The 2023 Tampa Pro champ is locked in for Orlando.
Winning the 2023 Tampa Pro in early August earned Hunter Labrada a qualification to compete within the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest, going down in Orlando, FL on Nov. 2-5, 2023. It would be Labrada’s fourth appearance at bodybuilding’s pinnacle contest, where he looks to enhance on his seventh place result from the 2022 Olympia and potentially pass his best-yet showing of fourth place in 2021. He placed a good 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 on the 2023 Texas Pro in mid-August.
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While using a foam roller to arrange for training, Labrada shared that this was his first workout at his home gym following the Texas Pro. He has had a likelihood to eat more meals and expressed he was feeling good going into this session.
Seated Cable Chest Press
Labrada began 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 talented partner to assist get the cable handles into position, Labrada explained why the reward is well worth the effort.
“We get something that has great tension throughout, there’s no drop-off in tension. I actually love this exercise from the standpoint that, it really accentuates the incontrovertible fact that we’re attempting to get that elbow as distant as possible [from the chest] after which getting it across out body as much as possible. Really interested by ending biceps to pec.”
Labrada and his training partner each performed multiple sets, but the precise 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 either side. Labrada explained he normally used the neutral-grip handle, which emphasizes more triceps but decreases strain on the shoulder joint. Nevertheless, he selected to make use of the horizontal handles during this workout to coach his chest from different angles. Labrada had a slow and calculated speed along with his reps to maximise tension. His spotter help him complete forced reps after he reached failure.
After a heavier set with a complete of 10 45-pound plates loaded onto the machine, they reduced the load 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 shape of the pec-deck to isolate the pecs. Labrada didn’t do much talking at this point within the video, but he could possibly be seen getting a deep stretch at the underside while specializing in contracting his pecs as hard as he could at the highest. He ended his second working set by reducing the load for a drop set, and he went to failure one last time before moving on.
Seated Overhead Machine Press
The primary 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 lift the load. 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 slightly 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 maintain his arms straight and never hold the attached handles, so his side delts needed to tackle your 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 maximise the pump. Once he could not perform partials, he ended the set.
Single-Arm Triceps Pushdown
Labrada began 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 modified to a single-arm movement, saying his elbows were “slightly offended” at this point within the workout.
From set to set, he barely modified the position of his hand and arm to feel the triceps working otherwise. As he approached failure, he spotted himself along with his non-working arm. He also performed quite a lot of ab exercises between sets.
Dips
Labrada’s session concluded with dips. This was the one non-machine exercise he performed on this routine, outside of the temporary ab training through 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 each push workout, and I could do sets of 10 with 135 kilos [61.2 kilograms] hanging off me. I had three plates hanging off me. Once I was training-training triceps, I might do lots of dips repeatedly and lots of close-grip bench press repeatedly. I might 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.
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Labrada didn’t share all the main points of his workout, but you possibly 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 within the upcoming contest. Ideally, he’ll look to position no worse than fifth within the 2023 contest because that may routinely qualify him for the 2024 Mr. Olympia, should he not win the competition outright.
Featured Image: Hunter Labrada on YouTube