Hunter Labrada Workout and Diet
Bodybuilder
Hunter Labrada is from Texas. He is the son of legendary bodybuilders Lee and Robin Labrada. Always active, Labrada’s first love was ice hockey. As a teen, he got into football and signed with a Division II college, but injuries during his senior year of high school pushed him to switch gears and follow in his parents’ footsteps instead. Labrada enjoyed rapid success, winning the NPC Branch Warren Classic Heavyweight in 2016, the Europa Dallas Superheavyweight in 2017, and the Junior USA Superheavyweight in 2018. He earned his pro card that same year. Labrada took first at the IFBB Tampa Pro in 2020 and the Chicago Pro in 2021. He runs Labrada Nutrition with his father. Labrada’s wife Liv Roth is also a bodybuilder. He has a daughter with former girlfriend Katie Hutson. Labrada has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. He is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 235-245 lbs. His body fat is below 8%.
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Hunter Labrada’s Diet
Diet Summary
There is no way to get to to be the size of Labrada without a careful diet. So it is amazing to contemplate that not only was he once the proverbial 80 lb. skinny kid, but he still doesn’t like to eat. He drinks 4 of his 6 daily meals. He doesn’t do well with animal protein and so he has protein shakes instead. For his solid foods, he sticks with the basics: oatmeal, egg whites, rice, peanut butter, and fish. Despite or because he isn’t a big eater, he counts all his macros. He drinks water to stay hydrated.
Estimated Macros
High Protein
Medium Fat
Medium Carb
Diet Details
Not an Eater
Labrada says he has never had much of an appetite, and had to force himself to eat more to make gains when he was a teenager.
Do the Math
Labrada says that if you want to gain, you’ve got take in extra calories, and they have to be the right calories. The pizza and ice cream diet is not the way to go.
Protein Power
Animal protein does not agree with Labrada. He compensates by drinking whey protein shakes, and eating egg whites and fish.
A K.I.S.S. Meal Plan
Labrada eats every few hours, and his meals are very simple and repetitive. He has oatmeal, egg whites and a protein shake twice a day, cream of rice, peanut butter, whey, and more protein powder twice, and then 2 meals of fish, rice and a veg.
Discipline Matters
Labrada says that motivation is not the key to success. If you want to see results, you have to develop discipline and learn to love it.
What to Eat
- Egg whites
- Oatmeal
- Plant-based protein
- Fish
- Peanut butter
- Rice
- Olive oil
- Water
What to Avoid
- Foods that disagree with you
- Processed foods
- Junk food
- Added sugar
- Artificial ingredients
- Chemicals
Labrada on his diet as a young person
I consumed a healthy diet as a child, but I never ate that much. As a result, I was always skinny.
Labrada on how to put on muscle
Your traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner simply won’t suffice, no matter how hearty they are.
Labrada on how to take control of your health
Screw motivation. Learn to love discipline.
Labrada on why discipline wins over motivation
Motivation is very fleeting. If you rely on some song or some YouTube video or having an awesome day to be the catalyst for you to handle your business, you’re not going to be successful.
Labrada on how to gain mass
What sets them [ripped guys] apart from the people who are not growing is nutrition.
Hunter Labrada’s Workout Routine
Workout Routine
From Skinny to Monster
It seems almost unbelievable, but Labrada says his father did not encourage him to lift when he was young, and as a result, he was a skinny kid, weighing only 100 lbs. at the end of eighth grade. As a high school senior, he weighed 210 lbs.
Ultimate Sports Fan
Labrada loved all sports when he was growing up. He played ice hockey as a kid, and then football from middle school onward.
Strength Camp
Knowing his small size was a distinct disadvantage for football, Labrada signed up for all the strength and conditioning camps his school had to offer.
The High Life
Labrada says he works out because he loves the feeling he gets from pushing himself hard. He is extra happy that it is a legal way to get high.
Daily Dose
Labrada works out on a rotating schedule of three days on/one day off. He works his way through push and pull routines on each muscle group.
Classic Split
Labrada says there’s no reason to mess with success. He follows the classic bodybuilding training method of focusing on one body part per day.
K.I.S.S. Routine
Labrada likes to keep things simple. He does what works, only upping the amount of weight he uses.
