by Christian Duque
The story of Don Youngblood is one that is very much inspiring for those that are involved in the world of muscle and fitness. He was someone that was poised to win a title that today many of us more or less overlook. It was a title held by Vince Taylor for well over half a decade and was defended at all costs by that illustrious champion. Don was not considered a favorite to win. He was not looked upon as someone who could unseat one of the greatest masters bodybuilders of all time. But what he lacked in buzz he made up for with hard work.
Just recently I was on an Instagram live with Lee Priest and we got to talking about Don and his extraordinary work ethic. Here was a guy who owned his own business and was making a tremendous amount of money. Trucking has always paid the bills and continues to be in demand no matter how technologically advanced transportation may become. You still have to get goods from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time that is safe and effective. We will forever rely upon maritime trade, trucking, the use of planes, etc.
Don was a person that did not shy away from hard work. Whether that meant driving cross country moving rigs or giving his all in the gym, you knew that he was all about whatever goal he set before himself. And bodybuilding is quite possibly one of the most selfish endeavors. You can call it a sport or a discipline but at the end of the day it is time consuming, very expensive, and certainly not for the faint at heart. I wouldn’t be surprised if his friends and loved ones tried to discourage him. Why would someone in middle age want to embark on such a dangerous pastime? But the reality of the matter is Don was bit by the bug. Not only did he want to be a professional bodybuilder but he wanted to reach the highest levels of competitiveness.
For Don winning the Masters Mr Olympia was the proverbial cherry on top. He had been able to achieve pro status and he had been able to make a name for himself in local and R
regional competitions but he wanted to be the best. We are dealing with individuals that cannot rest until they reach the mountain top. There really isn’t anything in terms of work, patience, or even cutting their teeth, that will stop them from arriving at that milestone achievement.
For many, it never happened. After all, we are talking about the number one spot in a physique-based division. At the end of the day most people don’t care whether or not they get to that mountain top as long as they give it their best. As long as you’ve given your all, but really giving you’re all not just saying it. That’s all that matters. The problem is Don was not going to take anything but the win. It didn’t matter if it meant he was literally putting his life on the line.
Now I don’t want to say that bodybuilding killed Don but I would say that if bodybuilding was not a factor he would probably still be alive today. What he was able to do with regards to building a physique is nothing short of amazing. He was able to create a look that many people compared with that of Dorian Yates. I have also heard a comparison with Branch Warren. Don was able to tap into what many call a grainy look. It’s not just a level of condition, rather, it is a texture of skin that comes as a result of intense preparation for the stage. He was able to achieve this in middle age. Dorian was able to do it in his 20s and early 30s but for Don to have been able to accomplish this much later in life is also quite noteworthy. He was able to bring in a tremendous amount of size while not losing his proportions, cuts, and overall flow.
For many older competitors it becomes very difficult to retain muscle mass during a prep. They will either lose the muscle to come in condition or they will not come in condition but they will not retain the size. And this has nothing to do with the use of exogenous hormones or any other pharmaceuticals. It is simply the product of age taking its toll. But I would say that the fact Don did not spend a lifetime in bodybuilding, rather, discovered bodybuilding later, helped. His body was not burnt out after decades of competing, but he still went hard into it.
At the end of the day I’m not a medical doctor and I did not have access to Don’s blood panels but I will say that the amount of size he had was very very impressive. And not only did he win the Masters Olympia in top form, but he went on to compete at the open Olympia. And that s saying a lot about a guy who until he won that Master’s Olympia was not really on anyone’s radar.
And Vince Taylor was not exactly enthused at losing the title to Don, either. Even though Vince had amassed a mantle’s worth of Sandows I don’t think that even to this day he recognizes the fact that Don upstaged him and stripped him of the title. At the time it was a pretty big deal and a lot of people were absolutely dumbfounded at what Don was able to accomplish. He literally came out of nowhere and was able to steal the whole show.
One of the things that Lee and I discussed on Instagram and that I have talked about over the years on various articles is just how prestigious the Master’s Olympia was as a title. It was something that created a great deal of competitiveness amongst older competitors. They had something to shoot for when they were coming up the amateur ranks and up the professional ones as well. There was a good amount of promotional materials put out in the magazines and many vendors rallied around this particular title because it provided a platform for older athletes to compete in.
Today, however, master’s bodybuilding has largely fallen by the wayside. There really isn’t that much interest in the division because of the fact that there are so many pro cards being given out. Whereas at one point earning a pro card was something that could take a very long period of time, nowadays pro cards almost fall out of trees. And if they don’t fall out of trees, they grow on them, and competitors can just pick them off. For example, to compete at the Masters World Championships – anybody that has done a master show throughout the year can enter. And the Masters Olympia criteria isn’t all that much higher. The bottom line is it’s almost like a throwaway show for old guys. And that’s not the show that Don won and it’s certainly not the show that Vince dominated.
Olympia promoter Jake Wood has invested a tremendous amount of time and effort into recreating this phenomenal event, but even with that being said, I still don’t think that it has earned the place in contemporary culture that it once held. When that happens, I think the sport will benefit tremendously.
I also think that more companies should care about master’s bodybuilding because older athletes have a lot more disposable income than say younger ones. How much money could an adolescent have, or a college student have, or even a young professional? When you stop to think about it, it’s the people in their late 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond that truly have the means to buy expensive supplements, join prestigious gyms, and be able to afford the very expensive and time-consuming lifestyle of a bodybuilder.
Interestingly, companies in the fitness industry do not cater to older athletes, rather, they invest heavily in targeting younger audiences that really don’t have a pot to piss in. So it would be interesting to see a sort of pivot when it comes to the direction companies take and the amount of effort promoters put into promoting masters competitions. Be these amateur, regional, and/or professional. When Masters bodybuilding and Masters physique-based sports become more of a priority for promoters and businesses, then we will truly see the kind of unprecedented growth that we have long been anticipating since the demise of masters bodybuilding in the early 2000s.
As always, I appreciate you reading my articles, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. What’s your take on masters bodybuilding and the level of prestige of the Master’s Mr Olympia, today?