After winning eight straight Olympiads, Lee Haney reveals his impending retirement

Why would Lee Haney choose to retire after constantly winning the 8th Olympiad?

Lee Haney is an American former IFBB maestro bodybuilder to ever adorn the stage. Lee is known as the youngest personality to earn the title of Mr Olympia and acquire a space in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was just 24 when he did these wonders! He has received numerous accolades, all of which are amazingly awarded by reputable entities around the globe. Lee Haney is widely acknowledged as one of the finest bodybuilders of all time. He worked harder to get recognition with a splendid balance of muscle mass, details, and first-rate conditioning in the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open Class.

Throughout the days of competitions on stage, Lee Haney wrested six times with Mr Olympia Dorian Yates, three-time champion Frank Zane, Lee Labrada, and Shawn Lay. The very 1^st Sandow trophy he gained was in 1984 by defeating Samir Bannout and he has successfully defended the championship seven years in a row, demonstrating that he is a dominant champion.

Lee Haney became the 1^st eight-time consecutive World Bodybuilding Champion in 1991 and won Mr Olympia Crown. Lee recently made an appearance on The Lee Labrada Show, where he discussed how he got started in bodybuilding, how he handled the pressure of winning, and his objectives for earning the right Olympia titles.

The panorama of the Men’s Open division has progressed significantly since Haney hung up his posing trunks. Haney quarreled with the modern young competitors for weighing muscle size too heavily while compromising on the quality of the muscles. He put this responsibility on athletes who worked with coaches who had never participated in a professional sport. Sometime later, Lee Haney showed criticism of the amendments in the process of turning pro. He stated that a lowering of standards led to a dispersion in the quality of competitors. After IFBB Pro Luke Sandoe passed away, Lee Haney revealed a passionate message regarding mental health and motivated bodybuilders to open up about their mental health. He emphasized the value of encouraging one another through these difficulties in order to deal with the demands that come with being an athlete.

What has Lee Haney expressed about his initiation into bodybuilding?

In the recent YouTube show, Lee expressed how he became motivated to work out and got started in bodybuilding:

“When I was 9-10 years old, I always fantasized about growing up to be Hercules or Sampson,” exclaimed Lee Haney. “I recall at an early age when we would go to the grocery store, the first thing I’d do is run to the newsstand to take out the magazines. It was there that I noticed pictures of people like Robbie Robinson, Arnold, and other famous bodybuilders. I wanted to be like these guys. That’s where I sort of cut my teeth.

“I asked my parents for a set of weights when I was approximately 11 years old. They got them for me as a Christmas Gift. With it came the Charles Atlas course. I’d read and study as much as I could and read about nutrition, starting to put little plans together.” 

Despite the fact that Lee stepped away from battling back in 1991, he has no second thoughts that he might get defeated. He chose to retire at the peak of his powers. Lee Haden left the sport without a single serious injury or any other health issues, unlike many modern wrestlers or bodybuilders.

Lee Haney discloses the reason behind retiring after 8^th Olympian titles:

Lee Haney discussed the psychological strain that comes from being at the highest level of your ability.

“When we on top there’s nowhere else to go but down,” stated Lee Haney. “So, the pressure of how do I stay here? What can I do differently to bring a better package? All those things run through your brain and if you don’t keep them together that can create a lot of stress. One of the things that helped me a lot, maintain my sanity, was the fact my wife Shirley was there with me."

“And I looked at bodybuilding in such a way that it’s my job. I didn’t worship the craft although I wanted to be the best at it. It wasn’t the end of the world as the way I looked at it.”

At the age of 63, Lee exclaimed his motivations for winning 8 Mr Olympia titles and he chose to retire once he accomplished his mission.

Although Lee Haney has retired yet he still regularly offers his wisdom into the game.

Last month, he delivered a few tips for preparations and warned bodybuilders against the dangers of dehydration and getting assistance from inexperienced coaches without merit. Later, he asked the competitors and the judges to reconsider the need for extremely high levels of conditioning.

For more information and details, please browse the full video below: