Dorian Yates Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 10.5 in |
Weight | 102 kg |
Date of Birth | April 19, 1962 |
Zodiac Sign | Aries |
Spouse | Glauce Ferreira |
Dorian Yates is an English retired professional bodybuilder best known for winning Mr. Olympia 6 years in a row from 1992 to 1997. He started bodybuilding seriously at the age of 21 and has won numerous championships such as Night of Champions, Spanish Grand Prix, and many more. He also released an autobiography titled Blood and Guts in 1993.
Born Name
Dorian Andrew Mientjez Yates
Nick Name
The Shadow
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Warmley, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
ResidenceÂ
Marbella, Spain
Nationality
Education & Training
He was enrolled in Wood End School in Wolverhampton at the age of 5 and entered Kingsbury Middle School in his pre-teens. Dorian quit school at the age of 16 and started living in Birmingham by himself, where he joined a gang of skinheads/punks.
Occupation
Retired Pro Bodybuilder, Trainer, Entrepreneur
Family
- Father – Kenneth Yates aka Ken (Night Maintenance Engineer, Car Mechanic, Owned a Pilot’s license)
- Mother – Hilma Yates née Rissik (Gave riding lessons and bred dogs)
- Siblings – Tanya Yates (Younger Sister) (Passed away at the age of 3), Lisa Yates (Younger sister) (Teacher, Buyer & Seller of Horses)
- Others – His maternal grandfather was an art teacher and his maternal grandmother was a music teacher. His Paternal Grandparents owned a hardware store.
Build
Bodybuilder
Height
5 ft 10.5 or 179 cm
Weight
- During his bodybuilding career, Dorian’s off-season weight was about 131 kg or 289 lbs, while on stage he was about 118 kg or 260 lbs.
- Post-retirement, Yates got his weight down to 102 kg or 225 lbs.
Girlfriend / Spouse
Dorian Yates has dated –
- Debbie Yates – The couple got married in 1991 and divorced owing to Dorian’s depression after retiring from bodybuilding in 1998. He has 2 children with Debbie – a son named Lewis Yates, who is a personal trainer and a daughter named Tahnee Yates (b. February 2001).
- Post-divorce, Dorian dated a long string of women from all over the world for a few years until he got bored of incessant partying, indulging in alcohol, and recreational drugs.
- Glauce Ferreira (2009–Present) – When he met the fitness model and IFBB Pro Champion Glauce Ferreira in 2008 at Arnold Classic, she could not speak any English and was still struggling to learn the language. After their first meeting, the couple got to know each other through email for almost 7 months before they started dating each other and later they got married.
Race / Ethnicity
White
He has English, Irish, Scottish, and Scandinavian ancestry.
Hair Color
Light Brown
Eye Color
Green
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- A rugged, stern face
- Tribal tattoos on his forearms and shoulders, and also has an entirely tattooed back
Measurements
During his bodybuilding career, Dorian’s recorded measurements were:
- Chest – 58 in or 147.5 cm
- Arms / Biceps – 21 in or 53.5 cm
- Waist – 34 in or 86.5 cm
Brand Endorsements
- He purchased Temple Gym (1987) and franchised 3 more gyms by the same name in 2006.
- He is the co-founder and promoter of Heavy Duty Inc., co-founder of CNP Professional (1998–2006), founder of Ultimate Formulas (2006), EU Peptides (2010–2012), founder and face of DY Nutrition, creator and promoter of DY Hit Trainer Certification.
Religion
- Dorian was born in a Christian family though none of his primary kins were particularly religious.
- The retired bodybuilder advocates the use of Psychedelic entheogens for spiritual fulfillment and attends Ayahuasca.
- He organizes Ayahuasca camps in Costa Rica in the supervision of Shamans, psychiatrists, and medicine healers and calls it a healing center.
Dorian Yates Facts
- He earned the nickname of ‘The Shadow’ because he would appear at major bodybuilding shows out of nowhere and win.
- He was known as a mass monster at the peak of his bodybuilding career and was particularly famous for his thick and wide back.
- In the summer of 1981, there were riots in England owing to rampant unemployment caused by a recession. One such night when Dorian was wandering in the city center with his gang, his friend Dave thought of pulling out a mannequin from a broken window shop. While doing so, the entire glass of the store crashed to the floor. The police arrested Dorian and his friends for criminal damage and shoplifting.
- At the age of 19, he was sentenced to serve 6 months at the Whatton Youth Detention Centre that prescribed a lot of physical work and plenty of exercises to constructively channel the aggression of the inmates. This is where Dorian first discovered his natural aptitude for strength training. One of the correctional officers suggested that he should attempt powerlifting once he got out.
- Desperate for freedom, Yates kept to himself, obeyed all the rules, and became a fitness prodigy at Whatton that got him out in 3 months.
- After getting out of the detention center, Dorian got a job as an industrial cleaner that required him to work from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm. In the mornings, he studied training or took the bus to Temple gym or Weider gym to lift weights.
- Dorian was close to his maternal grandparents in his childhood.
- He rejected several supplement contracts, interviews, and TV publicity to maintain a mystery around his training and preparation.
Featured Image by Dorian Yates / Instagram