Exercise Style
A Hunter Labrada Routine
Day 1: Push
Roller flys
Cuff laterals
Prime pec deck
Prime lateral
Cuff triceps extension
Sword draws
Day 2: Pull (width focus)/ biceps
Straight arms
Nautilus pulldown
Single-arm cable row
Dumbbell row (2 arm)
Prime row (upper back focus)
Prime rear delt
Dumbbell preacher curl/strive curl
Step forward curl
Day 3: Quads
Standing calf
Seated calf
Abductor
Adductor
Pendulum
Split squat
Leg extension
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Push (press)
Incline dumbbell
Prime decline
Prime shoulder press
Dips
Cuff triceps extension
Day 5: Back/hamstrings
Straight arm
Nautilus pulldown
Deadlift
Seated hamstring curl
Lying hamstring curl
Day 6: Rest
Labrada on silver linings
Football was looking less and less like my future, but as an upside, these injuries gave me an opportunity to train on a strict bodybuilding split routine.
Labrada on falling in love with weight training
The highlight of any day became getting into the weight room.
Labrada on finding the right routine
I’ve learned through trial and error, and hours upon hours of research, what works for me.
Labrada on his workout routine
For a year and a half, I’d say about 90% of my workouts have been the exact same workouts.
Labrada on the importance of varying a workout
Muscle confusion is bull****. Progressive overload is how you grow, plain and simple.
Labrada on the exercise high
That feeling is what I live for. It’s like a drug, honestly, and it’s legal. It’s free therapy. Lucky me, right?
Hunter Labrada’s Supplements
Stimulant-Free Pre Workout
Labrada doesn’t like any pre workout that makes him feel like he has to be ‘peeled off the ceiling of the gym.’ His pre workout of choice has creatine, beta-alanine, glutamine, and other performance-enhancing ingredients, but zero stimulants.
Intra-Workout
Labrada takes a supplement rich in electrolytes and fast-acting carbs to keep him going during his marathon gym sessions.
Post-Workout
Labrada likes whey protein because it’s essential for muscle growth and easy to digest.
Meal Replacement
Labrada’s digestion isn’t the best and so he drinks a lot of his meals in the form of a protein meal replacement.
Creatine
Labrada is a fan of creatine because it’s effective, safe, and cheap. He takes 5 g per day.
Glutamine
Also on Labrada’s daily supplement list is glutamine which builds muscle and speeds recovery, and also boosts immunity.
BCAAs
Labrada is also a fan of BCAAs, which offer the triple benefit of muscle growth, repair, and recovery.
Hunter Labrada’s Lifestyle
Sleep Rules
Labrada considers sleep to be an essential component of bodybuilding because it’s when the body recovers. If you snore or feel tired during the day, he recommends undergoing a sleep study. He has a fairly bad case of sleep apnea and uses a CPAP machine. He limits screen time before bed, lowers the temperature to get deeper sleep, and uses the bedroom only for relaxation.
Choices, Choices
Labrada decided to give up football and try bodybuilding despite his father’s being against that idea. It was multiple football injuries that caused Hunter to make the decision.
That Elusive Peak
Labrada was disappointed with his Mr. Olympia contest results in 2022. He says he has never yet peaked on a contest day.
Top Repair Job
Labrada underwent surgery to repair an old football injury to his shoulder which he hadn’t realized was holding him back. He says his training really took off after he got that fixed.
Home Grown Hero
Labrada says his dad is his biggest idol, not only for his amazing physique but also for the lessons he taught his son about the value and importance of hard work.
Life After Bodybuilding
Labrada says that if he’s not at the top of the pack when he’s 35, he’s hanging up his weight belt and moving on to something else.
Labrada on sleep
Sleep is of absolute paramount importance to your recovery.
Labrada on getting help for sleep apnea
My quality of life has improved tremendously.
Labrada on his youth
Growing up, bodybuilding wasn’t pushed on me at all.
Labrada on finishing 8th at the Mr. Olympia 2020
It was good enough that I could hold my head high, but not good enough that I was satisfied whatsoever.
Labrada on his legendary father
The higher the level that I reach, it just makes you understand more and more just how good he was at what he does.
Labrada on how not to get ripped
Do you know what doesn’t work? The old method of walking up to the biggest guys in the gym and asking them what their splits look like…The real secret is what those guys are doing the other 22 hours of the day.
Labrada on peaking on contest day
At the level I compete and want to excel at, you can’t not be your best.
Labrada on his future
There’s life after bodybuilding. It really is a young man’s game.
Labrada on retirement
From the jump, even when I was 20, 21 years old, I always told myself that at 35…I’d be done.
Recommended Products
Labrada Nutrition
Hunter Labrada Apparel
Pride Foods
Dumbbells
Barbells
