Coming off a seventh-place finish at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, bodybuilder Hunter Labrada is ready to kick off the new season with a change. In a recent interview with Serious and Silliness Bodybuilding on YouTube, Labrada emphasized that he needs to figure out his peak instead of focusing on the next Mr. Olympia.
Men’s Open competitor Hunter Labrada, son of IFBB Hall of Famer Lee Labrada, entered the sport with huge expectations. After starting his career in the NPC league, Hunter gained attention for his mass, symmetry, and posing finesse in 2020. He dominated the Tampa Pro and won by beating Iain Valliere. The victory secured his ticket to the Mr. Olympia competition. Labrada went into the 2020 O contest with a lot of hype and backed it up with a top-ten finish in his debut.
Labrada started the following year with a commanding win at the 2021 IFBB Chicago Pro, where he defeated Brett Wilkin, Maxx Charles, and Roelly Winklaar. For his second Olympia appearance, a competitive rivalry ignited between Labrada and Nick Walker as the two battled on stage. Labrada managed to beat Walker and improved his standing to fourth place at 2021 Olympia.
The rivalry between Hunter and Walker became one of the main talking points going into 2022 Mr. Olympia. During the prejudging, it was clear Walker presented a significantly better package. Eventually, Labrada dropped out of the top five and placed seventh. Meanwhile, Walker leaped over to the third spot and won the Olympia People’s Champ award.
Following the result, Hunter Labrada opened up about his disappointing performance. He admitted there were things that needed fixing but remained confident in the package he built last year. Coach Ben Chow weighed in, suggesting Labrada’s peak was improperly executed, which resulted in a flat appearance.
Since he does not have an Olympia invite for this year, Labrada will need to qualify for the competition. He revealed his plan to compete at two shows this season as well. A few days later, he disclosed the changes he made to his diet in the off-season.
Hunter Labrada wants to figure out his peak, not focused on wrecking 2023 Mr. Olympia
In a recent YouTube video, Hunter Labrada shared that his focus is not on Olympia but rather his peak.
“That’s the plan. To pick up where I was headed into this last year’s one but not drop the ball,” said Hunter. “I will say this. I’m not focused on going back to the Olympia and wrecking the Olympia. The only thing in my mind right now that I want to come out of this year is I want to figure my peak out.
“I’m so f**king sick of working as hard as I do and killing myself the way I do to have it not be perfect because of that. There’s things I can do better for sure in the off season but I really want to figure that out. That’s the goal of this year.”
Earlier this month, Hunter Labrada said he’s focused on trimming down his waistline before getting into prep for the Olympia. The mass monster is not chasing size anymore and switched up his strategy by implementing vacuum poses.
He shared an impressive physique update two days ago, in which he tipped the scales at 280 pounds fasted during the off-season. Based on the latest update, it’s clear Hunter is working on the necessary adjustments to bring a better package on stage later this year.
You can watch the full video below:
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Published: 18 February, 2023 | 10:19 AM EDT
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