ever in 1991, according to many in the game including himself, Lee Haney got into his best ever contest condition to ward off the attack from a huge muscle-mass monster, and future Mr. Olympia, Dorian Yates. “I had heard a lot of talk about this mon-
strous guy from England named Dorian Yates,” Lee told me. “Yates also possessed height as well as gigantic muscular mass, and this made me raise the bar even more. I re- evaluated my training and nutrition approach because I intended to be in my best ever contest shape. I just felt that Dorian was dif- ferent from all the other contestants that I had faced in the past. He had size, height and good symmetry.” At the time this particular contest took place, Lee Haney was under a four-year con- tract with the nutrition company Twin Labs, a huge competitor of Weider Nutrition, which led many people to say that Weider wouldn’t let Haney win the Olympia while he was under contract to Twin Labs. And that’s exactly what many people believed when they made their way to Orlando, Florida, for the infamous 1991 IFBB Mr. Olympia! Yates was in the best shape of his life and
looked fantastic. However, he simply couldn’t match the superb shape, symmetry and sheer class of the incredible Lee Haney. It was another good victory for Lee but it was to be his last as a pro bodybuilder. “Time to move on,” he said. Two days later I was back in California to
take part in a scenario that was right out of Fawlty Towers. Joe Weider had flown Lee, together with his wife Shirley and their tod- dler Josh, to California to be photographed for the very last time, even though he was still under contract with Twin Labs. Joe called me and told me to pick up Lee
from the Holiday Inn on Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, and then said, “Take Lee to Gold’s and shoot as many bodyparts in black and white as you can.” When I met Lee in the lobby of the hotel I could sense the disappointment even before he opened his mouth. “Twin Labs will not allow any photo shoots to take place,” Lee announced. “But,” I replied, “Joe has flown you and
118 FLEX
your family here to be photographed for FLEX.” “Yeah I know. But the Twin Labs lawyers
don’t like it. So I can’t.” I immediately informed Joe Weider what had happened, and he told me not to worry because he would fix it and call me back. Later that evening Joe called me and said
that everything was okay. “Go back to the hotel in the morning, and take Lee to the gym. Everything has been worked out.” When I met Lee at the hotel the next day, he said, “The lawyers still will not allow this to happen. I cannot shoot with you.” In sheer desperation I said, “Look Lee, why
don’t we take the photos and I’ll stick the film in the fridge (that’s what we did in those days) and when Weider and Twin Labs sort out all this bullshit, the shots will be in the bag.”
Lee agreed to contact Twin Labs about this, and when I told Joe, he said, “I will call you back later tonight.” Which he did. “Every- thing is agreed. Go back to the hotel again in the morning and take Lee to the gym.” When I arrived back at the hotel the next
day I was surprised to see Lee and Shirley talking to one of the hotel staff. It looked to me as though they were going sightseeing – Lee was wearing a tight-fitting short- sleeved dress shirt and he was holding his young child in his arms. I couldn’t help but notice his amazing muscularity. He was still in fantastic condition. Before I could say anything, he said “Chris,
the Twin Labs lawyers have said that even if I merely allow you to take the photos and then we lock them away, I will still be in breach of my contract with them.” “This is criminal, Lee!” I said. “We could
get the best training photos of you ever – you’re still in fantastic shape!” “Maybe so,” Lee replied, “but I’m taking Josh to Camp Snoopy!”
AFTER COMPETITION After Lee Haney retired in 1991, many involved in the sport believe that bodybuild- ing took a nose dive. During the next six years Dorian Yates gave us a display of monstrous massive muscle that had not been seen
before. During his reign as Mr. Olympia (1992 to 1997), he got bigger and bigger, while the more symmetrical physiques of the day dropped away. Then Ronnie Coleman came on the scene and ruled the roost for eight long years, displaying muscle mass that had truly never been seen on the planet before. During retirement even Lee Haney himself
declared “I think we’re starting to lose that balance and symmetry that made our sport more appealing to the general public. I feel that size is only one part of the formula, not the be-all and end-all. Symmetry, proportion, balance and aesthetics are just as important to the overall package.” Lee found himself in demand as a personal
trainer to many important and high profile athletes from a range of sports. He has trained Evander Holyfield, (heavyweight boxing champion of the world), the baseball player Gary Sheffield and Shannon Sharpe (NFL player).
He also became a motivational speaker,
operated four fitness centres, and currently hosts his own exercise shows on ESPN, Sports South and Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). A born-again Christian, Lee hosts a show on TBN called TOTALEE FIT where he is usually joined by famous Christian sportsmen. On the show he teaches the importance of both physical and spiritual growth; one of his most famous quotes is that we should train to stimulate not annihilate. He lives in Fayette County, Georgia, with
his wife and two children who are now in college. President Clinton appointed Lee as Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a post he held from 1999 to 2002. In 1992 Lee and his wife Shirley bought a 40- acre ranch and turned it into a non-profit-making retreat facility for young people called Harvest House. This evolved into a mentoring programme called “Modern Day Knights”. Basically, the programme teaches the principles of authentic manhood. FLEX
For more information, please visit Lee’s website at
www.leehaney.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
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