For years, Lee Haney set the standards for working out safely while making gains at the gym. He has been vocal about the dark side of bodybuilding for quite some time. Yet, he maintains that training should only be pursued to stimulate growth instead of destroying muscles. In a 2018 interview with Muscle & Strength, Haney spoke up about shortcuts in the sport.
Unlike his era, where bodybuilders dedicated their entire lives to the sport while meticulously crafting their bodies, Haney addressed his concerns surrounding modern-day bodybuilding techniques. It was all about bulking up too much and finding extreme methods to cut down for definition. This practice often led to quick fixes during training.
While quick fixes might be easy at first, Haney claimed they could cause more trouble than good. Bodybuilders often resort to shortcuts to cut down on fat in the fastest way possible. And these shortcuts end up harming the body.
“Quick fixes causes a lot of other things, you know, that really didn’t have to happen. You know, crazy things they help get rid of fat which you should never put on.”
Haney continued explaining how these extreme methods often harm the adrenal system of the body. Combining that with the intense exercises that athletes perform at the gym to shed fat leads to serious damage. Bodybuilding is an extreme sport and the eight-time Mr. Olympia championed athlete safety over anything else.
Another downside of quick fixes and extreme training was the physical damage to muscles and bones. Haney mentioned that since movements while performing exercises demanded mobility, joints often suffered when the body wasn’t strong enough.
“Give the body what it needs…a lot of my saying has been train to stimulate not annihilate.”
Appropriate growth comes with strength training and recovery. Finding a balance might be difficult, but Haney recommends that over any shortcuts that may come up during training. Over the years, he witnessed many champions rise and fall.
Apart from Ronnie Coleman, no one could come close to the number of Mr. Olympia titles he won. However, there was a difference between Haney and Coleman that the former once reflected upon.
Lee Haney confessed his honest thoughts on Ronnie Coleman’s training
Despite coming from different eras, Haney and Coleman have always looked up to each other. The former even served as the latter’s mentor at some point in his career. While both won a record-breaking eight Mr. Olympia titles, their retirement looked different.
Coleman’s extreme injuries leading to multiple surgeries begged the question of whether he went too far. In an old interview with Generation Iron, Haney admitted that back in their day, they did “a lot of abnormal things”. He compared bodybuilding matches with Roman gladiators owing to the intensity. Watching his friend in pain did not feel good, but he knew Coleman did what he had to do.
