Hunter Labrada’s competitive ambitions are on ice, but he hopes that changes in the near future. In a recent Instagram post (November 12, 2026), he revealed that he’s scheduled for a partial shoulder replacement surgery and said this won’t end his bodybuilding career prematurely.
In 2021, Hunter Labrada was the fourth-best bodybuilder in the world, and even beat Nick Walker on the Olympia stage. Season to season, he’s made improvements, especially to his legs and back. At the 2024 ProMuscle Italy Pro, he picked up one of his biggest wins against Andrea Presti.
His last Olympia contest in 2024 was an eye-opener. Labrada brought a harder, more conditioned look, leading to a sixth-place finish. Since then, he’s struggled immensely with his shoulder. And even after two surgeries, the IFBB Pro says he’ll have to go under the knife once again. Despite the imminent procedure, he’s confident he’ll bounce back.
Hunter Labrada Opens Up About Shoulder Injury and Upcoming Surgery
In the post, Labrada confirmed that his shoulder is ‘bone-on-bone’ with stage four arthritis, which has made training unbearable. Looking ahead, he is scheduled to undergo a partial shoulder replacement surgery.
“My left shoulder has been an extreme uphill battle for the entirety of my professional career. At this point I have had two major surgeries on it and it has stage 4 arthritis, meaning the shoulder is bone on bone.”
“It’s made training and posing absolutely excruciating, and that has honestly taken a lot of the love and excitement that I had for bodybuilding away from me,” Labrada shared. “At this point I have scheduled and will be undergoing a partial shoulder replacement and I am truly excited to say that honestly.”
He and his doctors believe he’ll be able to return to bodybuilding at the highest level once he makes a complete recovery.
“The team of doctors that I’m working with are all very optimistic that I will be able to return to bodybuilding and not just do bodybuilding but return to competing at the level that I’m used to competing at,” he said. “I think one of the hardest things in regards to the shoulder beyond the pain, because the pain’s one thing, but it’s the mental aspect of it. Having to face the fact that bodybuilding could be done before I am ready to say it’s done.”
Labrada wants to leave the sport on his own accord rather than being pushed out due to injury:
“Being forced to walk away by my body telling me it’s time instead of me achieving everything that I wanted to achieve and being able to walk away on my own terms.”
Though he is looking at life beyond the stage, he doesn’t believe this is the end of his bodybuilding career.
“That being said, it has gotten to the point where I am considering life after bodybuilding and what that looks like. I do want to be able to have an active life after this. I do want to be able to play with my daughter and hopefully my grandkids.”
“So I have made the decision to have that half replacement, but like I said, that is not a death sentence on my bodybuilding career. In fact, I am extremely optimistic and looking forward to making a full comeback from it.”
For a moment, Labrada teased a possible entry for the 2027 Arnold Classic. The event already has a stacked lineup, including reigning Mr. Olympia Nick Walker, Andrew Jacked, and Hadi Choopan. Fans are still waiting to see whether Derek Lunsford and Samson Dauda will jump in the contest.
Despite his inactivity, Labrada remains one of the biggest names in bodybuilding. For now, he plans to live in the moment and make a full recovery from shoulder surgery.
