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Lyon broke barriers for women’s physiques.

Written by Chris Colucci Last updated on September 10, 2023

In the 1970s, many women were still reluctant to lift weights due to its association with heavily muscled physiques. But in 1979, with her win at the very first International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) women’s bodybuilding contest — the World Pro Bodybuilding Championship — Lisa Lyon helped to provide a template for muscular, aesthetic, self-empowered women.

While that inaugural competition was Lyon’s only appearance on a competitive stage, she would go on to draw attention with her physique in mainstream television and movie outlets, as well as modeling for artistic photographers including Helmut Newton and Robert Mapplethorpe. Unfortunately, on Sept. 8, 2023, Lyon died of cancer at age 70.

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After her initial foray into bodybuilding, Lyon authored a book to guide women toward weight training — “Lisa Lyon’s Body Magic” — before transitioning into non-athletic displays of her physical prowess. She was featured in several relatively low budget films before becoming a consistent muse to artists, most notably the controversial American artist Robert Mapplethorpe.

In the early 1980s, Mapplethorpe took more than 100 black and white photographs showcasing Lyons’ eye-catching physique. His work presented her then-uncommon muscularity in a variety of dramatic, sometimes provocative, poses. The collection of art culminated in a published book, “Lady, Lisa Lyon.”

Lyon’s striking figure also inspired comic book writer and artist Frank Miller in 1981 to create the athletic and formidable character Elektra. A native Californian and regular of bodybuilding hub Gold’s Gym, Lyon eventually struck up a friendship with bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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For her achievements in helping to bring myth-busting attention to the benefits of weight training for women while redefining the concept of female muscularity, Lyon was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2000. In a short video documentary released in 1987, “Lisa Lyon: A Portrait of Power,” she described her approach to training as a driver of aesthetic exhibition.

“… When I go into the gym, I’ve always defined myself as an artist. I’m talking about redefining my own body and my own image. Not just for myself, but as an art and product. As something that I will then present, aesthetically, to the public. So that’s my concept of resculpting my body, of creating an entirely different image of woman.

What I would like for people to do when they see me posing on stage is to say, ‘What planet did that come from? What kind of animal is that?’ To go beyond their idea of what a woman is, beyond their definition of what a human is. To make them question, through my work, their own concepts of themselves, their own limitations of the flesh.

When you have this kind of body where you’re able to do what you want, where you’re able to be more sensual, where you’re more capable, you’re able to become a better survival machine redefining yourself as an animal on this planet. And at the same time, to present a very classical aesthetic. To just present something that I consider is beautiful.”

As per an announcement from Lyon’s family, donations may be made to the Lisa Lyon Fund at StandUpToCancer.org/LisaLyon, which benefits cancer research and treatment.

Featured Image: @this_is_bodybuilding / Instagram

The 2023 Tampa Pro champ is locked in for Orlando.

Written by Roger Lockridge Last updated on September 1, 2023

Winning the 2023 Tampa Pro in early August earned Hunter Labrada a qualification to compete in the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest, taking place in Orlando, FL on Nov. 2-5, 2023. It will be Labrada’s fourth appearance at bodybuilding’s pinnacle contest, where he looks to improve on his seventh place result from the 2022 Olympia and potentially pass his best-yet showing of fourth place in 2021. He placed a respectable eighth at his Olympia debut in 2020.

As he builds to a peak performance, Labrada shared a YouTube video of a push workout he performed just days after his runner-up finish to Chinedu “Andrew Jacked” Obiekea at the 2023 Texas Pro in mid-August.

While using a foam roller to prepare for training, Labrada shared that this was his first workout at his home gym following the Texas Pro. He has had a chance to eat more meals and expressed he was feeling good going into this session.

Seated Cable Chest Press

Labrada started the session with a high-tension chest exercise. He explained that the setup for this chest press called for a dual-cable system and an upright bench. While the setup takes time and requires a skilled partner to help get the cable handles into position, Labrada explained why the reward is worth the effort.

