Lee Haney is a behemoth in the world of bodybuilding. In 1984, he became the youngest bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia title. He was 24 years old at that time. That year was the beginning of an epic streak that ended in Lee Haney becoming a record holder after winning 8 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, a feat he shares only with the legend Ronnie Coleman.

There is no doubt that Haney must have trained like a total beast to attain a physique that would carry him all the way to 8 Mr. Olympia titles. Lee Haney must have worked every muscle and sinew to have a body like a Greek god. But that is not all. Diet was, and still is, equally important to him. In an interview, Lee Haney revealed what a bodybuilding champion needs to eat to win it all.

Lee Haney reveals the food of the champions

67-year-old Lee Haney’s philosophy is simple. A bodybuilder’s diet needs to reflect the amount of training and physical labor that the body is put through. In the video, he said, “You can’t train like a horse and eat like a bird.” For Haney, a balanced diet is paramount to having a successful bodybuilding career.

The first and foremost substance that should be an integral part of any bodybuilder’s lifestyle is, no surprises here, water. Haney also held water in high regard, and said, “Water was just paramount in making sure that we kept the system nice and clean and giving the body what it needed.” Next in line was having a balanced diet. A balanced diet should provide all the necessary macronutrients to the body, such as protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

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Lee Haney had specific foods for all his bodily requirements. Haney got protein from various sources. He said, “Protein would come from things like chicken, eggs, fish. I would take in as many as 12-15 whole eggs a day. I did use a lot of powdered protein drinks.” He then added, “Then as for carbohydrates, sweet potato was at the top.” Lee Haney was also a big fan of spinach, and that formed a staple in his diet. According to Haney, “I strongly believed in the use of spinach, so I used a lot of spinach in my diet.”

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There is no doubt about the fact that his dietary habits set him apart from others as much as his training did. His diet was a big part of his lifestyle, the lifestyle of a champion.