What do you think?
Rate this book
Dorian Yates
From the Shadow is the story of a country boy who endured a series of tragic events, leaving him alone in a big city. The cruel hand of fate had one more blow: a young offenders' institution. There, in his darkest hour, it would be the bars he lifted, not those that bound him, which would finally change the trajectory of his life forever. Dorian's disarming honesty would lead to a reader of an early manuscript saying of From the Shadow: "I had to force myself to put it down-the thought of finishing it, of the most real thing I'd ever read coming to an end, was unbearable." Dorian Yates is a six-time winner of the world's premier bodybuilding competition, Mr. Olympia, and, more recently, has become an internet guru too, known to many new admirers as the Legend. Originally from England, he now lives in southern Spain with his Brazilian-born wife, Gal Ferreira Yates. Dorian has two children-a son, Lewis, and a daughter, Tahnee, both from his first marriage.
- GenresBiography
330 pages, Paperback
Published January 18, 2019
60 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 6, 2023
All hail St. Dorian Yates! If not for him, bodybuilding wouldn't have happened. Replace the Mr. Olympia Sandow trophy with a Yates trophy now.
I wanted to like this book. There aren't a lot of biographies on bodybuilders, so I was hoping for the best. I don't want to be mean to Kaspa Hazlewood or Dorian Yates, but this book is just not good. I would have appreciated a simple and honest biography, but this one is just them painting a picture of Dorian.
Going through this book, I learned that reading about a low-key self-obsessed man in the words of a very obvious fan is a chore. Dorian Yates had this I'm-not-like-other-bodybuilders thing going on, as if everyone else was just a muscled playboy in a Ferrari and he was the only one serious about the sport. He also claimed that every sport nowadays is influenced by him and his training. What a stretch.
As he admitted in the book, he did not have a life outside of bodybuilding when he was still actively competing. This is true, but I wish Kaspa and Dorian still gave their readers something about his personal life, so the book wouldn't have been boring. He had a troubled relationship with Debbie Yates, but this was never elaborated, even though his bodybuilding career had a lot to do with it.
More things I didn't like about the book:
1. Misinformation. It was stated in the book that Dorian Yates retired an undefeated champion. No. He was 1st runner-up in the 1991 Mr. Olympia. He also placed second in the 1990 Night of Champions.
2. The parts about his childhood and teenage years were dragging. I get that his childhood is an important part of his success, but they took so long to deliver their point.
3. Some of the pictures were not placed well in the book. There was even one with an unrelated caption.
4. I don't normally mind minimal grammatical errors, but would someone please tell them to use an apostrophe and an s when forming a possessive noun, even when the noun ends with an s? Learning the perfect tenses of verbs.
5. Spell words correctly, at least the names. It's Eugen Sandow, not Eugene.
Things I did like:
1. The book made me realize that being the best at something may require sacrificing and compromising everything else. A lot of other bodybuilders seem to have lives outside of the sport, but for Dorian, he put all of himself into the iron game, which is why he is a highly respected bodybuilding figure.
2. His openness about his steroid use is important and other bodybuilders should learn from him.
3. Describing the serious injuries that Dorian got is also a great idea.
There was a bit of redemption at the end, even though the ending was rushed, because that was when Kaspa and Dorian finally talked about the latter's personal life. Including his troubled mental state after quitting bodybuilding is important and there are lessons to be gathered from that. Again though, they could have given us more, especially about his relationship with Debbie and Lewis. Also, he got a little too inspired when he said that he was always a party animal. Party animal who? Always? If this were true, it should have been mentioned earlier in the book.
Things I find intriguing:
1. He seems to be open about his non-acceptance of gay men. He admitted in the book that he would "run into them" if he saw two men kissing in England, but he became tolerant of them in Amsterdam.
2. He has strong opinions about things he wants to believe, like his support of the use of medical marijuana. Also, this was not mentioned in the book, but he claimed that the holocaust was an exaggeration. I think Dave Palumbo wiped the floor with him during their interview.
3. He wouldn't explain or apologize for his past actions, like when he got a racist tattoo when he was younger. He just chalks this up to youth and says that he's a different person now. He also says that people just dislike him because he has different opinions. Lame.
Dorian Yates is an important figure in bodybuilding, and I hope he would just stick to fitness and health stuff until he finds himself, because I think his soul-searching still is not enough. He did say that he started to catch up on all the things he missed out on while he was still competing, and I hope that he does get to mature more and find happiness, despite all the traumas he went through.