“We get something that has great tension throughout, there’s no drop-off in tension. I really love this exercise from the standpoint that, it really accentuates the fact that we’re trying to get that elbow as far away as possible [from the chest] and then getting it across out body as much as possible. Really thinking about finishing biceps to pec.”

Labrada and his training partner both performed multiple sets, but the exact reps or weight weren’t shared.

Incline Chest Press Machine

The second exercise of the day was a chest press machine that focused on the upper pecs. The machine had two handles on each side. Labrada explained he normally used the neutral-grip handle, which emphasizes more triceps but decreases strain on the shoulder joint. However, he chose to use the horizontal handles during this workout to train his chest from different angles. Labrada had a slow and calculated speed with his reps to maximize tension. His spotter help him complete forced reps after he reached failure.

After a heavier set with a total of 10 45-pound plates loaded onto the machine, they reduced the weight by two plates for a second set. After two working sets each, Labrada and his partner moved on.

Pec Deck

The third and final chest-focused movement was a chest flye in the form of the pec-deck to isolate the pecs. Labrada didn’t do much talking at this point in the video, but he could be seen getting a deep stretch at the bottom while focusing on contracting his pecs as hard as he could at the top. He ended his second working set by reducing the weight for a drop set, and he went to failure one last time before moving on.

Seated Overhead Machine Press

The first shoulder exercise of this workout was a seated machine press. Once he couldn’t perform more reps on his own, his spotter assisted by helping to raise the weight. Labrada then performed the negative (lowering) portion of the reps on his own.

This same format was used on his second set. His reps were performed a little faster the second time around, but he was clearly doing his best to eliminate momentum throughout the set.

Lateral Raise Machine

The second delt movement was a seated lateral raise machine. Labrada opted to keep his arms straight and not hold the attached handles, so his side delts had to take on the entire load. After his first set, he made a weight adjustment for his second set.

He kept his chest firmly against the support pad so he couldn’t swing to create momentum throughout the set. He followed his standard set with partial reps to maximize the pump. Once he could no longer perform partials, he ended the set.

Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown

Labrada started his triceps work with a pushdown, holding a cable with a loop attachment in each hand and performing extensions across his body in an “X” manner. After one set, he changed to a single-arm movement, saying his elbows were “a little angry” at this point in the workout.

From set to set, he slightly changed the position of his hand and arm to feel the triceps working differently. As he approached failure, he spotted himself with his non-working arm. He also performed a variety of ab exercises between sets.

Dips

Labrada’s session concluded with dips. This was the only non-machine exercise he performed in this routine, outside of the brief ab training during the previous exercise. The workout was concluded after three working sets. Labrada used only his body weight, but explained that he previously incorporated much heavier weights.

“I used to dip every single push workout, and I could do sets of 10 with 135 pounds [61.2 kilograms] hanging off me. I had three plates hanging off me. When I was training-training triceps, I would do a lot of dips regularly and a lot of close-grip bench press regularly. I would close-grip 315 [pounds/142.9 kilograms] for 20 [reps] three years ago.”

After the training, the second-generation bodybuilder — son of bodybuilding superstar Lee Labrada who, himself, was twice the runner-up to eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney — performed a series of poses to showcase his post-contest physique.

Labrada didn’t share all the details of his workout, but you can try a sample version for yourself by following the guide below.

Push Day: Chest/Shoulder/Triceps Workout

• Seated Cable Chest Press — 3 x 10-12 
• Incline Chest Press Machine — 2 x 10-12 
• Pec-Deck — 2 x 12 (add one drop set to final set)
• Seated Overhead Machine Press — 2 x 10-12 (add negative-only reps to final set)
• Lateral Raise Machine — 2 x 12-15 (end each set with partial reps)
• Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown — 3 x 12-15 per arm
• Dips — 3 sets to failure (using body weight only)

Labrada will look to challenge the reigning Mr. Olympia, Hadi Choopan, and other contenders in the upcoming contest. Ideally, he will look to place no worse than fifth in the 2023 contest because that will automatically qualify him for the 2024 Mr. Olympia, should he not win the contest outright.

