Lee Labrada and exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel joined hands for a special collaboration. In a recent YouTube video published on July 10, 2024, Labrada and Israetel broke down old school bulking and training approaches from the 1980s.
Having placed in the top four at the Mr. Olympia contest for seven consecutive years, Lee Labrada managed to blend aesthetics, shape, and conditioning into a one-of-a-kind physique. Despite giving up 50 pounds to many of his adversaries, Labrada proved to be formidable at the highest level in the Men’s Open, defeating mainstays of the category like Robby Robinson, Albert Beckles, and Samir Bannout.
Serving as the host of The Lee Labrada Show, the 64-year-old bodybuilding great is known for sharing the techniques that helped him carve out a legendary career. Below, he and Dr. Israetel detail how bulking and training approaches were crafted when he was at the top of his game.
Lee Labrada Talks Old School Bulking and Training Approaches from the 1980s with Exercise Scientist
During his early years in the sport, Labrada said the norm was 20 sets of 8-10 repetitions — a system that was used by bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu. However, Labrada shared that his approach to training changed thanks to the contributions made by high-intensity advocates like ‘Mr. Heavy Duty’ Mike Mentzer, Eliot Darden, and Arthur Jones.
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“I like that, Mike, not to buy into the dogma. That was one of the things that I found out early on in my bodybuilding career because when I started in the late 70s, it was — the workout of the day was 20 sets, 8-10 reps, 20 sets, then along comes Mike Mentzer and Eliot Darden and Arthur Jones and they start pushing the high-intensity approach. And I adopted that because logically it made sense to me.”
Labrada also discussed old school bulking methods and explained that athletes often took measures to a ‘ridiculous extreme.’
“My background is as a civil engineer, so it just made sense to me. This is logical what they’re saying. That was one of the early training styles that I adopted. One of the things that was big back in the day also was the concept of bulking up. Some would take it to a ridiculous extreme. I think we’ve all done that in the past.”
While in his day athletes would gain 30-40 pounds of body weight during a bulk, Labrada took issue with the concept. He suggested that it was more beneficial for them to begin a ‘muscle-gaining phase’ after they’ve already leaned out.
“They would gain 30-40 pounds of body weight only have to lose 30 pounds of excess fat when they’re getting ready for the show. So I segway into this, I’ve heard you say before that maybe it makes more sense to get lean before putting on or going through a muscle-gaining phase,” shares Lee Labrada.
Dr. Mike Israetel agreed with Labrada and cited some unwanted side effects of bulking, which include stretched skin. He underscored that there is no verifiable way to judge visual progress for those who bulk to extremes.
“The stretched skin, there’s so many downsides, health, well-being, not looking your best for no good reason at all. So the super bulking thing is kind of a disaster. However, one of the number one reasons to get a little leaner before you bulk and there’s a ton of reasons, one of the number one reasons is what I like to call the concept of a runway.
Let’s say we have a percent fat that you already know for yourself is your top-end limit. Let’s say if you’re a competitive bodybuilder and that top-end is roughly 15 percent body fat, for many males it’s going to be around that number. Why is it the top-end? North of that, you don’t even see your six-pack anymore. You have no idea how to judge any visual progress.”
“Once you get fat enough, figuring out if you’re getting a lot fatter is tough because I was fat yesterday, I’m fat today, I’m fat tomorrow, it’s all fat. If you still have some semblance of details and you see them disappear, oh it’s time to back up. If you lost details, that’s no good,” said Dr. Mike Israetel.
Lastly, Israetel explained that physical performance in the gym can be negatively affected by excessive bulking.
“Another one is literally physical performance in the gym. You see guys deep deep in the off-season, they are gassing out crazy after an exercise.
It’s not great because dude, the reason you didn’t do another four reps on the leg press isn’t because your legs are tired, it’s because your soul was tired, your cardiovascular system is limiting you and that’s no good. The science shows muscles grow the most when they are locally close to failure. If the muscles aren’t locally close to failure, nothing is going to happen.”
Labrada’s son, Hunter Labrada, a thriving IFBB Pro, has been open about bulking as well. He believes bodybuilders in the off-season have no excuse for gaining excessive weight.
“You’re going to feel a lot better and be a lot healthier. Extended off-seasons are not an excuse to get fat, sloppy, and unhealthy. Extended off-seasons are a time to put tissue on your body and to address the weaknesses you had the last time you were on stage” Hunter Labrada added.
As one of the most consistent bodybuilders of his era, Lee Labrada’s opinions of bulking and training continue to lay the foundation for aspiring talents from around the world. He believes high-intensity training to have immense merit and believes it’s best to start with a lean physique before embarking on a bulking phase.
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