Dorian Yates just dropped the mic on the modern generation of men with his take on social media.

On January 27, the six-time Mr. Olympia expressed that the current generation of men "are weak and they're soft," in his Instagram post. However, the bodybuilding icon's post wasn't about discouragement.

“Maybe it’s not their fault because of the environment. Maybe I’m softer than the generation before me because things are too comfortable now,” said Yates.

Yates explained that techoogly has made everything too easy, but the man "needs challenges" to get stronger, build confidence, and grow. The former Mr. Olympia said one way to challege yourself is the gym.

“ We need to get stronger, well, I don’t. You need to get stronger because we need strong men in the future. You got to get strong for the future, for yourselves, and for your families. You need to have some stress in your life. Challenge yourself, and go to the gym, push yourself, and you will feel so much better,” Yates concluded.

However, Yates didn't just criticize the mindset of settling into a comfortable and sedentary life for the average guy. In December 2025, Yates even took a jibe at the standard of contemporary Mr. Olympia champions compared to back in the day.

Dorian Yates’ Harsh Critique of Modern Champions

Yates revealed in one of his conversations that modern bodybuilding has been immensely watered down compared to the golden era or the mass monster era.

“The best male physique in the world, six-foot-four, with wide shoulders and a small waist. You look at Arnold or Lee Haney... 'Wow, I get it. That’s the ultimate male physique,'” said Yates.

“But if you talk about the guys that are Mr. Olympia now and you show that to members of the public and tell them that’s the ultimate male physique... 'Well, hold on, he’s only like five-foot-four or something, isn’t he? He’s like a fridge. How is that possible?" Doria Yates added.

Naturally, the criticism sparked a massive debate, and even the current champion, Derek Lunsford, responded. "@thedorianyates is GREAT. But this is a NEW era that has taken bodybuilding to a NEW LEVEL," said Lunsford.

Yet, what is your opinion on Dorian Yates' take on the current generation? Let us know if you're on the same page or not.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi