Although he has yet to qualify, Hunter Labrada‘s focus remains fixated on the upcoming 2024 Mr. Olympia contest. In a recent sitdown interview with Milos Sarcev, Labrada discussed his posing approach and wanting to reach Hadi Choopan levels of conditioning.
The 2023 bodybuilding season was a mega-successful endeavor for Hunter Labrada. He kicked things off with a dominant win at the Tampa Pro, earning him a ticket to the Mr. Olympia contest. However, before testing himself against the best in the world, Labrada squared off with Andrew Jacked at the Texas Pro, where he narrowly took second place.
With a better understanding of how to peak his physique at contests, Labrada pushed his chips all in at the 2023 Mr. Olympia show. Ultimately, he finished in sixth place, and while it was an impressive outing, his appetite for Olympia glory only grew from there. Now, with just weeks until he performs at the 2024 Promuscle Italy Pro, Labrada opened up about his ambitious bodybuilding goals.
Hunter Labrada Talks Being Compared to Hadi Choopan, Discusses Approach to Posing Routine for 2024 Mr. Olympia
According to bodybuilding coach Milos Sarcev, he doesn’t believe there’s one legitimate reason why Labrada couldn’t defeat Hadi Choopan in their next battle.
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“You’re that up-and-comer that can go all the way to the top. I said this three or four years ago, give me one reason why Hunter could not beat Hadi, like three, four years ago. I don’t know if you’ve seen it. You’re complete, the structure, shape, everything. So, if you come in crazy condition like him,” said Milos Sarcev.
Labrada respects Choopan for his dry conditioning levels and said if he showed up with similar detail, ‘all bets are off’ at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
“Hadi is a whole different level of conditioning but I appreciate the vote of confidence. It’s one of those things it’s a huge if. Yeah, if I showed up as peeled as Hadi, yeah, absolutely, all bets are off.
With how hard Hadi gets, credit where credit is due, that’s not just someone who gets in good shape, that’s like a once in a generational, like holy shit that man’s inside out peeled kind of conditioning,” explains Hunter Labrada.
He was blown away by Choopan’s statement victory in Ohio where he defeated Samson Dauda for the Arnold Classic title.
“That Arnold Classic man, that’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen. To get knocked off at the Olympia and then to respond the way that he did, that’s a champion’s response. It’s cool as an athlete to see that,” adds Labrada.
Sarcev believes Labrada and Choopan have comparable structure and size.
“Your’s and his, right? Is this comparable? Very much so. Size-wise, structure-wise, it’s very very comparable. Now, your job is to get in crazy condition then I think you have that little extra Labrada genetics that if you really, if you talked to your dad, what made a difference? He didn’t have a moment of relaxation or a move that didn’t make sense.”
As for his approach to posing, Labrada said his strategy is much different than what was adopted by his father Lee Labrada.
“I’ll be the first one to say that my dad is constantly in my ear about that. I’ll be the first one to say that I’ve had good posing routines but I’ve never had a great one. I’m just going to call it like I see it from an athlete’s perspective with us in the trenches.
With the shape that they want us to show up in and the way that we feel in those final weeks, the energy that we do have a lot of us focus on making sure we can go those three or four rounds that we know they’re going to put us through at prejudging and finals. In my mind, the energy that I do have, I devote to being in posing shape for what matters,” said Hunter Labrada.
Instead of focusing on an artistic routine, Labrada underscored why it’s imperative that he ‘stand like a statue’ through multiple rounds of mandatory poses as the judges are known for pushing athletes to exhaustion on stage.
“That being said, I’m all for posing being a scored thing. If they start scoring the posing round, I think you’d get incredible routines very quickly. In the current state of things, I think being able to show up and absolutely stand like a statue through three, four, five rounds of mandatories goes a lot farther than having a good posing routine with the judges and the general public.”
“This is where I differ from my dad a lot. I think my dad fell in love with more of the artistic side of bodybuilding and the physique presentation and all of that. Me, coming from the football and athletic background, I fell in love with the training and the brutal hard work. The stage for me is an opportunity to show that work that I’ve been doing for the last year and how far I was able to take things.”
In addition to brutal training sessions, Hunter Labrada continues to lock in his nutrition ahead of his next bodybuilding show. He recently showcased a six-meal full day of eating, where he discussed low-volume lifting and the importance of cholesterol control.
Fans are thrilled to see Hunter Labrada back on a bodybuilding stage. Don’t miss his first contest of the 2024 season when he competes at the Promuscle Italy Pro on September 8!
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