I wanted to like this book. There aren't a lot of biographies on bodybuilders, so I was hoping for the best. I don't want to be mean to Kaspa Hazlewood or Dorian Yates, but this book is just not good. I would have appreciated a simple and honest biography, but this one is just them painting a picture of Dorian.
Going through this book, I learned that reading about a low-key self-obsessed man in the words of a very obvious fan is a chore. Dorian Yates had this I'm-not-like-other-bodybuilders thing going on, as if everyone else was just a muscled playboy in a Ferrari and he was the only one serious about the sport. He also claimed that every sport nowadays is influenced by him and his training. What a stretch.
As he admitted in the book, he did not have a life outside of bodybuilding when he was still actively competing. This is true, but I wish Kaspa and Dorian still gave their readers something about his personal life, so the book wouldn't have been boring. He had a troubled relationship with Debbie Yates, but this was never elaborated, even though his bodybuilding career had a lot to do with it.
More things I didn't like about the book:
1. Misinformation. It was stated in the book that Dorian Yates retired an undefeated champion. No. He was 1st runner-up in the 1991 Mr. Olympia. He also placed second in the 1990 Night of Champions.
2. The parts about his childhood and teenage years were dragging. I get that his childhood is an important part of his success, but they took so long to deliver their point.
3. Some of the pictures were not placed well in the book. There was even one with an unrelated caption.
4. I don't normally mind minimal grammatical errors, but would someone please tell them to use an apostrophe and an s when forming a possessive noun, even when the noun ends with an s? Learning the perfect tenses of verbs.
5. Spell words correctly, at least the names. It's Eugen Sandow, not Eugene.
Things I did like:
1. The book made me realize that being the best at something may require sacrificing and compromising everything else. A lot of other bodybuilders seem to have lives outside of the sport, but for Dorian, he put all of himself into the iron game, which is why he is a highly respected bodybuilding figure.
2. His openness about his steroid use is important and other bodybuilders should learn from him.
3. Describing the serious injuries that Dorian got is also a great idea.
There was a bit of redemption at the end, even though the ending was rushed, because that was when Kaspa and Dorian finally talked about the latter's personal life. Including his troubled mental state after quitting bodybuilding is important and there are lessons to be gathered from that. Again though, they could have given us more, especially about his relationship with Debbie and Lewis. Also, he got a little too inspired when he said that he was always a party animal. Party animal who? Always? If this were true, it should have been mentioned earlier in the book.
Things I find intriguing:
1. He seems to be open about his non-acceptance of gay men. He admitted in the book that he would "run into them" if he saw two men kissing in England, but he became tolerant of them in Amsterdam.
2. He has strong opinions about things he wants to believe, like his support of the use of medical marijuana. Also, this was not mentioned in the book, but he claimed that the holocaust was an exaggeration. I think Dave Palumbo wiped the floor with him during their interview.
3. He wouldn't explain or apologize for his past actions, like when he got a racist tattoo when he was younger. He just chalks this up to youth and says that he's a different person now. He also says that people just dislike him because he has different opinions. Lame.
Dorian Yates is an important figure in bodybuilding, and I hope he would just stick to fitness and health stuff until he finds himself, because I think his soul-searching still is not enough. He did say that he started to catch up on all the things he missed out on while he was still competing, and I hope that he does get to mature more and find happiness, despite all the traumas he went through.
June 10, 2020
This book follows The Shadow through his troublesome youth, bodybuilding career, retirement, and present day philosophies. If you are searching for training details, you won't find much. But if you are interested in exploring the good and bad sides of the extreme sport lifestyle, this is for you.
May 23, 2025
This book was good? I enjoyed it learn about one of the greatest bodybuilders who changes the sport, but not so much the writing. Sometimes it just seems the writer was too obsessed with Dorian for his own good. But otherwise enjoyed the awesome underdog story and it was an easier read.
January 25, 2025
I really liked it. I am a bit biased though as Dorian has been a bit of a hero to me since the days where I would save up my pocket money and buy every issue of flex magazine as soon as it hit the news agency. The book sort of had a bit of the blunder effect on me too, seeing Dorian as a real person with struggles and real life problems. The guy is definitely my hero and man crush 😻
April 20, 2022
Fantastic read.
Amazing insight in to the life of a legend. His training and life are an inspiration, one person I can gladly call a hero. Well worth a read to all fans of serious bodybuilding!
Amazing insight in to the life of a legend. His training and life are an inspiration, one person I can gladly call a hero. Well worth a read to all fans of serious bodybuilding!