Featured Image: Hunter Labrada on YouTube

The Mutant is looking to capture the title in his third appearance.

Written by Roger Lockridge Last updated on August 25, 2023

International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League Men’s Open bodybuilder Nick Walker is looking to become the 18th man to call himself Mr. Olympia when he steps onstage at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL during the 2023 Olympia Weekend of Nov. 2-5, 2023. Based on recent updates, “The Mutant” will likely be one of the larger athletes in the lineup, but he’s leaving nothing to chance, which is why he seems to be training with even more conviction during his current contest prep.

Walker is known for sharing details with his fans, which is why he posted a video of a recent leg workout on his YouTube channel on Aug. 24, 2023. Walker reported that he weighed 285 pounds on the morning of this workout, which he was pleased with. He said he weighed in the 270s at this point in his prep one year ago.

Single-Leg Lying Hamstring Curl

Walker began by targeting his hamstrings and he focused his individual legs by doing lying curls with one leg at a time. He would lift the pad up and slowly control the negative back to the starting position. When he finished one leg, he would train the other, then rest. After two work sets, he did a final set with lighter weight using the rest-pause technique — performing repetitions to muscular failure, pausing very briefly, and then completing additional reps — to achieve 15 total reps for each leg.

Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Walker said that he traditionally used a barbell for this deadlift variation, but on this day he opted for the Smith machine to achieve a stronger muscle contraction and smoother technique. While some styles of Smith machine have built-in safety blocks, the machine Walker used allowed the barbell to reach all the way to the floor which allowed him to maximize his range of motion.

Walker also loaded the bar with a smaller diameter 10-kilogram (22-pound) plate on each side to start with, and he explained why he made that choice. He added a second 10-kilogram plate to each side for his final work set.

“We’’’re focused on the muscle and the muscle only. Holding that stretch, controlling the negative.”

Leg Press

Following two hamstring-focused movements, Walker switched his focus to the quadriceps, beginning with the leg press. Walker was unsure how heavy he was going to go on this exercise, but he ultimately chose to perform 15 reps with eight 20-kilogram (44-pound) plates loaded onto the machine. He lowered the sled as close to his body as he could before slowly pressing it back up, This helped keep tension where he wanted it — on his quadriceps. Four more 20-kilogram plates were added for his next set and he achieved the same reps.

Squat Machine

The 2021 Arnold Classic champion moved to a squat machine for his next quadriceps exercise. Even though he enjoys training with heavy weight on legs, he is focused on more than building power for the Olympia.

“It’s cool to go heavy on legs and really get that stimulus, but then it’s also okay to go a little high-rep and really create the roundness there.”

Following his second work set of 12 reps, he went from two plates to one and performed 20 reps for his final set.

Bulgarian Split Squats and Abductors

Walker concluded the session with two movements in a superset — alternating exercises with minimal rest between each set. He started with Bulgarian split squats with a dumbbell in one hand. Following a set with each leg, he went to an abductor machine to focus on his outer thighs. He performed this combination for a total of two supersets. This concluded Walker’s second leg day of his week, as he had shared that he follows a training split that targets each body part every four days.

Complete Leg Workout for More Muscle

If you want to try a sample version of Walker’s workout, you can follow the guide below.

• Single-Leg Lying Hamstring Curl — 2 x 8-10 per leg, 1 rest-pause set for 15 total reps per leg
• Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift — 2 x 10-12
• Leg Press — 2 x 15
• Squat Machine — 2 x 12 reps, 1 x 20
• Bulgarian Split Squat — 2 x 12 (superset with the following exercise)
• Abductor Machine — 2 x 12

Walker placed third at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, behind champion Hadi Choopan and runner-up Derek Lunsford. At the 2023 Arnold Classic several months later, Walker was runner-up to champion Samson Dauda. The 2023 Olympia will be Walker’s third appearance, having captured a respectable fifth place at his Olympia debut in 2021. The 29-year-old is looking to become the first champion under 30 years old since Lee Haney won his fifth of eight titles in 1988.

Featured Image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram