“Traumatize Themselves Eating Chicken and Green Beans”: 63-Year-Old Legend With 8 Mr. Olympia Titles Debunks a Common Bodybuilding Myth

To become the Hercules of the bodybuilding world, one’s training and diet must be absolutely on point. Lee Haney has never had any problems in that regard. At his zenith, the man’s physique was absolutely flawless. His muscular body, achieved after hours of training and an impeccable diet, won him his 8 Mr. Olympia titles, one more than that of the legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.

For context, Ronnie Coleman is the only other person to have this achievement to their name. Lee Haney retired from competitive bodybuilding at the age of 31. Now, he dedicates his life to being a youth mentor, consultant, and trainer focusing on nutrition and fitness. Recently, he debunked a common myth related to dieting during an interview.

Lee Haney and his exemplary diet philosophy

Haney might not be a competitive bodybuilder, but he still carries the same ideology as he progresses to his elder years. In an interview with Escape Fitness, Lee Haney decided to confute a popular dieting fad. In modern times, a ketogenic diet has become extremely prevalent. Contrary to the ideals of a keto diet, Haney believes that carbohydrates should form an essential part of any bodybuilder’s food intake.

Read more: Despite Not Being Physically Agile Anymore, 63-Year-Old Bodybuilding Legend Is Grateful He Can Still “Roll on the Grass With Grandkids”

In fact, Haney revealed that he was a “carb monster” when he used to train for Olympia. He said, “I don’t believe in zero carbs… my carbs would be… four to five hundred grams of carbohydrates a day.” The veteran also spoke out against the eating and training habits of contemporary bodybuilders, and said, “These guys get 40, 50, 60 pounds overweight, and they have to just traumatize themselves eating chicken and green beans. What kind of life is that? It’s terrible man. It’s ignorance.” The interviewer inquired the former pro bodybuilder about the advice he had for overweight people who wanted to get it down.

Haney referred to his book ‘Fit At Any Age’ and reiterated the advice that he gives to everyone. He said, “Never going to zero carbohydrate diet. Stay away from the keto. You should never be a zero. Keto is crazy.” Instead of consuming no carbohydrates, Haney suggested a low-carb diet that would improve muscle mass and “feed on the stored fat in the body”. Even in a low-carb diet, Haney suggested that at least 50 grams of carbs should be consumed. But why are bodybuilders against keto diets?

The disconnect between a ketogenic diet and bodybuilding

A keto-centric food intake aims to put the body into ketosis, a state wherein the body starts to consume the stored-up fat due to a lack of carbohydrates in the diet. The diet aims at the rapid reduction of body fat. While reduced body fat might sound great for bodybuilding, completely nixing carbs from the diet, on the other hand, is not. Whenever a person starts to train their muscles seriously, carbohydrates become essential for the body.

According to an article by Ladder, Andrea N. Giancoli, MPH, RD, says, “You need five to seven grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight for weightlifting.” This means on a keto diet, wherein one would consume around 20-50 grams of carbohydrates, only a person weighing 13 pounds could perform properly. Carbohydrates turn into glycogen in the muscles during strength training. A lack of glycogen, in turn, leads to compromised athletic performance.

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