Bodybuilding legend Dorian Yates admits his time in the sport came at a cost but has no regrets. In a recent Instagram post shared on November 6, 2024, Yates updated fans on his recovery process after undergoing a total right hip replacement surgery.
Back in the 1990s, no one could discuss the upper echelon of the Men’s Open class without mentioning Dorian Yates. He was Lee Haney‘s successor and accumulated six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles in his prime, ushering in a new era of mass monsters. Yates’ relentless training practices resulted in a one-of-a-kind physique, which catapulted his bodybuilding career to incredible heights.
While he has long retired from the sport, Yates still attacks training sessions intensely but admits his methods have changed. He incorporates yoga, Pilates, stretching, and visualization to keep his mind and body in homeostasis. After succumbing to wear and tear inside the gym, Yates finally fixed a problem that’s plagued him for three years.
Dorian Yates Undergoes Hip Replacement Surgery, Gives Update: “This Op Has a Very High Success Rate”
A week ago, he underwent surgery on his hip, admitting that this body part has remained a problem going back to 1987 when he first had surgery on it.
“Exactly 1 week ago, I had surgery on my right hip. It was right hip total replacement surgery.
So back in 1987, I had surgery on my hip to remove fascia from the joint as it was damaged from heavy barbell squatting back then.
This new scar on slide 3 you can see is near to where the original one was. So the history of this damage goes back almost 40 years and there was some structural weakness going on in the background since then I believe.”
Although he tried to rectify his hip with pilates and stretching, the degeneration was too great to ignore, prompting him to seek medical attention.
“But I’m grateful that it carried me through my professional career and through that hard training and has only really started causing me issues since the last 3 years. I’ve tried to manage it through pilates and stretching etc but it was at the stage where it was too degenerated so needed surgery. Especially over the past year where I’ve limited my hiking and biking – activities that I love – because of the inflammation in my hip.”
He has no regrets about how he conducted his career and training, adding that this operation had a ‘very high’ success rate. Yates hopes he can exercise for the next 20 years with his new titanium hip.
“I don’t have any regrets and this op has a very high success rate so no worries at all. I’m looking forward to another 20 plus years of exercise with this new titanium hip!
I see it as battle scars from all that hard training, it could be said that maybe if I didn’t do all that training that I wouldn’t need surgery… but maybe I would’ve had something else? It’s all “if, but’s & maybe’s”, but like I said, I have no regrets.”
As with any sport and especially bodybuilding, wear and tear comes with the territory. He is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“Any sport has some level of wear and tear so you’ve got to take the good with the bad. Before I went into surgery I asked the surgeon if I could keep the bone! I wanted it as a little trophy as it’s done a lot for me over the years… so there you can see it in my hand like a battle trophy 🏆!
“So I’ll be using this time to do a lot more reading, relaxing, physio and brush up on my Spanish, amongst other things. Any situation can be what you want it to be,” he shared.
Longevity and recovery have remained top priorities for the 62-year-old bodybuilding icon. Yates has utilized stem cell therapy procedures, which he credits for meaningful changes in his quality of life. Specifically, Yates revealed that stem cells have improved his mobility by 40 percent. Even former eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman has sworn by stem cells and receives them regularly in hopes of one day walking again without help.
Known for his longevity and fitness levels at 62, Yates continues to prove that the methods behind his bodybuilding success were calculated and effective. We at Fitness Volt wish him a speedy recovery!
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