Dorian Yates left a trail of destruction in his wake as one of the most dominant Mr. Olympias of our lifetime. During his career, he implemented various dieting and training protocols to cement himself as an all-time great. On December 30, 2024, he shared advice on traditional bulking and offered tips for achieving lean muscle gains over the holiday season.
In the 1990s, Dorian Yates ushered in a new era of bodybuilding defined by mass, fullness, and dry conditioning. Never one for too many words, Yates spoke volumes with his physique as he bested names at the highest level, including Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone, and Flex Wheeler.
At 62 years old, his longevity, health, and impressive physique are still lauded by fans, making him one of the most influential voices to emerge from the IFBB Pro League. Bulking — of all kinds — whether it’s clean or dirty, can present challenges, which has led ‘The Shadow’ to lay out his best practices for adding lean muscle without putting on too much fat.
Dorian Yates’ ‘Nutshell Advice’ for Bulking: ‘Make Small, Lean Muscle Gains, With Limited Additional Fat’
In a recent Instagram post, Yates discussed the challenges of ‘traditional bulking,’ which often causes individuals to increase their fat percentage inadvertently. His advice is to make ‘small lean muscle gains’ over time while limiting additional fat.
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“The off-season is here, and that means one thing, bulking up over Winter, right? Well yes, but I don’t call it bulking.
Traditional “bulking” often means trying to build muscle, but with a bulk of fat that can come along with it. My advice in a nutshell, is to make small, lean muscle gains, with limited additional fat” Dorian Yates explained.
Although Yates has done a tremendous job preserving his physique in retirement, he has still faced obstacles. Recently, the bodybuilding legend had to endure a total right hip replacement surgery. Thankfully, he is healing remarkably fast and continues to update his followers on his recovery process.
Dorian Yates hasn’t slowed down despite his latest setback. Instead, he continues to share his knowledge and insights with fans. Whether breaking down workouts for time-efficient gains or revealing that focusing on rest can result in more strength and muscle mass, Yates is always providing invaluable advice to the bodybuilding and fitness communities.
Given his longevity, work ethic, and wisdom that’s culminated over the years, Yates continues to offer fans useful and actionable advice, ranging from workout routines to the most effective approach to bulking.
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