Bodybuilder Hunter Labrada is on a mission to improve his physique in the right areas before returning to action later this year. In a recent video posted on YouTube, Labrada shared how to do vacuums and the three variations he likes to utilize during the current off-season.
Hunter, son of IFBB Hall of Famer Lee Labrada, first made headlines for his mass, size, and posing skills in 2020. The IFBB Pro Men’s Open competitor dispatched the competition at the Tampa Pro to score gold. The win earned him an invite to the Mr. Olympia competition, where he placed eighth in his maiden showing.
Labrada kicked off the next season with a commanding win at the 2021 Chicago Pro. The future looked bright for the 30-year-old as he made significant improvements to his package and jumped to fourth place at the 2021 Mr. Olympia. He was brimming with confidence about his chances of winning the 2022 Mr. Olympia despite the stacked lineup. In the end, Labrada failed to bring his best form and dropped down to the seventh place.
He didn’t let the setback hold him back for long and opened up on his ambitions to reduce his waistline in the off-season. Having not made the top six at the Olympia, he needs to get a pro win to earn an invite as the point system has been removed. He plans to compete in two shows this season, the Tampa Pro and Texas Pro.
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Labrada regularly shares tips with his fans on social media. He highlighted the benefits of using A/B split variations to push through workout plateaus. He followed that up with another clip, giving fans a look into his full day of eating along with the supplements he used.
Earlier this month, Hunter gave his take on whether it’s better to weigh your food raw or cooked. He stressed the importance of being consistent with whichever method you prefer as that would give a more accurate reading on the changes in your macros.
Labrada shared the two golden rules of meal timing and frequency to get the most out of your daily nutrition. He suggested restricting the amount of protein per meal to ensure absorption and avoid digestive issues.
Hunter Labrada shares best practices to do vacuums & 3 variations he uses
In a recent YouTube video, Hunter Labrada shared some of his best guidelines for performing vacuums. He recommends practicing the technique on an empty stomach with minimal resistance.
“The biggest things of importance are making sure you’re getting all of the air out of your lungs, your diaphragm, really getting full exhale before you pull it,” said Labrada. “Don’t just think about blowing the air out and trying to tighten your abs. Think about trying to pull your belly button to your spine. The way that I have arrived at doing them, this is the first thing in the morning, fasted on an empty stomach.
“There’s no food or water or fluid, nothing. Definitely go use the bathroom before you go them. The emptier we can get the better. We want to do it when there’s the least resistance possible to get it as far up as possible.”
He gave fans a look into the three variations of the vacuum he likes to utilize.
“First thing in the morning fasted is the first part of this routine. The second part is how do we hit them. We hit them from three different positions. First one will be lying, we’ll pull four there. Then, we’ll hit four bent over.”
“It should be very uncomfortable at the end of every single one because to pull these, you are blowing every last bit of air out and then pulling and sucking it.”
“Finally, the last one we’ll do is emulating a ab thigh pose, hands over head, all the way out and then pull it.”
Hunter Labrada educated his followers on improving weak lower-bodies as of late. He talked about the necessity of proper recovery along with some of the staple intensity techniques he incorporates in his training sessions. A few days later, he smashed through an intense leg workout.
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Labrada is determined to come back stronger than ever after an uneventful Olympia. His focus on trimming down the waistline appears to be doing wonders for him and will likely encourage others to follow in his footsteps.