Dorian Andrew Mientjez Yates, the English professional bodybuilder, secured his place among legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lee Haney by winning Mr. Olympia for six consecutive years (1992-1997). His reign was built upon a foundation of intense training and a meticulously planned diet that supported his demanding workouts and facilitated muscle growth. This article delves into the details of Dorian Yates' diet plan, exploring its key components, nutritional strategies, and how it evolved throughout his career.
The Foundation: A Balanced Approach
Yates' dietary philosophy revolved around consuming whole foods, maintaining a balance of macronutrients, and strategically timing his meals. He emphasized simplicity and effectiveness, ensuring each meal contributed to his goals of muscle growth and overall health. His diet was characterized by high-quality protein sources, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Macronutrient Breakdown
Protein: Protein was a cornerstone of Yates' diet, essential for muscle repair and growth. He consumed high-quality sources such as:
- Chicken breast
- Turkey
- Fish
- Protein supplements (whey protein)
Carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates provided sustained energy for intense workouts. Yates favored sources like:
- Oatmeal
- Sweet potatoes
- Brown rice
- Whole-grain toast
Fats: Healthy fats were included for overall health and satiety. Sources included:
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- Avocados
- Nuts
Meal Timing and Frequency
Yates typically consumed five to six meals per day, strategically spaced to maintain a positive nitrogen balance and keep his body in an anabolic state. He emphasized the importance of never skipping meals and ensuring each meal contained a source of protein.
Pre-Workout Nutrition: Before training, Yates consumed a balanced meal or snack containing both carbohydrates and protein to provide energy and prepare his muscles for the workout. This might be a protein shake with added carbohydrates or a meal of chicken and rice. He generally trained in the late morning, consuming a meal-replacement powder high in protein, amino acids, and minerals with a small amount of carbs about 90 minutes prior to his session. He ruled against pre-loading the body with carbs before a workout, as it can cause blood sugar levels to drop during training, leading to fatigue and reduced endurance.
Post-Workout Nutrition: Immediately after training, Yates consumed a combination of fast-digesting carbohydrates and protein to replenish glycogen stores and promote muscle recovery. This could be a protein shake with dextrose or a meal featuring lean protein alongside sweet potatoes or rice. One hour later, he ate another balanced meal of protein (beef, chicken, or fish) and carbs (potatoes or rice and a fibrous green vegetable).
Supplementation
While whole foods formed the foundation of his diet, Yates strategically incorporated supplements to enhance his nutritional intake and support his training goals. Key supplements included:
- Whey Protein: A convenient source of high-quality protein, consumed post-workout or as a meal replacement.
- Creatine: To enhance strength and power during high-intensity workouts.
- BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids): To reduce muscle soreness and promote recovery after intense training sessions.
- Glutamine: To further aid in muscle recovery.
Sample Meal Plan
Here's a glimpse into a typical day of eating for Dorian Yates:
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- Breakfast: Egg white omelet with spinach and tomatoes, oatmeal with berries and a drizzle of honey.
- Lunch: Grilled chicken served with quinoa and steamed broccoli.
- Snack: Greek yogurt with fruit or a protein shake with added greens.
- Dinner: Lean beef stir-fry with bell peppers and broccoli over brown rice.
- Post-Workout: Protein shake with dextrose.
Off-Season vs. Competition Prep
Yates' diet underwent significant adjustments depending on whether he was in the off-season (mass gaining) or preparing for competition (fat loss).
Off-Season:
- Caloric intake increased, sometimes reaching up to 5000 calories a day.
- More carbohydrates and fats were allowed to support muscle growth.
- Focus on nutrient-dense foods and consistent meal frequency.
Competition Prep:
- Caloric intake reduced to cut body fat while preserving muscle mass.
- Carbohydrates lowered, and protein intake increased.
- Emphasis on lean proteins and fibrous vegetables to manage hunger.
The Importance of Cheat Meals
Despite his strict dietary adherence, Yates incorporated a weekly cheat meal into his plan. He believed cheat meals were not only psychologically beneficial, providing something to look forward to, but also potentially helpful for metabolism. He stated that even when getting ready for Mr. Olympia, he would have a cheat meal once a week, up until three weeks out. He also emphasized the importance of enjoying celebrations with family and friends, without rigidly sticking to a restricted diet.
Training Philosophy
Yates' training was built around high intensity. He expanded the ideas of Arthur Jones and Mike Mentzer to create a unique approach. His methodical and intense training style, High-Intensity Training (HIT), revolutionized how many athletes approached bodybuilding. Yates emphasized shorter, focused workout routines with maximum effort, pushing his body to its limits during each session.
A Week of Training
A couple of things stand out when looking at Dorian's training split. One, he trains each muscle group once a week, giving each body part plenty of time to recover between sessions. Secondly, Dorian prioritized his weak body parts.
- Day 1: Shoulders and Triceps
- Day 2: Back and Rear Delts
- Day 3: Rest
- Day 4: Chest and Biceps
- Day 5: Rest
- Day 6: Legs
- Day 7: Rest
Shoulders and Triceps Workout
The first workout of the week is a shoulders and triceps session. It starts with a Smith machine shoulder press. Dorian likes the Smith machine because its fixed vertical movement restricts lateral and horizontal motions, providing additional stability during heavy lifting.
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After two light warm-up sets, Dorian works up to one all-out set of 8-10 reps. Up next is a seated dumbbell side raise. Since his lateral delts are already warmed up, he jumps straight into his first working set of one-arm cable lateral raises. Cable lateral raises are an excellent muscle builder because they keep constant tension on your shoulders through the entire range of motion. The fourth exercise of the day is a dumbbell shrug for the traps. The triceps portion of the workout starts with the classic cable triceps pressdown. After the press downs, he grabs an EZ-curl bar for lying triceps extensions. The last movement of the day is a single-arm reverse grip press down to finish off the triceps.
Back Workout
Dorian's legendary back workout starts with the Nautilus pullover machine. After one all-out set of pullovers, he moves onto the underhand Hammer Strength pulldown. One of Dorian's fundamental back training principles is controlling the movement. The third exercise of the day, the Yates Row, is the star of the show, and named after, you guessed it, Dorian Yates himself. The upper back portion of the workout finishes with one set of single arm chest supported rows taken to failure. Since the rear delts are involved in many rowing movements, Dorian trained them on his back workout day. He did a reverse pec deck and a dumbbell rear raise for rear delts. To finish the back day, Dorian does weighted hyperextensions and deadlifts for the lower back.
Chest and Biceps Workout
The first exercise is an incline barbell press. After one all-out set of incline barbell presses with over 400 lbs, he moves on to a machine chest press. Dorian finishes off his chest with two fly variations: a dumbbell incline fly and a cable crossover. The biceps portion of the workout consists of three exercises, all taken to failure. First is an incline dumbbell curl, followed by a barbell curl with an EZ curl bar, and lastly, a machine curl.
Leg Workout
One thing you will immediately notice is there are no back squats. Instead, his quad training centered around leg extension, hack squat, and leg press. Dorian incorporated both hip hinge exercises, such as stiff leg deadlifts and leg curl exercises, to maximize hamstring growth.
Key Principles of Dorian Yates' Training
- High-Intensity Training (HIT): Brief, intense, and focused training sessions with limited working sets.
- Progressive Overload: Gradually making workouts more challenging over time by lifting heavier weights or increasing reps.
- Proper Form: Using good form, a full range of motion, and controlling the rep fully on both the positive and negative.
- Training Journal: Keeping track of workouts to monitor progress and plan for future sessions.