Lee Marvin Haney (November 11, 1959, South Carolina) is one of the most legendary bodybuilders in the history of bodybuilding.
For eight consecutive years, he won the title of "Mr. Olympia," surpassing the feat of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the title seven times. Many consider him arguably the best bodybuilder of his time.
Lee Haney embodied a harmonious combination of proportion and muscle mass. With him, the era of aesthetic bodybuilding ended, giving way to the era of "mass monsters," inaugurated by Dorian Yates.
From a young age, Lee Haney was interested in soccer. At age 12, he lifted weights for the first time. At age 19, he won his first tournament, the "Junior Mr. America."
According to Lee himself, he was born into a religious family and became convinced of the existence of a higher power at the age of 17. At the time, he made a kind of "deal" with God: He would help him win, and Lee would dedicate all his success to Him.
After that, miracles began to happen in his life: in one year, he won the American youth championship, the American junior championship, the US national championship, and earned the title of "Mr. Universe".
Since then, Lee has taken religion seriously and strived to live as an exemplary Christian.
In 1983, Lee turned professional and, in his first appearance at the "Olympia," finished in third place. From 1984 onwards, he began an undefeated run in the "Mr. Olympia" tournaments.
After receiving his seventh statue from Sandow, Haney wanted to stop, fearing he would overshadow Arnold's fame and break his record. But, according to him, the eighth victory was surprisingly easy.
After ending his competitive career at age 32, Lee Haney dedicated himself to business, becoming the owner of a gym and, later, two.
When asked about a possible participation in the 1995 Olympia, he replied that he saw no point in it. Another victory would add nothing to his fame, and $100 to $150 wouldn't make a difference to him, as the business brought more return. A large part of the money he earns goes to his project, a village for children abandoned by their parents.
They live in homes, receive adequate nutrition and education, and participate in sports. They have caregivers, teachers, and doctors to monitor their health. The lives of these children are no different from life in a typical family.
Lee Haney is a proponent of the high-volume training system. As a young man, he experimented with various training methods and found the multiple-set system to be the most suitable for him.
Unlike Dorian Yates, Lee did not work to failure on each set, as he believed that abusing this method would quickly "wear out" the muscles. His philosophy was: muscles should be stimulated, not destroyed.
Haney preferred working out with machines and cables, considering that they had certain advantages over free weights, but he used both in his training.
He performed a large number of sets (up to 35 for some muscle groups), with 8 to 10 repetitions in each set and a 45 to 60 second rest between sets. In some exercises with submaximal weights, he used the pyramid system, gradually increasing from warm-up to working weights.
Thanks to this approach, Lee Haney never suffered serious injuries in his career. His training schedule was based on a three-day split: three days of training and one day of rest. He paid close attention to abdominal training, the main exercise of which was the hanging leg raise, practiced throughout the year.
This allowed him to maintain a lean physique during the off-season, even when weighing over 118 kg. He performed the exercises with maximum mental focus on the target muscles.
After retiring from competition, Lee Haney continued to train and, even after the age of 50, maintains excellent physical fitness.
He has published three books: “Fierce Lee”, “Fundamentals of Bodybuilding” and “Beyond Training: My Testimony”. Lee Haney is a host on a Christian channel called “Trinity” and hosts the popular program “TotaLee Fit with Lee Haney”.
He works as a coach, mentoring world-class athletes and conducting seminars promoting a healthy lifestyle. Professional coaches and bodybuilders consider him a "walking encyclopedia" of training and nutrition. Lee Haney is the head of scientific training at the International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
In 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton appointed Lee Haney chairman of the presidential council on physical education and sports. Lee Haney is a member of the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB).
Anthropometry:
Height: 180 cm
Biceps: 51 cm
Thigh: 70 cm
Competition weight: 112 kg
Chest: 153 cm
Bench press: 190 kg
Off-season weight: 118 kg
Waist: 79cm
Squat: 220 kg
Competition History:
Junior Nationals 1982 – 1st place
Junior Nationals 1982 – 1st place in the Heavyweight category
Nationals 1982 – 1st place
Nationals 1982 – 1st place in the Heavyweight category
1982 Amateur World Championship – 1st place in the Heavyweight category
Grand Prix Las Vegas 1983 – 1st place
Grand Prix UK 1983 – 2nd place
1983 Pro World Championship – 3rd place
Night of Champions 1983 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1983 – 3st place
Swiss Grand Prix 1983 – 3rd place
Swedish Grand Prix 1983 – 2nd place
Grand Prix World Cup 1983 – 2nd place
Mr. Olympia 1984 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1985 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1986 – 1st place
German Grand Prix 1987 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1987 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1988 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1989 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1990 – 1st place
Mr. Olympia 1991 – 1st place