese or it's muscle, whatever it is. I'm a 300 lb guy, unless he's like, you know, 2 m tall or something. Uh so, in other words, carrying excess body weight, even if it's muscle, may not be healthy as you get older.
A powerful statement from a former mass-monster bodybuilder, directly challenging the notion that extreme muscle mass is always healthy, especially with age, and advocating for functional health.

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Topics covered

ego managementathlete retirement challengesidentity crisisspiritual practice of trainingtransforming negative emotionsmental focus in bodybuildingtunnel visionpost-contest rebounddiscipline vs habitlistening to body signalsinjury preventionhealth-focused traininglongevityfunctional fitnesslow protein dietmuscle mass reductionbody imagerole modelgut healthprobiotics
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