When you interview Hunter Labrada via Zoom, you immediately realize you have a monster to fill your computer screen.
The fourth-placed rival from 2021 was nowhere to be seen. To say he feels he’s improved his body is a huge understatement — and he doesn’t mind saying so himself.
When you get smacked in the face by a guy two weeks after his third shot at the O with a quantum display of confidence, sense of humor and clear thinking, you know he looks ready to roll.
Regardless of how much damage he has to do when he lines up with other bodybuilding titans on the Olympia stage this weekend, his appearance on the Olympia stage will be relative to the legacy he left behind. He represents. With nearly eight billion people walking the Earth, this will be the only time in history that a former Olympian has allowed his son to watch him compete in Olympia.
Labrada is quick to set the record straight.
“This will be the third time in history,” Labrada said with a laugh. “I’ve already done it twice.”
With the countdown to bodybuilding’s biggest event over, Labrada still has a sense of humor. Admirable to say the least. But this weekend is not about father and son. It’s his time, and that’s about it.
You got 4th last year. Without considering anyone else on the show, where are you now compared to last year?
About three weeks out, I was better than the stage last year. And it’s flat and still pushing for conditioning. People are going to see a whole new version of me this year. Indeed. Huge, highly conditioned.
People will ask where I will put it. I am very pragmatic about the fact that I cannot be better than my best and I am without a shadow of a doubt that I will be the best that day. I’m controlling what I can control and the chips will fall where they may. I’m very optimistic and excited, but at the end of the day I can only bring my best and that’s what we’re going to do.
Is there one competitor in particular that you think stands above the rest?
Attaching yourself to a competitor is, in my opinion, the dumbest thing in the world. [laughs]. I am not worried about anyone. I am concerned about performing at my best. that’s it. You can make yourself the biggest basket case in this game because you’re sitting there looking at everyone’s overly edited glory shots and highlight reels on Instagram—it’s nothing but a mess in your head. will do
How much effort do you put into your posing practice?
I have done at least seven cycles a day for the past three months. I will definitely leave no stone unturned this year. I look ready and expect five or six rounds back-to-back in the prelims and the finals. Steve [Weinberger] Always works with us, especially with the lineup we have this year. This will definitely be one of those throw them all out there and see what kind of deals break out. The people who look the best at the beginning of the night may not be the best performers by the end of the night because of how hard they work for us. So, I definitely have a headline in my mind.
Besides the obvious, do you have any other kind of influence that you draw on to help you with your mindset, your presentation, your behavior, or is it all self-generated?
I wouldn’t say it’s manufactured because you don’t just draw things out of nothing. But I will say that it has definitely become a very nurtured and developed thing over time. I think your mind is your greatest weapon. And it’s definitely one I’ve been honoring for a while. I always say it’s a practical skill the way we do it. It is a practical skill to be able to train the way we do. It’s a practical skill to develop the mindset I have.
I’ve always said the best bodybuilders don’t let pain get to them. Is this something you’ve really cranked up this year?
I use that word – “suffering”. It has such a negative connotation. You know, we’re just working. tough. Suffering means you are miserable. This has been one of the biggest things that has been different in the preparation I have had my coach. [Ben Chow] And my training partner [Dean White] Live with me in Houston. It’s hard but I’m having more fun bodybuilding than I have in a very long time – maybe ever. Right now, doing like we’re doing – we have rock routines. It’s been Bodybuilding Groundhog Day for two months now. We’re off and having a lot of fun doing it. When we are “suffering”, it is with a smile on our face.
One of my favorite quotes is, “You either have the pain of discipline or you have the pain of regret. One is temporary, the other is forever.”
How was your training?
We’re working with extremely low volume and extremely high intensity—it’s very Mentzer-esque. We do 10-12 reps on a working set, for a total of six to eight sets per workout.
Do you ever go to that high-volume route pre-competition?
No, my body can’t handle it. The way my brain is wired I set mine to death. If I do that much, my body breaks down.
Do you do any cardio?
It depends on the point that we are in preparation. Right now, fasted for 30 minutes in the morning, followed by 20 minutes of training. For a while I was doing 40 fasts, 40 posts. It just depends on where we are in preparation.
So, is there anything you can’t wait to go back to after it’s over?
Every show I do makes me hungry for the piss. So, I’m not really hungry as much as I’m craving energy. I have my daughter this weekend and am struggling to do things with her. I feel a lack of energy. Nothing is really as scary as missing out on something.
As for what I like to do outside of bodybuilding, on days off I usually go to the shooting range. I am an avid shooter. It really helps on my days off. Most people sit on vacation with their thumbs on their butt and think about how hungry they are all day. I’ll pack three meals and head out to the range.
