Born
in Hurley, Staffordshire, near Birmingham, England, Yates
started working out in 1983.The
man dubbed “The Shadow” (by FLEX Editor-in-Chief Peter
McGough) shone a new light of awareness onto training methods
with his brief but very high-intensity workouts.After
some muscle victories in England – 1985 Novice Championships
and 1988 British Championships – Yates visited New York for
the 1990 Night of Champions and, in his pro debut, he took
second to Mohamed Benaziza.The
next year, he returned to win the contest.
In
1991, Yates was the runner-up at the Olympia to Lee Haney, who
duly won his eighth record-setting Sandow and the retired.From
1992 through 1997, Yates dominated the sport’s highest title.In
1994, he overcame a torn biceps to win the crown. In 1997, his
most valiant victory came when he tore a triceps three weeks
prior to the contest, but still battled on to triumph.Due
to the injury, Yates was forces to retire, with a pro record
of 15 wins and two second-place finishes.
Yates
may well be the bodybuilder that most aspiring
trainees
can best identify with because of his blue-collar roots,
dogged determination and quiet confidence. His book,
co-written by Peter McGough, is titled A Warrior’s Story –
a perfect appellation for his competitive days for the Brit
with no quit.Today, Yates still lives in
Birmingham, where he is part owner of the supplement company
Dorian Yates Approved, and he is still seen regularly at the
main stateside contests.
