emperorcaliano
12-08-2025, 09:46 PM
- YouTube (https://youtube.com/shorts/GcusRpsG-pw?si=_I4qMiwW1SGLplgl)
https://i.ibb.co/wZwkrL0r/IMG-1170.jpg (https://ibb.co/wZwkrL0r) https://i.ibb.co/TBkXF0y6/IMG-1171.jpg (https://ibb.co/TBkXF0y6)
Here’s what Dorian Yates (6 times mister Olympia) says about Yoga and Pilates " and why he includes them in his routine now:
⸻
🧘 Why Yates does Yoga & Pilates
• After decades of heavy weight-training as a bodybuilder, Yates says his mobility, flexibility and balance suffered a lot.
• He discovered that Yoga and Pilates gave him back a degree of mobility and functional fitness " things his bodybuilding-style training didn’t address.
• He often frames his current fitness with long-term health and functionality in mind: mobility, cardiovascular health, flexibility " rather than maximal muscle mass.
⸻
🙇 What was his experience when starting
Yates didn’t find Yoga easy at first:
• He says that early on he “couldn’t stand on one foot without falling over,” because his body was stiff and unbalanced.
• He describes Yoga as a humbling shift from bodybuilding’s “ego-heavy” lifting mindset. In Yoga you must relax and let go of “trying so hard” " or you simply can’t do it.
• He learned that pushing hard in Yoga didn’t work " instead, letting go, relaxing, breathing, and focusing on control is what matters.
As he puts it: what worked in bodybuilding (“push and drive hard”) doesn’t work in Yoga/Pilates " you have to learn a different mindset.
⸻
" What Yoga & Pilates add that Heavy Lifting Doesn’t
According to Yates:
• Improved mobility & flexibility, especially after years of training that made joints and muscles rigid.
• Enhanced balance and body-control " Yoga teaches coordination, awareness, stability… things not built by simply isolating muscles with weights.
• Reduced risk of injury / wear and tear " helpful especially as he ages, when joints, cartilage, and connective tissue are more vulnerable.
• Mental benefits " breathing, relaxation, stress-management. He said he appreciates the “spiritual side” of Yoga and meditation, which complements his training.
In his own words: as the body ages, what matters more than sheer size is mobility, function, health, quality of life.
⸻
... Yates’s Current Routine: What He Does Now
• Since retiring from heavy bodybuilding, Yates still does some weight training " but less frequently and with lower volume.
• He integrates Yoga, Pilates, cycling, hiking, functional training " a mix of strength, mobility, cardio, and flexibility work.
• He considers this balanced, varied approach more sustainable and beneficial for long-term health than always pushing heavy weights.
https://i.ibb.co/wZwkrL0r/IMG-1170.jpg (https://ibb.co/wZwkrL0r) https://i.ibb.co/TBkXF0y6/IMG-1171.jpg (https://ibb.co/TBkXF0y6)
Here’s what Dorian Yates (6 times mister Olympia) says about Yoga and Pilates " and why he includes them in his routine now:
⸻
🧘 Why Yates does Yoga & Pilates
• After decades of heavy weight-training as a bodybuilder, Yates says his mobility, flexibility and balance suffered a lot.
• He discovered that Yoga and Pilates gave him back a degree of mobility and functional fitness " things his bodybuilding-style training didn’t address.
• He often frames his current fitness with long-term health and functionality in mind: mobility, cardiovascular health, flexibility " rather than maximal muscle mass.
⸻
🙇 What was his experience when starting
Yates didn’t find Yoga easy at first:
• He says that early on he “couldn’t stand on one foot without falling over,” because his body was stiff and unbalanced.
• He describes Yoga as a humbling shift from bodybuilding’s “ego-heavy” lifting mindset. In Yoga you must relax and let go of “trying so hard” " or you simply can’t do it.
• He learned that pushing hard in Yoga didn’t work " instead, letting go, relaxing, breathing, and focusing on control is what matters.
As he puts it: what worked in bodybuilding (“push and drive hard”) doesn’t work in Yoga/Pilates " you have to learn a different mindset.
⸻
" What Yoga & Pilates add that Heavy Lifting Doesn’t
According to Yates:
• Improved mobility & flexibility, especially after years of training that made joints and muscles rigid.
• Enhanced balance and body-control " Yoga teaches coordination, awareness, stability… things not built by simply isolating muscles with weights.
• Reduced risk of injury / wear and tear " helpful especially as he ages, when joints, cartilage, and connective tissue are more vulnerable.
• Mental benefits " breathing, relaxation, stress-management. He said he appreciates the “spiritual side” of Yoga and meditation, which complements his training.
In his own words: as the body ages, what matters more than sheer size is mobility, function, health, quality of life.
⸻
... Yates’s Current Routine: What He Does Now
• Since retiring from heavy bodybuilding, Yates still does some weight training " but less frequently and with lower volume.
• He integrates Yoga, Pilates, cycling, hiking, functional training " a mix of strength, mobility, cardio, and flexibility work.
• He considers this balanced, varied approach more sustainable and beneficial for long-term health than always pushing heavy weights.