Dorian Yates describes how young aspiring bodybuilders feel “indestructible” when it comes to their health.
GI VAULT – is an extension of our GI Exclusive interviews. The difference? These interviews come straight out of the Generation Iron vault from the cutting room floor of our feature film documentaries. With over hours of interview footage that doesn’t make it into our final films, we’re now releasing them out into the world.
Dorian Yates is a bodybuilder who pushed the limits of what was possible and kick started the mass monster era of bodybuilding – later cemented by Ronnie Coleman. But despite how far Dorian pushed his body, he eventually retired and moved away from maintaining a massive physique. This was largely due to preventing health issues down the road. Looking back, does Dorian think that young bodybuilders should be more concerned about their health? In our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview, Dorian Yates explains how young bodybuilders will always put the sport above their health – because they feel indestructible.
It’s no secret that steroid use in bodybuilding exists. This has lead to many experts debating over just how healthy the sport of bodybuilding really is. Without regular testing in most leagues – there’s nothing stopping competitors from taking dangerous performance enhancing drugs.
For those interested in how drug tested bodybuilding leagues work, make sure to check out Generation Iron: Natty 4 Life. Now available on digital and DVD!
Dorian Yates is a bodybuilder who changed his entire physique after retiring. He didn’t keep the mass monster physique or continue to push his body to the limits like Ronnie Coleman. He trimmed down a lot and focused more on health. Has this changed his perception on bodybuilding? Does he think young competitors should worry more about their health?
We asked Dorian Yates this very question during the filming of Generation Iron 3. His full answer didn’t make the cut but we’re happy now to release it in full from our vault. At first, Dorian doesn’t know quite how to answer the question. This is because human perspective changes as you age. Dorian certainly is more worried about his health now than when he was in his prime. Of course he now looks at younger bodybuilders and hopes they stay healthy.
At the same time, he understands that you can’t force young people to care about health the same way as middle age and older people. Young people have a sense of being indestructible. They see death or serious health ailments as something far down the line. Of course, the damage they do now can lead to serious issues in the long term. The problem is – it’s hard to convince young people to have that kind of foresight.
“Well let’s be frank, all professional bodybuilders use steroids and there’s some possible health risks for that. I wasn’t worried about it. I was just being aware of it.” Dorian Yates states in our interview. He continues:
“But I’ll be honest, when I started – I can’t remember who said it to me – but they’re like, ‘You know they’re doing this. Maybe you’re going to have health problems or maybe you’re going to die’ or something like that. But when you’re 25, you don’t give a shit. When you’re 25 you just want to be the best in the world and be Mr. Olympia. So when you get older you start thinking about it more. Everyone who is 25 thinks they are indestructible. We all do crazy stuff and drive too fast. When you get older you start thinking about it.”
At the end of the day, there’s no gun forcing any athlete to compete in professional bodybuilding. Whatever substances they decide to take in order to become the best is their choice to make. While it’s general understanding we all want to live long healthy lives – there are those who are willing to take a risk in order to achieve something great. Dorian Yates was willing to do it and many aspiring athletes today are willing to do the same thing.
Does Dorian Yates worry about the health dangers in bodybuilding? Yes, from his perspective now he does, but he also understands that he will never be able to convince young passionate athletes to slow down.
You can watch Dorian Yates’ full comments in our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview segment above.
