Lee Haney

American bodybuilder Lee Haney has won eight straight Mr. Olympia titles. He is revered as a legend of the height of bodybuilding. “Total-Lee Awesome” became renowned bodybuilders thanks to their expert posing, unusual heft, and unequaled physique consistency.

Quick Facts of Lee Haney:

Full Name Lee Haney
Nick Name Total-Lee Awesome
Date of Birth November 11, 1959
Place of Birth Spartanburg, South Carolina
Residence South Carolina, USA
Religion Christianity
Nationality American
Ethnicity Black
Father’s Name Not Known
Mother’s Name Not Known
Siblings One brother and one daughter
Education Graduated in Youth Counseling
College Spartanburg Methodist College
Zodiac Sign Scorpio
Age 62 Years Old
Height 5 feet 11 inches (181 cm)
Weight 111 kg (off-season)
Eye Color Dark Brown
Hair Color Black
Build Muscular
Body Measurement Not Known
Marital Status Married
Girlfriend Shirley Draper Haney
Children Names Olympia Haney (Daughter) and Joshua Haney (Son)
Profession Former Professional Bodybuilder
Mentor Danny Rogers
Wins 8 times Mr.Olympia Winner
Debut Year  1975
Idol When Growing Up Robby Robinson
Awards and Achievements
  • Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Enlisted in the International Sports Hall of Fame
  • Inducted into the National Hall of Fame
  • Won the Ben Weider Lifetime Achievement award
Residence Atlanta, Georgia
Networth $5.5 million
Source of Net Worth Bodybuilding Career and Entrepreneurship
Social Handle Instagram
Merch  Superstars of Muscles DVD
Last Update July, 2022

Net Worth

Haney had unquestionably been involved in the bodybuilding industry for 25 years and had achieved great success. Haney reportedly has a net worth of over $5.5 million, which he amassed from a prosperous bodybuilding sports career, according to certain web sources.

In addition to his bodybuilding career, he also owned a gym, was an author, a trainer, had his own business, and engaged in a number of other endeavors.

Family, Age, Height, and Weight

Haney will be 62 years old in 2022 and a Scorpio by birth. Regarding Lee’s physical attributes, he is 5 feet 11 inches tall. But his body weight varies with the passing of time. As an illustration, he gained the necessary weight for the tournament, and in the off-season, he weighed about 111 kg.

Spouse and Kids

Lee Haney with his wife Shirley and children

Haney is wed to Shirley Draper Haney; they have two kids together. In 1983, Haney married Shirley, his true love. Shirley also supports Lee in all of his activities. She is taking just as much care of Haney’s diet and exercise program as he is. Joshua Haney is the name of their son, and Olympia Haney is the name of their daughter. You may know more about Naim Süleymanoğlu

Brief Bio of Lee Haney

Haney was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on November 11, 1959. His initial aspirations were to play professional football, but a leg injury put a stop to those plans. Then Haney decided to concentrate on improving as a bodybuilder. As a young boy, he fantasized about gaining muscle and developing a body equal to Samson’s and Hercules’.

Later, Lee committed his entire life to bodybuilding and fitness. When Lee was a child, his father had a lot of physical work to do, so he would frequently assist him. Lee asked his parents to get him a weight set for Christmas when he was eleven years old.

Haney’s high school senior picture

Later, he received a weight and dumbbell set as well as a weightlifting manual by Charles Atlas. His interest in working out grew greater after that. Additionally, he used to hang Robby Robinson posters on the walls of his room. Information on Lee’s family members is scarce. But Lee’s deep belief in his dream is something that cannot be disputed.

Haney eventually signed up for the neighborhood YMCA. He made a crucial move when he encountered Danny Rogers there, who had impressed him with his body. Danny inspired Haney to take bodybuilding seriously by showing him his well-balanced physique. Lee received close to four years of training from Danny, who also assisted in his 1973 physical preparation.

Education

Haney turned down a scholarship to attend college at the age of eighteen in order to devote all of his time to bodybuilding. Haney later earned his youth counseling degree from Spartanburg Methodist College. Lee participated actively in sports during his undergraduate years, including basketball and football. Kai Greene is proof that anyone can succeed, regardless of how bad their upbringing or current circumstances may have been.

 

Career of Lee Haney

When Lee became interested in the bodybuilding industry, he prepared by reading every book and weightlifting publication. Later, when he was sixteen, he began competing, and in 1975, he began his professional bodybuilding career. Haney didn’t do well in his first competition, but he gained a lot from it because at the time he didn’t know how to present his physique on stage correctly.

