Before a push-day workout, Labrada revealed his diet to fuel his upcoming shows.
Discover the ultimate secrets to maximizing your weight loss and muscle-building potential! Get an exclusive look into the daily diet of renowned bodybuilder Hunter Labrada and uncover the game-changing tips that can take your physique to the next level. In this recent YouTube video, Hunter Labrada shares his diet as he preps for the 2023 Tampa Pro and Texas Pro. We also share expert advice on dieting during bodybuilding in the season with scientific backing.
Hunter Labrada is an elite bodybuilder who had his Mr. Olympia debut in 2020. He’s the son of Lee Labrada, who is in the Hall of Fame, and his mom is a bodybuilder, too, so the bodybuilding genes run in the family. In March, we looked at his off-season dieting plans, so if you have a bit of time, you can compare that to this to see the changes he’s made now that it’s in season.
In-season eating is very different from bulking up as bodybuilders typically do during the off-season. And it plays an important role in your conditioning. Let’s take a look below.
| Full Name: Hunter Labrada | ||
| Weight | Height | Date of Birth |
| 235 – 245 lbs | 5’9″ | 05/17/1992 |
| Division | Era | Nationality |
| Men’s Open | 2010s – Till Date | American |
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Hunter Labrada’s In-Season Diet for Tampa and Texas Pro
Hunter Labrada looks at his diet six to eight weeks after returning to the Texas and Tampa Pro in 2023. He eats five nutrient-dense but small meals daily and takes supplements.
Pre-Meal
Hunter Labrada takes supplements as part of his diet to start his day. He also takes a gut health drink that contains lemon juice, apple cider, vinegar, a supplement, aloe, glutamine, and psyllium husk. Labrada says that the gut drink replaces electrolytes and helps with his digestion, stating:
“What is a gut health drink, you may ask? It is exactly as it sounds. It is a drink we drink fasted to help set ourselves up for success in the day. And we optimize the acidity, we take things that help heal and optimize the lining, and we start our day off with a happy tummy…It has made a huge difference in my digestion, so I will continue to be doing the gut drink.”
Meal 1 (Breakfast)
- 220g lean beef
- 180g rice
- Stir-fried garlic, white and green onions
- Sanchez flavor gang sauce
Hunter Labrada gets his first protein of the day from lean Cali beef — the sirloin, to be precise. He cooks 180g of rice and then makes a stir fry of garlic and onions. He then flavors it with the Sanchez flavor gang sauce. This meal has a good mix of proteins and carbs to start the day.
Meal 2 (Pre-Workout Meal)
- 280g rice
- 220g chicken
Hunter Labrada’s pre-workout meal consists of proteins and carbs, but the protein is from chicken this time. He cleans the rice before cooking because it has lots of extra starch.
“You always want to wash your rice because it has a ton of extra starch. And as you can see the water, how cloudy and white it is. What we’re doing when we wash the rice is rinsing all that extra dirt.”
Meal 3 (Post Workout Meal)
- 250g white fish
- 150g white rice
Hunter Labrada’s third meal of the day is white fish and white rice. He prepares this along with meal four before he heads to the gym for his second push day.
Meal 4
- 220g chicken
- 150g rice
For meal four, Hunter Labrada’s diet has rice and chicken again. This rice is his last carbohydrate for the day to prep for Tampa and Texas Pro.
Meal 5
- Avocado
- Fish
Hunter Labrada has avocado and fish as part of his diet for his last meal of the day. Avocado is a rich source of healthy fats. He makes fish mush for this meal but says he sometimes makes fish guacamole. He eats fish twice daily, even though it’s not his favorite, which is a good source of protein and healthy for the brain and heart. Omega-3 Fish Oil is one popular supplement many people take to improve eye and heart health, promote bone and joint health and reduce inflammation.
Bodybuilding In-Season Diet Tips
As you can see in Hunter Labrada’s diet, dieting is important to hit your bodybuilding goal of looking muscular and lean. Poor nutrition can affect your gains, and there’s no better time to focus on preserving muscle than during in-season for bodybuilders.
Macronutrients
An effective bodybuilding diet will contain about five or six nutrient-dense but small daily meals like Hunter Labrada’s diet. Of course, not just of anything. It must strike a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat.
This study suggests getting 15-30% of calories from fat, around 2.3-3.1g per kilogram of lean muscle mass of protein each day, and then the rest of your calories can come from carbs (1). Bodybuilders generally intake fewer calories when nearing competition to help them look as lean as possible (2).
Here’s a list of nutrient-dense foods you can choose from when making your meal plan that contain healthy protein, fats, and carbs.
Food to Focus On
- Proteins: lean red meat, chicken, turkey, beans, legumes, yogurt, nuts, and seeds
- Carbs: rice, oatmeal, potatoes, fruits, and leafy greens
- Fats: nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocado
Supplements
Supplements support muscle growth and help you reach your bodybuilding goals when you pair them with resistance training and dieting (3). Remember that for optimal muscle growth, you should eat more calories than you consume, have more protein than your body breaks down, and challenge your muscles by following the progressive overload principle to maximize the benefits of the supplements you’re consuming.
Here are some supplements to consider taking along with your workouts:
You can watch the full video of Hunter Labrada talking about his in-season diet to prep for Texas and Tampa Pro via his YouTube below:
More Professional Bodybuilding Diets
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References
- Helms, E. R., Aragon, A. A., & Fitschen, P. J. (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
- Chappell, A. J., Simper, T., & Barker, M. E. (2018). Nutritional strategies of high level natural bodybuilders during competition preparation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0209-z
- Kramer, I. F., Verdijk, L. B., Hamer, H. M., Verlaan, S., Luiking, Y., Kouw, I. W., Senden, J. M., van Kranenburg, J., Gijsen, A. P., Poeze, M., & van Loon, L. J. (2015). Impact of the Macronutrient Composition of a Nutritional Supplement on Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Older Men: A Randomized, Double Blind, Controlled Trial. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 100(11), 4124–4132. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2352
