Dorian Yates attacked bodybuilding from all angles to produce a one-of-a-kind physique, which dominated the Mr. Olympia stage for six consecutive years. In his latest effort, posted on September 16, 2024, Yates touched on the importance of cheat meals, sharing that they can have a positive physical and mental impact while competing as a bodybuilder.
During the 1990s, Dorian Yates was a force to be reckoned with. He regularly denied a crop of aesthetic bodybuilding stars like Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, and Kevin Levrone from winning the prestigious Mr. Olympia title. He is well-known for his calculated training efforts which were inspired by the late Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones — two proponents of to failure training with high intensity.
Dorian Yates Talks Cheat Meal Frequency and How They Can Help ‘Physically and Mentally’
But Yates also had to master his time in the kitchen to sculpt one of the most impressive physiques of our lifetime. This meant learning when it was appropriate to partake in cheat meals. While intense dieting made up an integral part of his preparations, Yates let his foot off the gas every now and then to ensure he stayed fit both mentally and physically before a competition. Cheat meals always played a role in his success, leading him to discuss their importance in detail.
“I think cheat meals are good, you know like physically and mentally as well, keeping you on track. You got something to look forward to. I used to have a cheat meal once a week.
Even when I was getting ready for Mr. Olympia. Up until maybe three weeks out, I used to go out on Saturday and have one meal, what I wanted, so nothing wrong with that.”
Dorian Yates emphasized that you don’t have to miss out on the fun even when you are training or trying to get in shape. Having a cheat meal here and there is fine as long as you find a good balance.
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“It’s great to be disciplined but it’s not necessary to, let’s say you have a birthday, or Christmas, or some kind of special occasion where you go the whole family, there’s no need to sit there with your can of dry tuna and everybody else is enjoying the food and the celebrations and everything like that. So keep a bit of balance there. Nothing wrong with having a cheat meal once or twice a week” Dorian explained.
Cheat meals have long been a tradition in bodybuilding, but surprisingly, even those outside of our sport can appreciate their decadence. Just ask Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who routinely enjoys monstrous cheat meals, especially when he knows a daunting leg day training session is coming. If you’re looking for ideas, he’s even shared a cheat meal pre-workout breakfast packed with protein and essential fats.
Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford incorporates cheat meals into his diet. Following his history-making performance at the 2022 Olympia, he scarfed down a much-needed cheat meal of three double wagyu beef cheeseburgers on homemade buns with ketchup.
With Olympia winners such as Yates and Lunsford including cheat meals into their diets, surely you can too. Yates believes it’s important to give the mind and body time to unwind before pushing it to its limits for a competition.
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