I’m also newly married, so spending time with my wife, spending time with my daughter, seeing me friends – enjoy being human.
Are you a long range shooter?
No, I do more combat-centric shooting, like close-quarters combat stuff. I would actually shoot regularly with some SWAT guys from Houston.
So you do tactical shooting?
Yeah, like clearing rooms, shooting the bad guys—not the good guys—pistol stages, stuff like that.
So are you good?
I am not bad [laughing]. It’s just like bodybuilding, everything has levels. Am I as skilled as some SWAT guys? No. Am I more skilled than the average guy at the range? Yes.
Is this something you might consider pursuing competitively at some point down the road?
Yes, maybe after bodybuilding. Bodybuilding is a sport I play. I enjoy the gym and the lifestyle and everything, but it’s too much. the game that i play So once I’m done with this sport I can’t wait to lose 60 or 70 pounds and be athletic again. Growing up I was always out riding horses and four wheelers, skateboarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding. I was an adrenaline junkie growing up. So I’m definitely looking forward to doing things like that again.
do you have a dog
My wife and I are big dog people. We have two strips. A bully and a full-blooded pit bull. I love my dogs more than 99% of the world.
Will you stick with the sport when you’re done bodybuilding?
Whenever I do bodybuilding, I definitely find myself pivoting outside and toward firearms. Right now I’m very cautious about it because of the owners of Instagram and their views on all things that beat. I don’t want to delete my page. So, until I finish bodybuilding, it will remain bodybuilding.
Who cooks all your meals?
My wife cooks all my meals for me. I’ll pick up the slack when I need to. But that whole preparation for me has been absolutely incredible. My coach will send her my food every morning and she makes it for me. I literally could not do without it.
I always say that wives are the great unsung heroes of what we do.
I couldn’t agree more. After seeing and hearing and experiencing what my mom does for my dad in her bodybuilding career and his business career and seeing how Liv has opened up a whole new level for me. I say this and I mean it very strongly — you can’t bodybuild at a very high level unless you have a healthy home life. It is what it is. What we do is very stressful, you can’t do it with the stress of a dysfunctional home life.
So what is your contribution to this? I’m sure if anyone is going to be in a bad mood, it’s probably you. How do you guys deal with it?
A couple of ways. I get asked a lot, what advice do you have for first-time contestants, I tell them I try my best to remember that what we do is a privilege. You know, nobody is forcing you to diet, nobody is forcing you to do anything. I mean literally, you’re going to the gym three times a day, you’re eating six times a day, you’re taking all these supplements, you’re spending all this money, you’re neglecting other areas of your life. are Be lazy because of it. It’s a real honor to be able to compete in a bodybuilding show, even at an amateur level, so, I try my best to keep that in mind.
We’ve been through it a couple of times together. So we know how to read each other very well. I know if I snap, or say something, I can see it in his face and I’ll catch myself and say, hey, I’m sorry, that wasn’t right. So, I feel like I’m very aware, honestly, and in the same breath, I would say that everybody has their days—and I have my days—but I’m very aware of that.
What are you wearing?
My energy level affects my ability to be present and present in my relationships with the people who matter most. It’s really the only thing that wears on me. I think it’s so dumb that people go so low because they have to miss a birthday party, or this or that holiday. You didn’t have to miss it. You couldn’t just go and eat and drink. [laughs]. I mean, come on. So, outside of not having the energy for a relationship, it’s not bad.
How about Olympia? The nuts and bolts of dialing and traveling and the rest of the associated chaos?
Monday to Thursday night is very busy. Then actually competing on Friday and Saturday is really good. But, you know, I really loved that it was in Orlando the last couple of years. I’m not a Vegas person. So a very busy high-energy week between dealing with Vegas and all the sponsors’ commitments and commitments to the show, and getting tanned and staying on top of everything. I try my best to stay focused and stress free. I have a really great team around me here and in Vegas. They know what their job is and they do a great job of helping me.
How do you cope with such an energy deficit, meeting people, shaking hands, taking a million selfies?
It is professional. Not everyone can do it, and those who don’t have a reputation for not being able to.
Does your professional, friendly, reputation mean a lot to you?
It means a lot. I’ve always said that, at the end of the day, I’d rather be known as a good person than a good bodybuilder. There are a lot of good bodybuilders out there, but there are absolutely crappy people out there. I would rather be a good person than a good bodybuilder. I would love to be both..
So, where does the road end? How many more shots of the title do you have?
We are either going to do bodybuilding or defend our Olympia titles at 35. If it hasn’t happened by then, it won’t happen. If that has happened, I will defend them.
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