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“Not a Physique That You Can Hold for Long”: 61-YO Bodybuilding Legend Confesses the Dark Side of Carrying His 310 Lbs Monstrous Size in 1997

Published Feb 15, 2024 | 11:45 AM EST

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Having once gone as heavy as 310 lbs, Dorian Yates is regarded as the Mass Monster in the world of bodybuilding because of his exceptionally huge physique. However, as many bodybuilders would agree, bulking comes with its own set of challenges.

Echoing the same sentiment, Yates took to his official Instagram account and shared a series of pictures where he was seen guest-posting on for a show in Pittsburgh in 1997. Revealing how he felt extremely uncomfortable at the time, Yates explained why he did not enjoy the bulk. 

Dorian Yates believes that having a bulky body is not sustainable

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In the post, Yates confessed that he used to consume close to 7000 calories every day for his bulk. According to the legend, this was not good for longevity. He wrote, When you’re weighing this much, yes I have tremendous amounts of strength, but it’s not a physique that you can hold for long.” When one was at peak contest physique, it could never be a weight they could carry for a long term, Yates explained.

“For myself, my strength never really tapered off until around six weeks out from a contest when I was getting extremely lean and losing some muscle mass,” Yates revealed. Even though he had a lot of muscle, his goal was to get ‘freaky shredded.’ and hence was willing to lose a considerable amount of muscle to achieve his goal.

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Dorian Yates, with his perfectly muscular and bulky physique, managed to win the title of Mr. Olympia six times. This is one of the reasons why the 61-year-old bodybuilder still has a huge fanbase. Well, he would mostly stay under the shadow, perfecting his physique, but whenever he did appear in any show, it would always be jam-packed!

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Yates preferred working on himself rather than guest-posing 

Dorian Yates went on to state how throughout his bodybuilding career, especially after winning the title of Mr. Olympia, every event that he would guest pose in, would bring in a huge crowd. Even then, Yates did not appear too often. “I preferred to stay in the shadows I guess, in the dungeon to work on my craft!” he explained.

Read More: 6-Time Mr. Olympia Discloses How He Spent 14 Years to Become “The Number One Bodybuilder in the World”

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As seen in most of these guest shows, no one ever missed the opportunity to witness his physique and meet the great Dorian Yates and he was definitely thankful to his fans. “I soaked up the electric atmosphere and was always thankful to everyone in attendance,” he said.

Nonetheless, Yates had indeed, pushing through all the challenges to attain a monstrous physique, etched his name in the annals of bodybuilding. Even when things were difficult, the Mass Monster maintained his bulk amidst all the hardships. What are your thoughts on the difficulties of bulking? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by:

Aheli Chakraborty

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Aheli Chakraborty is a bodybuilding writer at EssentiallySports. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Aheli has actively covered major bodybuilding events like Mr. Olympia.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Manikandan