Bodybuilding legend Lee Haney remains tied with Ronnie Coleman for the most Mr. Olympia titles. In a recent YouTube video shared on July 8, 2025, he broke down his best training split and the protein sources he relied on throughout his bodybuilding tenure.
A fixture of 1980s bodybuilding, Lee Haney came from an era where less was more. He operated under the mantra “stimulate don’t annihilate” — always focusing on controlled form and carefully selected exercises to sculpt his championship caliber physique.
Having amassed eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, Haney remains one of the most successful ambassadors of bodybuilding. While the sport moved toward mass after Dorian Yates‘ takeover in the 1990s, Haney hasn’t forgotten the training strategies that propelled him to the top.
Lee Haney Talks Nutrient Timing, Names the Best Training Split and Protein Sources
In the video, Haney reflected on the importance of carbohydrate intake leading into contests:
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“They advised me that I needed to eat more and take in more carbohydrates and I did. A week later, I was at the IFBB World Championships in Belgium, and at that show, I weighed 232 pounds, six pounds heavier in a span of one week because I carbohydrate loaded, and I looked far better and was bigger.”
He explained that nutrition was the biggest lever he could pull for transforming his physique.
“Midway through a prep, there wasn’t a lot of difference. What I tried to stay true to is making sure that quality nutrition was a part of my daily existence, training for a competition on or off-season. I never allowed my nutrition to be such where I’d end up being 20-30 pounds over my last competition weight.”
As for quality protein sources, Haney always stuck with chicken, eggs, fish, and lentils.
“Quality protein would come from things like chicken, eggs, fish, lentils was used, some, but for the most part it was those particular types of protein that were used. I didn’t use a lot of powdered protein drinks, not a lot of them.”
Nutrient timing factored into Haney’s success; he always had carbs and protein for breakfast, and that same rule applied after any workout.
“We ate according to when it was time to eat. You had breakfast, you knew you had to have carbohydrates if you’re really going to get in the gym and push. You needed the protein with the carbohydrates to repair cells and tissues. All of that was important.”
“After the workout, you replenished the body, guess what, you had another meal that included protein, carbohydrates, and so forth, and a fat that was conducive to giving you energy and helping the body produce natural growth hormone,” he said.
Haney credited two training splits as all-time favorites: a three-on, one-off program and a push-pull mixed split.
“One of my top programs that I advise is three on off one, I love that program. You have enough recovery time and you can use a good bit of weight without tearing your joints apart.
Then, the other principle I use and promote is push-pull. Push chest, pull biceps, for instance. That’s one day, along with calves and abs, then the next day would be legs.”
He explained that grouping push and pull movements together helped recovery and strengthened his tendons and ligaments.
“The next day would be shoulders push, back pull, along with abs and calves. By linking the push-pull together, you’re giving the tendons and the muscle a little recovery time before different sets.”
Haney hasn’t been shy about his opinions on the growing sport. Though he can appreciate some of the top physiques today, he believes Open Bodybuilding needs a reset. He argued the Open class has become unsafe and stressed that bodybuilding doesn’t have to be the most dangerous sport in the world.
Boasting one of the most complete physiques of all time, Haney highlights that his three-on-one-off training split produced results. To build an elite-level physique, he stands by mixing carbohydrates and protein together throughout the day.
Watch the full video from the Muscle & Strength YouTube channel below:
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