The Lee Haney Workout and Diet - Iron and Grit Fitness

Subj: The Lee Haney workout and diet.

Lee Haney is an 8-time Mr. Olympia champion. Meaning he has collected more Mr. Olympia titles than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Lee Haney is often known as the last of the classic bodybuilders. He possessed a physique similar to the bodybuilders of the Golden Era. (Before the 80’s/90’s ushered in the massive muscle monsters like Dorian Yates et al.)

He had big, broad shoulders and a trim, tight waist. This created a V-Shaped Torso that is the hallmark of a classic physique. Unlike the blocky, muscle bound bodies you see on stage today.

The Lee Haney Workout Routine

This is the workout Lee Haney would have used in the weeks leading up to the Mr. Olympia competition.

Haney trained three days in a row followed by one day off. This 4-day cycle was then repeated.

The exercises in the first 4-day block differed from those in the second 4 days. Although the muscle groups he trained were the same, there are slight variations in the exercises performed.

Lee Haney’s Training Split

Day 1 – Chest and Arms
Day 2 -Legs
Day 3- Back and Shoulders
Day 4 – Rest
Day 5 – Chest and Arms #2
Day 6 – Legs #2
Day 7 – Back and Shoulders #2
Day 8- Rest

Calves and abdominals were trained every workout. Calves and abs are tough muscles that can handle a lot of direct work.

Calve Exercises

Standing or Donkey Calf Raise – 6 sets x 15-20 reps
Seated Calf Raise – 3-4 sets x 15-20 reps

Abdominal Exercises

Vertical Leg Raise – 4 sets x 15-20 reps
Incline Sit Ups – 4 sets x 15-20 reps
Seated Leg Raise – 4 sets x 15-20 reps

Lee Haney Chest and Arms Workout

Bench Press, 4 x 6-8
Dumbbell Bench Press, 3 x 8-10
Incline Bench Press, 4 x 6-8
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, 3 x 8-10
Barbell Curl, 4 x 8-10 rep
Preacher Curl, 4 x 8-10
Cable Triceps Extension, 4 x 10-12
Skull Crushers, 4 x 6-8

Lee Haney Leg Workout

Leg Extension, 4 x 12-15
Leg Press, 4 x 10-12 (Leg press was done once every three workouts)
Squat, 4-5 x 8-10
Leg Curl, 4 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlift, 3-4 x 6-8, performed every third workout

Lee Haney Back and Shoulders Workout

Front Lat Pulldown, 4 x 8-10
Barbell or T-Bar Row, 4 x 6-8
Cable Row, 4 x 8-10
Military Press, 4-5 x 6-8
Side Lateral, 4 x 8-10
Upright Row, 4 x 6-8

Day 4 – Rest

Rest, recover, EAT, stretch go for a nice long walk. Take care of other business, etc. And of course focus on tomorrow’s training session.

The next four days trained the same muscle groups in the same sequence. You will see that this next 4-day split contains different exercises. That’s because training with variety improves results. It keeps the muscles guessing by not letting them get too comfortable.

Lee Haney Chest and Arms Workout #2

Bench Press, 4-5 x 6-8
Incline Bench Press, 4 x 8-10
Dumbbell Flye, 4 sets x 10
Chest Dip, 3-4 sets x 12-15
Cable Crossover, 3-4 x 12-15, performed every other workout
Barbell Curl or Dumbbell Curl, 4-5 x 6-8 rep
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curl, 4 x 8-10
Concentration Curl, 4 x 8-10
Cable Triceps Extension, 4 x 12-15
Seated One Arm Dumbbell Extension, 4 x 8-10
Reverse Grip One Arm Cable Triceps Extension, 3-4 sets x 10-12

Lee Haney Leg Workout #2

Leg Extension, 4-5 x 12-15
Leg Press, 4 x 10-12
Squats, 4-5 x 8-10
Leg Curl, 4 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlift, 3-4 x 6-8, (Stiff Leg Deadlifts were performed once every third workout.)

Lee Haney Back Workout #2

Narrow Grip Lat Pulldown, 4 x 10-12
Barbell Row, 4 x 8-10
Cable Row, 4 x 8-10
One Arm Dumbbell Row, 4 sets x 8-10
Military Press, 4-5 x 6-8
Side Lateral, 4 x 8-10
Upright Row, 4 x 6-8

Day 4, Rest

Rest days are a critical piece of the routine. You must schedule time to recover because your muscles grow when they are at rest after being trained. 48-72 hours between workouts is good for most muscle groups. (Abdominals and calves being the exception.)

Lee Haney Training Notes

Sleep and Recovery

“Get a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep and a 45-60-minute nap during the day, if possible. I know that can be difficult for a lot of people out there to take a nap with a busy schedule, but if you can do it, it will go a long way in helping you get that quality mass you seek.”

Behind the Neck Presses

Training behind the neck is controversial. Many people claim that it’s a huge no no. That your shoulder with rip out of socket or you’ll saw a hole in your shoulder girdle.

“I’ve always gone behind the neck for pullups, pulldowns, and shoulder presses, and I’ve never had any shoulder problems. I go to the front on those exercises, too, but it actually feels more comfortable to me to go behind the neck than in front. And I think the contraction in my inner traps is a key reason for my upper back thickness.”

If you have good shoulder flexibility this is something you could try. Go very light at first. Experiment and do what works best for you!

Lee Haney’s comments on Bench Press

A foundation move to build a big chest. –

“I would do four to five work sets and progressively increase the weight each set. My rep range was around eight reps for the first two sets and then I would do six for the other two. If I had a partner, I would occasionally do a fifth set of four. Four was as low as I would go on the reps because I didn’t want to risk injury.“

On Overtraining

“Train to stimulate, not annihilate.”

On days when your body feels fatigue, cut back on the number of sets and the amount of weight or go home get some rest and return later or the next day.

Lee Haney Mindset

“You need the attitude of a conqueror. If you’ve ever seen any of my training videos, I was wearing a do-rag. That was like my Superman cape. When I put that on, it was time.”

Lee Haney trained like a savage. When he wrapped his du-rag around his head it was time for business. The du-rag was his ritual. Once he placed the cloth around his head it was “Go Time”.

Lee Haney is a champion. That means he has a champion’s mindset. Mindset is the number one factor to success. If you want to build a great body you must know that you will build a great body. Then it’s a matter of catching your body up to your mind.

Lee Haney Diet

Lee Haney shares my sentiment regarding eating whole eggs. Whole eggs are a superfood. And eggs have whites and a yolk for a reason – they go together.

“I eat whole eggs, not just the whites. God created the yolk for a reason. There are a lot of great nutrients in there. I get why you’d eat egg whites on a strict diet to eliminate saturated fats, but, the rest of the time when you’re trying to grow, whole eggs are grow food.”