Lee “Hercules” Haney with the gold

However, Lee defeated many competent opponents to win the Mr. America tournament in 1979. The victory gave him the confidence to compete in and win at such tournaments going forward. Haney, who was nineteen when he won in 1979, grew more focused on winning another championship.

For the next three years, Haney concentrated on rigorous training while adhering to a tight diet. He later competed in the Heavyweight Division at the Junior Nationals in 1982 and was successful in taking home the title. In addition, Haney, then 23 years old, won the Heavyweight division title in the 1982 World Amateur Championships.

Lee began a fresh journey in the nationals that same year at the senior level. He took part in a number of competitions, however his performance was lacking. Lee used his setback as motivation to compete in Mr. Olympia in 1984. At the time, he had a 25-year-old age and had already won the title.

Haney set a global record by winning Mr. Olympia every year for seven years after 1984. It became so important for the upcoming bodybuilder generation to beat this record.

Awards and Successes

  • Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Enlisted in the International Sports Hall of Fame
  • Enlisted in the National Hall of Fame.
  • Ben Weider Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Entitled Chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness by former president Bill Gates.
  • Inducted into the (IFBB) International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Hall of Fame.

Lee Haney: Retirement Life

After the 1991 Mr. Olympia competition, Lee left the IFBB bodybuilding industry. He was just 31 years old, which he thought was the ideal age to leave a more than ten-year employment and launch his own company. With all that information about diet and exercise, there was no better choice than to start a gym.

A gym owner

In Atlanta, Georgia, Lee founded a gym in 1993. Lee Haney’s World-class Fitness Center was the name of the fitness center. The gym quickly gained a lot of local popularity. He started working with certain Hollywood celebs and started teaching people of different fitness levels.

Haney has collaborated with well-known figures like Holyfield, Steve Harvey, and Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock.” Additionally, he trained Gary Sheffield, Shannon Sharpe, and Sean Bradley of the NFL clubs Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos (Philadelphia 76ers).

Sadly, in 2006, the gym facility was completely sold off. Haney had no choice but to close the gym as a result. It did not, however, mark the end of his entrepreneurial career.

Author

Lee Haney wrote Totalee Awesome:  Totalee Awesome: A Complete Guide To Body-Building Success in 1987 before beginning his other business endeavors. Lee has since authored and released a number of books and novels. He wrote Lee Haney’s Ultimate Bodybuilding Book after years of bodybuilding experience and eight Mr. Olympia victories.

Motivational Speaker, Lee Haney.

In his book Beyond the Pump: Lee Haney’s Ultimate Bodybuilding Book., which was published in 2000, Haney chronicles his life experiences.

Lee Haney’s Exercise & Diet Program

Mr. Olympia loves training splits because they provide enough recovery for each muscle group. His workout routine includes a four-day training split that includes three days of training and one day of relaxation. The chest and arms are worked on the first day of the workout, followed by the legs on the second, the back and shoulders on the third, and the rest day on the fourth.

Bodybuilders should tone their muscles, but Haney recommends against ever rubbing off because this raises the risk of damage. He also highlights the significance of a healthy diet for bodybuilders. During the training sessions, he would eat about 6-7 meals, each containing the right kind of protein as well as carbohydrates, fruits, fiber, and fats.

On the days of his competitions, he used to consume fresh pineapple, an excellent anti-inflammatory and source of vitamin C, twice day. Haney no longer competes in bodybuilding competitions, but he still enjoys eating the same foods he did then. Haney also advises taking protein powder, cleansing pills, and necessary multivitamins.

What memorable quotes attributed to Lee Haney?

Here are a few well-known Lee Haney quotes:

  • “You can’t train like a horse and eat like a bird.”
  • “Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.”

Social media presence, Lee Haney

Haney uses the handle @lee haney official on social networking sites like Instagram. As of January 2022, he had 247k  Instagram followers.

On the other hand, Lee doesn’t use other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Questions and Answers (FAQs)

Now, where is Lee Haney?

Haney has recently been quite active on the television program Total Lee Fit. On the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the program is broadcast. The program combines the spiritual and physical facets, with Haney emphasizing the importance of both areas in one’s life.

Why is Haney’s Harvest House a non-profit organization founded by Lee Haney?

Lee and his wife bought 40 acres in College Park, Georgia, in the 1990s. Later, the pair changed the property into a location where they mentor boys between the ages of 8 and 17.Every year, the group receives funding from the Lee Haney Physique and Fitness Games competition.