You always hear that if you’re not born with calves, good luck getting them, but that wasn’t the case for Dorian Yates. In a recent Instagram post shared on Nov. 11, 2025, “The Shadow” broke down how he built his calves up by six inches during his career.

In the 1990s, Dorian Yates was an outlier in the Men’s Open. He didn’t sport the streamlined aesthetics that other talents like Flex Wheeler had. Instead, Yates relied on freakish muscle density and granite conditioning to overpower his opponents onstage.

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It was a winning recipe; he left the sport on top with six Mr. Olympia titles (1992-1997). However, he dealt with challenges along the way. In addition to battling injuries , Yates needed to grow his calves to present a proportionate physique. He m

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