Lee Haney believes that the sport of bodybuilding is not being showcased like it use to during his era.
Bodybuilding legend Lee Haney remains up to date with the current happenings around the sport. Haney has been critical of bodybuilding nowadays compared to his era. Haney has made many public statements on the current era of bodybuilding but his most recent came in the comments section.
Haney was seen commenting on a post by the Muscle Discord podcast where the topic was surrounding Nick Walker. He sent a message claiming that modern-day bodybuilding has “lost its way.”
[RELATED: Lee Haney Criticizes Present-Day Physiques: “It’s Not Pleasing to the Eye”]
“Bodybuilding has lost its way and appeal to the general population. No longer is it being show cased as it was in times past. This is apparent to the teenage athlete that Im greeted by in my travels. There needs to be a reset before our sport comes crashing down. However, let’s keep hope alive by making the necessary changes to save our sport.”
Haney is tied with Ronnie Coleman for the most Olympia wins ever. From 1984-91, Haney was unbeatable in Men’s Open. He was able to defeat other all-time greats such as Frank Zane, Sergio Oliva, and Lee Labrada.
Lee Haney Remains Critical of Bodybuilding Today
This is not the first time that Lee Haney has addressed today’s era of bodybuilding. In June 2024, Haney joined Ron Harris Muscle to discuss what is the different between eras and what has changed. Mainly, he believes that the infatuation with size has gotten in the way.
“It’s not pleasing to the eye and I say eye, I mean the general public. The thing that made bodybuilding attractive. It made everybody from the office guy to the attorneys, everybody wanted to look like a bodybuilder. That’s how I fell in love with it. I saw Arnold, I saw Larry Scott, Frank Zane. That was a thing of beauty.”
In another instance, Haney commented on the weight competitors are today. He believes that they are approaching 60 pounds overweight.
“These guys are 40, 50, 60 pounds overweight and they have to traumatize themselves eating chicken and green beans. What kind of life is that? That’s terrible, man. It’s ignorance.”
Lee Haney has remained interested and active in the fitness world in retirement. Despite his work and resume as a bodybuilder, it is clear that Haney remains critical of the sport in many ways.
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