Have You Seen Dorian Yates Lately?

Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates is half the size—and twice as happy—as you remember him.

- Andrew Gutman

DORIAN YATES CHANGED bodybuilding forever. It was 1992, and eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney finally hung up his posing trunks, opening the door for top talent such as Lee Labrada, Shawn Ray, and Kevin Levrone to take the throne. But it was clear upon his first back double biceps pose, inside the Helsinki Ice Hall in Helsinki, Finland, that 20-year-old Yates would walk away handily with the $100,000 cash prize and the Sandow. That night, Yates did more than win his first of six Olympias. At about 260 pounds, “the Shadow” coined the term “mass monster” by setting a new standard of size while maintaining a level of conditioning that many akin to being chiseled out of granite.

In the gym, he forwent the typical high volume used by most competitors and popularized his now-legendary high-intensity style—performing six to 10 sets per body part with one to two all-out sets for each exercise. All of a sudden, everyone was playing catch-up to Yates.

Now, 22 years since his last Olympia win, Yates is on a completely different path—one that emphasizes yoga, Pilates, marijuana, and ayahuasca (an herbal brew that elicits hallucinations)—and is adamant on sharing it with others. We spoke with Yates about his transition from bodybuilding icon to an enlightened spiritualist, his psychedelic drug use, and what he’d like his legacy to be.

You’re looking pretty slender nowadays.