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| BodybuildingPro.com Presents: Tribute to Lee Labrada and Labrada Nutrition |
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BodybuildingPro.com Presents: Tribute to Lee Labrada and Labrada Nutrition
A lot of competitive industries have evolved in the past century and bodybuilding is no exception. Bodybuilders have continued to grow over the years and sort of maxed out in the era of Ronnie Coleman, but along with increases in lean body mass has come other unwelcome side effects such as increases in the size of waists and stomachs. While it is necessary to have more size these days in 2010 than 20-45 years ago, along a select few bodybuilders have been able to put on this size while maintaining a trim yet, or more difficult still, a streamlined midsection. In fact, most bodybuilders these days have all stomach distension to some extent and are merely good at controlling it while they pose.
So flashback to 1986, Lee Labrada was barely 26 years old and had just turned professional one year prior as he took the prestigious Night of Champions title which was one of the biggest titles in bodybuilding at that time [and a title which has continued as the recent "New York Pro"]. Amazingly, Lee was under 200 pounds during that win at a height of 5'6 and indeed remained under 200 pounds as he won six additional pro titles and came 2nd at all of the other best bodybuilding contests: the Ironman Pro, the Arnold Classic, and also the Mr. Olympia contest where he was second to Lee Haney in both 1989 and 1990. It seems remarkable that Lee could have been slowing close to beating the 240+ giant Lee Haney at the time, but he had characteristics which have gradually diminished from bodybuilding as massive size has taken over, that being classical aesthetics, proportion, and incredible symmetry. I personally would have expected bodybuilding to evolve as it did; it is no surprise that as size increases, the ability to maintain proportion between the muscle groups would be inversely related. It's one thing to hope that great lines can be maintained on bodybuilders who are 250 pounds or far heavier, but that is easier said than done. But even though Lee was "only" around 185-190 pounds, that does not mean he was lacking for size:
In reality, Lee was able to hold his own against all of the mass monsters of his day and even beat a gigantic Mike Christian at the 1987 Mr. Olympia Contest
Bodybuilding today is a niche industry and I find that most people would prefer to look like muscular but fit men who are much smaller than the competitors today. With that said, there are still numerous bodybuilders, especially of Lee Labrada's era, who come to mind when people think of proportional and aesthetics and that inspire people to have a build like they do, no matter how unrealistic. Examples would include Lee himself of course, but also Bob Paris, Samir Bannout, Francis Benfatto, Berry DeMey, as well as others.
After training for many years, I have no unrealistic expectation about how far I can go in bodybuilding should I wish to seriously pursue it in the future. For one, I definitely do not expect to look like any of the current competitive bodybuilders. But additionally, I do not expect to look like Lee either for that matter. Lee had a physique which displayed power in addition to proportion and structure and even though his physique inspires many to attain it, the reality is, looking like Lee can only come if you have won the genetic lottery to allow for such lines and proportions in the first place as well as mass. 185 pounds at 10% body fat would be huge for 5'10 and 185 at 5'6 at a much lower body fat is hardly realistic. Of course on some level I will always aspire to have a physique like Lee's, but I am a realist and understand that such a goal is not possible.
Labrada Nutrition
Lee formed Labrada Nutrition in 1996 in Houston, Texas. Lee's products are sold all over the world, not just in the United States and Canada but also as far as Iceland and Kuwait and in many countries in between. I have personally tried several of Lee's products and have always been satisfied in terms of the overall nutrition quality, taste, and effectiveness. I hope to review all of Lee's product line eventually, and it is definitely on my to-do list for BodybuildingPro.com and I will complete this task slowly but surely. As of now, there are several reviews for Labrada Nutrition products on the site which you can check out below:
Labrada Bodybuilding Nutrition
Labrada Nutrition made the Inc. 500 in 2002 after only six years of being in business.
http://www.labrada.com/inc500pr.shtml
"HOUSTON Oct. 18, 2002 - Labrada Nutrition, a Houston-based leader in sports and fitness nutrition, was named one of America's fastest growing privately held companies by Inc magazine last week. The magazine recently released its 2002 Inc 500 ranking of the nation's top 500 entrepreneurial growth leaders."
Read More on Inc.com: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20021015/24789.html
One thing that is obvious to me is that Lee was destined for success in life where ever it was that he wanted to seek it out. This was not just due to his genetic gifts as a bodybuilder which allowed him to become one of the best bodybuilders of his era, but also due to his intelligence. Lee graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. This is hardly and insignificant feat as Engineering is one of the more difficult degrees to complete. This requires a sharp mind in mathematics and the ability to dedicate a lot of time to learning the vast amount of knowledge one needs to hold such a degree. All of this means that Lee paid his dues in both the physical arena and the intellectual one and it was not in question that Lee's intelligence combined with his drive would allow him to succeed now in 2010 behind the scenes as the owner of one of the most successful supplement companies, in addition to his past success on the forefront of bodybuilding on the stage.
As I said above, I suffer from no delusions that I can ever look like Lee as that is going to be very much genetic in addition to the amount of time in required to get to that level. One thing that I can say for sure is that Lee does inspire me to keep training and achieve my personal best, whether in terms of physique development or strength or general physical fitness or any combination of these. I look forward to reviewing Lee's entire supplement range and having them reviewed by third parties as well. You can trust the reviews on BodybuildingPro.com are honest and when it is said on here that a product is good, that is the truth. Personally I am a big fan of the products of Lee's that I have tried and have some more reviews for his products on the way. I can't yet vouch for Lee's new products but look forward to trying them in the future and have no doubt that they will deliver high quality as Lee makes a huge effort to produce high quality products which is why his company is one of the biggest and best in the industry today.
Take care,
webmaster@bodybuildingpro.com
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