Lee Labrada, a unique bodybuilder, never dropped below the fifth place in his competitive career, was born on March 8, 1960. Lee began bodybuilding as early as 16 years. The original goal was to get a good form for soccer. Then he still did not know that his first competition would win before he left school.
By the age of 25, Lee won the victory at “National” and “Mr. Universe (Amateur World Championship).” The first victory in the “professional status” was the “Night of the Champions” 1986. According to the athlete, for a long time he could not achieve the desired results due to malnutrition, the shortcomings of which he tried to compensate for the frequency of training. Visible changes did not bring, but overtraining was obvious. The situation was changed, when Lee began to train in the technique of Mike Mentzer.
Lee Labrada is one of the few bodybuilders who managed to stay in the top four in the “Mr. Olympia” competition for seven years. Many believe that in 1989 and 1990, the difference between Labrada and Lee Haney (the winner of the competition) was so small that Lee deserved to win. In 2004, Lee was included in the IFBB Hall of Fame. His photographs appeared on the covers of more than 100 magazines devoted to bodybuilding and fitness. Lee has been repeatedly invited by CNBC, FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and ESPN as an expert in fitness and healthy lifestyles. In 1995, Labrada left the competition.
Despite his success, Lee never considered titles and awards his main goal. He wanted to dedicate his life to helping other people. In 2002, the dream came true – Lee founded his own Labrada Nutrition. Successful not only in sport, but also in business, Lee made his center one of the best in the US. Not wishing to stop there, the sportsman published the book “The Lean Body Promise”, dedicated to proper nutrition and exercises, helping to always keep oneself in good shape. Written in simple and understandable language, this book was supposed to help people to believe that not only elite athletes can find a beautiful body.
Labrada himself has always been a supporter of a healthy lifestyle. He tried to use as few steroids as possible and advocated for a “clean”, natural result achieved by hard training, not “magic powders”. According to him, it would be nice if the doping tests were conducted at all competitions, but this is unlikely to save the situation either, because the availability of many drugs is very difficult to determine.
Lee is much depressed by modern standards of bodybuilding. According to him, the forms that athletes seek now attract a very limited circle of fans. Interest in bodybuilding has grown enormously in recent decades, so why not warm it up with more natural forms? This would attract a lot of fans, and as a result, significantly will increase the prize funds, and as a result, everyone would have to win. “However, while the IFBB judges will not reconsider the criteria for selecting winners, it is unlikely that anything will change,” the athlete laments.
Now Lee lives in Houston with his wife and three sons.
