Bodybuilding veteran Lee Labrada is still going strong at 65 years old. In a recent YouTube video, he broke down four simple tips to help anyone master a strict dieting and training schedule.
Lee Labrada was a staple bodybuilder throughout the 1980s and 90s. He held his own against mass monsters of the Open like Shawn Ray, Lee Haney, and Rich Gaspari. Despite weighing up to 50 pounds less than his rivals, Labrada blended artistry, sharp posing, and muscularity to find his way in the sport.
Mastering lifts and dialing in nutrition were non-negotiable philosophies for the bodybuilding great. This has led him to offer key advice to up-and-coming pros and anyone interested in improvement. Still boasting an exceptional physique today, Labrada’s advice is backed up by experience and know-how.
Lee Labrada Shares 4 Tips for Maintaining a Strict Diet and Training Schedule
Below are the four principles Labrada shared in his YouTube video for maintaining his diet and training schedule:
- Change your perception
- Never give yourself an out
- Avoid absolutes or extremes
- Eliminate negative talk
First and foremost, Labrada said changing one’s perception is key to advancing health and training progress.
“You may not like to work out, but you sure like the way you’d look in your bathing suit or bikini if you did the workout right? So, change your perception from focusing on having to work out to wanting to wear the swimsuit or the bikini.”
“You might tell yourself that you love sweets, and by keeping that perception, you’ll stay stuck in a body you don’t want. Change your perception to something like I don’t like how those sweets make me look. I could wear those Oreos or I could wear a six-pack of abs.”
His second tip stressed that you should never give yourself an out, whether it’s compromising on when you wake up or a potential workout.
“Never give yourself an out. One of the worst things that you can do is to instantly stop being motivated is to give yourself an excuse to quit. For example, when the alarm goes off in the morning and you say, well I can always make up the workout later, yeah perhaps after work, yeah that’s what I’ll do.
When you internally say that, you hit the snooze button and you go back to sleep. The reason you’re always on time for work is because it’s not an option to show up late. You’ll be reprimanded or worse, fired. That’s the reason you get out of bed every morning, regardless of how late you stay out,” said Labrada.
When attempting to change, Labrada believes turning healthy habits into a lifestyle creates consistency over time.
“Avoid absolutes and extremes when changing something about yourself. Instead, turn it into a lifestyle. The key is that you’re going to be in this for the long haul because whatever you do to create the change is what you must do to keep it.”
He also pointed out that going against your diet happens, but taking things completely off track will inevitably hurt long-term progress.
“After a week or two, the same thing happens. So, now you start inwardly telling yourself, I’ve really blown it, I might as well completely blow it and you go completely off track. Think of it this way: if you drove down the road and got a flat tire, would you ever jump out of your car and slit the other tires? Of course not.”
“What should you do with the occasional eating bad food or missed workout? Again, change your perspective by looking at what you do differently. Understand that small changes yield huge results over the course of time so long as those changes are sustainable.”
Maintaining a pristine physique is one of Labrada’s top priorities since stepping away from the stage. He recently explored whether higher reps in training lead to the most optimal hypertrophy results. He asserts that high-volume training can help lifters achieve a lean and muscular look.
Labrada doesn’t underestimate the power of the mind when it comes to strict eating and training. He believes eliminating negative talk and changing your perception of training can help you reach a new level inside the gym.
Watch the full video from the Lean Body Official YouTube channel below:
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