October 23, 2024
I had followed Dorian Yates back when he competed in the 90s. While only toying with Bodybuilding back then I truly got in to following the sport in a large way and always looked forward to picking up Flex Magazine and Muscle & Fitness to check up on the latest information about fitness and nutrition and get some insight on what to do in the weight room. Dorian's articles were always sought after and the Olympia issues a must have!
When I saw this Biography recently I had to get it as I had seen him recently on Joe Rogan and it was interesting to see how different he now is. Seeing that he was the narrator for this book sealed the deal. The cherry on this cake was the extra commentary he gave at the end of each chapter.
If you are a fan of Bodybuilding and in particular Dorian Yates you should enjoy this book as I did. I learned a fair bit about him pre, during and post his career, and I can honestly say it met my expectations for what I wanted out of it, hence the 5 stars. Sadly, the audio production is a bit lacking in places, there are areas where the sound goes very quiet and it's obvious where a few takes were done, still that does not take away from the whole experience.
Dorian Yates, from a fan, you are a legend and this work is fitting! 5 stars!
When I saw this Biography recently I had to get it as I had seen him recently on Joe Rogan and it was interesting to see how different he now is. Seeing that he was the narrator for this book sealed the deal. The cherry on this cake was the extra commentary he gave at the end of each chapter.
If you are a fan of Bodybuilding and in particular Dorian Yates you should enjoy this book as I did. I learned a fair bit about him pre, during and post his career, and I can honestly say it met my expectations for what I wanted out of it, hence the 5 stars. Sadly, the audio production is a bit lacking in places, there are areas where the sound goes very quiet and it's obvious where a few takes were done, still that does not take away from the whole experience.
Dorian Yates, from a fan, you are a legend and this work is fitting! 5 stars!
November 16, 2022
A very good book. I was never a huge fan of Dorian, but at some point I must have followed his page on Facebook and was enjoying some of his posts lately. When I found out about this book it seemed like a nice idea to check it.
The book is a nice dive into the man's life and the mental process behind becoming the Number 1 during the 90s. What was more interesting to me was the story after he choose to conclude his career and reinvent himself, but unfortunately it was covered in less detail. Despite this, the book offered a very interesting insight of Dorian before, during and after his reign on the Olympia.
The book is a nice dive into the man's life and the mental process behind becoming the Number 1 during the 90s. What was more interesting to me was the story after he choose to conclude his career and reinvent himself, but unfortunately it was covered in less detail. Despite this, the book offered a very interesting insight of Dorian before, during and after his reign on the Olympia.
December 15, 2024
This is not a well written book but it is still interesting. Bodybuilding is such a bizarre pursuit and it's fascinating to hear how these monsters become monsters.
Yates is an intriguing guy and example 1000000000 of how obsessive working towards a ridiculous goal is the only way to achieve it.
The book should've just stuck to an interview format, then it would have been a lot better.
Yates is an intriguing guy and example 1000000000 of how obsessive working towards a ridiculous goal is the only way to achieve it.
The book should've just stuck to an interview format, then it would have been a lot better.
February 11, 2019
Brilliant Read
Can’t put this book down!!.a great read from rags to riches and ultimate belief and the hurdles this man ever comes!!..certainly a must read
Can’t put this book down!!.a great read from rags to riches and ultimate belief and the hurdles this man ever comes!!..certainly a must read
April 18, 2021
One of my least favorite bodybuilder bios. So sanitized. Little real emotion about his journey. I'm sure the real story of Yates is much more interesting.
September 5, 2022
Phenomenal read
December 30, 2023
A surface-level portrait of Yates which lacks any real depth, insight or intensity.
January 9, 2025
Good insight into the mindset of a guy who was one of my bodybuilding heroes back in the day - little shallow in places and a little short - but still a good read.
February 25, 2025
"I wasn't really interested in having fun or listening to what other people had to say unless it was going to help my mission. Being spontaneous wasn't on my agenda."
June 27, 2020
The life story of Dorian Yates, (to date), is fascinating - a real 5 star story however, this book was written by a co-author, Kapa Hazlewood, and it is pretty boring and not well written.
Forget this book. Go Watch 'Dorian Yates: The Original Mass Monster', Inside The Shadow/London Real and the JRE interview of Dorian instead!
Forget this book. Go Watch 'Dorian Yates: The Original Mass Monster', Inside The Shadow/London Real and the JRE interview of Dorian instead!
November 21, 2024
Informative autobiography book about a dominating bodybuilder.
Yates seemed honest and forthcoming about his life.
Yates seemed honest and forthcoming about his life.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews