There have been 16 Mr. Olympias since the contest first started – but few have been as successful as Lee Haney. Recently, Lee opened up about his time in the sport – revealing the true secret to his success – and when a Mr. Olympia reveals the secret to his success – you LISTEN. Let’s get into this…
Lee Haney will always hold a special place in my heart – as he was the reigning Mr. Olympia when I first started following the sport.
He was the king…
And classic – yet massive – physique was one that definitely caught my attention.
That being said…
There’s not a LOT out there on Lee Haney.
Remember, he came to prominence before the Digital Age…
He didn’t need to worry about making social media posts, starting a YouTube channel or caring about likes or how many followers he has.
He had to make sure his physique was on point and make sure he had some pictures in the magazines…
And he didn’t need to document every part of his life for his fans.
His Wikipedia page is SPARSE to say the least…
As well as wrong – as he’s celebrated almost 40 years of marriage to his wife Shirley – but says he was married in 2003.
So, getting some insight into this incredible champion is a treat.
Of course, there are some readers that may not know who he is…
So, let’s delve into the epic life of Lee Haney.
First thing you need to know is: this dude is no joke.
Haney snagged the Mr. Olympia title a whopping EIGHT times – when the vast majority of professional bodybuilders want to win it just ONCE…
So, you need to understand how big of an accomplishment that is.
Hailing from Spartanburg, South Carolina – Lee holds the record for the most Mr. Olympia titles – sharing the throne with Ronnie Coleman.
From 1984 to 1991 – Lee dominated the competition…
He was the f@#king man.
While he cemented the record with his eighth title (while simultaneously snatching the record Arnold Schwarzenegger, a seven-time Mr. Olympia) – his legacy was already rock solid.
Mr. Olympia Reveals The Secret To His Success
Like I said, when he was in his prime – he didn’t need to worry about social media…
But as a 63-year-old icon – he’s jumped into digital media with both feet – and has a massive following – garnering over 279,000 fans on Instagram.
And it’s in one of these posts that we get a better look into TotaLEE Awesome’s mindset.
Lee Haney was able to do something only ONE other human on this planet has been able to do…
Win 8 Olympia titles – in a ROW.
But how’d he do it?
What was the secret to his success?
Well, in a recent Instagram post – Haney took a trip down memory lane while sharing an old newspaper clipping – and opening up about what he feels was the catalyst to his reign as champion…
The power of self-belief.
It turns out that back when he was just 19 – someone tried to s@#t in his corn flakes – when Lee was just hungry and ready to make his mark.
You see, before his first (and only) Teen Mr. America competition – a naysayer… well, nay sayed…
But guess what? Haney brushed off that negativity like dust off his shoulder and won the whole damned thing!
According to Haney, “He said to me not to get my hopes up too high because I was from a small town compared to other teens coming from large cities like LA and New York.”
Can you imagine if that comment stopped him from competing?
Because there are people who have quit chasing dreams for less…
But that negativity didn’t faze Haney one bit.
He had been raised RIGHT…
And he knew he had what it takes to succeed.
And the fact that he proved all the doubters wrong by snatching that top prize – shows just how important believing in yourself truly is.
Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Now…
After winning – there were a bunch of different ways that Lee could have rubbed his success in the faces of his doubters…
But that’s not his style.
Lee chose class – and decided to use his success to inspire his community…
He continued, “After winning, I placed the ’48’ trophy in the grocery store window as proof that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, faith and determination [make] all the difference. Never allow the mindset of someone else to put limits on how far you can go.”
That’s straight 🔥🔥🔥, folks…
And a powerful way to pay your blessings forward.
Sure, he could have walked over to the hater’s house – whipped out the trophy – and started posing in the guys front yard…
But that’s not what successful people do.
Most successful people – rarely brag about their success…
They simply enjoy living their life.
If you’re truly successful – rubbing that in somebody’s face is beneath you.
Successful people don’t give weight to the words of those not on their level…
And odds are – if you have somebody talking about you – it’s because they’re not on your level nor can they ever reach where you’re at.
The chatter always comes from below you…
Never from above or even next to you.
Lee understood that – even as a 19-year-old.
However, it’s the last sentence of his post that we should all pay attention to.
But he understood something even DEEPER…
The Only Limits We Have… Are The Ones We Put On Ourselves
While that post from Lee was powerful…
It was the last sentence that really resonated.
“Never allow the mindset of someone else to put limits on how far you can go.”
Now, if Lee would have taken those words to heart…
He’d have never had a modicum of the success he wound up having over his history-making career.
However, it’s those naysayers that feed that negative voice that lives in all of us…
That voice in the back of your head that says: “You’ll never be good enough… you should quit now.”
Or…
“You can’t do it… don’t even try.”
Or…
“You’re from a little podunk town in the sticks – you’ll never be able to compete with people from the big city.”
We all have that voice…
And it’s important to not let others add to its volume.
Shut them all out…
You can do whatever you set your mind to – that’s fact – and Lee used that knowledge to become one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.
Nowadays, this legend is chilling in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside his wife, Shirley…
He hung up his competition shoes after securing his eighth Mr. Olympia title – but that doesn’t mean he’s slacking off.
Today, Lee is running his own personal training organization and hosting the incredible Lee Haney’s Physique and Fitness Games…
And with the annual competition just five months away – Haney has been dropping some serious knowledge bombs on his Instagram reels.
The man knows his stuff – and he’s sharing his training tips with all his followers…
I highly suggest giving him a follow.
But the takeaway here has nothing to do with any of that…
It’s about believing in yourself – shutting the haters out – and taking control of your own success.
Keep pushing – keep grinding – and never let anyone else set limits on YOUR journey to greatness.
Lee has shown us that with faith, determination and a whole lot of hustle – there’s no more limits than those we put on ourselves.
Believe it…
“To be physically fit is just a small aspect. You can be a beautiful physical specimen, but you’re empty as far as what it takes to be a person, and that shows up real fast” – Lee Haney
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