Our translation of an interview that popular bodybuilder Lee Priest gave to John Koenig, a journalist for the Testosterone Nation resource:

The Australian bodybuilder is a representative of the “golden era” of bodybuilding, who became famous without having outstanding natural forms or prestigious awards. For 6 performances at Mr. Olympia, he never rose above 5th place and never fell below 10th. His tenacity, hard work and charm endeared him to the public and made his figure recognizable. Flex magazine ranked Lee Priest, 163 cm tall, in 6th place on the list of the best bodybuilders of the last century. The razor-sharp relief and fantastic arm volume of 55 cm allowed him, with a weight of 100 kg, to beat the giants of mass more than once in the competition. In the offseason, he manages to gain another 30 kg.

A passion that became destiny

Lee Priest's date of birth Along with the neighboring boys, he kicked the ball around, practiced rugby and karate at the amateur level, and showed an interest in carrying weights.

“My friends preferred to ride a bicycle, and I preferred to carry transport on my back,” the bodybuilder later recalled.

As a child, I was fond of watching adventure films and wanted to be like one of the superheroes.

At the age of 13, together with his grandfather, a former army wrestling champion, he ended up in the police gym. The grandfather introduced his grandson to the matter and showed him several exercises. The teenager looked with frozen breath at the powerful bodies of the athletes, and no matter what, decided to become the same. A family friend trained here and took him under his wing.

Lee was ready to spend the day and night in the hall. He arrived before everyone else and worked until exhaustion. Interest was also fueled by my mother, who at the age of 38 became interested in weights. From now on, Flex and Muscle & Fitness have become the main hobbies during rest periods. He was most inspired by photos of Schwarzenegger and Eddie Robinson. He always wanted to be like Tom Platz and, as he grew up, he became blond, like his idol.

Biography

Growing up

Lee Priest was born in the city of Newcastle, Australia, in 1972, and was raised in Walls End with his older sister.
He went to Plattsburgh Primary School, and since an early age he showed an interest in bodybuilding. His mother (Lynn Priest) played a huge role in his interest in weightlifting – she was also a bodybuilding competitor. Priest was only 12 when he started training, and his grandfather also helped him with the basics.

Only one year after he started training, Priest decided to compete for the first time. After giving everything he had into training, he successfully won the 1986 Sydney Bodybuilding Classic, an event that was the beginning of an incredible career for the Lee Priest.

Teenage Years

After he won his first show at the age of 13, Priest was hooked, this is when he knew it was something he wanted to do indefinitely.

Soon after, he competed in his second show and went on to win many other competitions during his teenage years. Eventually, he won the IFBB Mr. Australia 3 times in a row at the age of 17, 18, and 19.

Lee also competed at the IFBB World Amateur Championships, lightweight category, where he came in a respectable 4th place at 17 years old.

Pro Card

Due to his young age, Lee couldn't win his Pro card in Australia, despite the fact he won The Mr. Australia title at the age of 19.

Because of the age restrictions in certain shows, Priest was forced to compete in other competitions, such as the Niagara Falls Championships. It was an amateur competition in which he entered and became widely recognized for the first time – this is where he earned his Pro card.

Winning his Pro card at the age of 20 was an event that marked Priest as one of the youngest bodybuilders to ever turn into an IFBB Pro.

Later Competitions

After the success of winning his Pro Card, Priest continued to successfully compete in IFBB shows for the next 16 years.

The Australian later started to compete in The Ironman Pro, and after many attempts of placing second and third, it was at the age of 34 that Priest finally won the prestigious title.

However, Lee wasn't only successful in The Ironman Pro – he also placed and won in numerous other competitions, some of them included the 2002 IFBB San Francisco Pro Invitational, where he took home 1st place, and 2nd place in the 2004 IFBB Ironman Pro, and 1st place in the 2005 IFBB Grand Prix Australia.

One of his most notable achievements is when he placed 6th in 2002 Mr. Olympia at the young age of 25. Lee's impact on bodybuilding was seen across the world, and after many years, he had a contest named after him – The Lee Priest Classic.

Life Outside Bodybuilding

Priest wasn't only a legend in bodybuilding, he also competed in car racing events. He had an impressive record when it came to track racing.

Besides winning numerous smaller races, Lee's most notable achievements is when he won the Rookie of the Year in 2005, and SCEDA Racing Championship in 2006.

Lee was also a part of several TV and movie projects where he guest starred in podcasts and appeared in local Australian TV shows. Priest was also featured in various promotional ads.

The Australian is known for his honesty and openness about many controversial topics, which made him unique in the world of bodybuilding. He openly admitted the use of steroids, and even mentioned how, and, how much he would use. Priest is also an outspoken atheist.

Piggy bank of achievements

After 8 months, the figure has changed. For his age, he had impressive parameters. At the age of 14, he already competed at the junior local Sydney Bodybuilding competition, where his competitors were guys 3-4 years older. However, adolescence did not become an obstacle to victory.

The young man continued to train. After 2 years, my mother suggested performing together, where the couple won several competitions. Lee Priest, at the age of 16, narrowly won the Australian championship, and later secured the result 2 more times .

“I have become strong. For example, I could squat 340 kg 6 times and bench press 240 kg.”

In 1990, he showed 4th result at an amateur competition in the up to 70 kg weight category in Malaysia.

Training

When asked about his favorite exercise, Lee says that he has none, and when asked what is his least favorite exercise, he answered, “All of them.”

However, Lee states some of the most important training rules he learned throughout training his entire body were learned when creating his huge arms.

Biceps Training Rules

Rule Number 1 – Volume

Training a small muscle using heavy weight and high volume is mandatory for growth, according to Priest. He says there is a general misconception that small muscle groups need fewer sets.

Here's Lee talking about the importance of high volume, no matter which muscle group he trains; “Don't buy into the cop-out that muscle small groups need fewer sets. The more sets I do, the more I grow, so 20 sets for biceps is an embarrassing minimum for me.”

Rule no2 – Include standing barbell curls in every workout

Priest stresses the importance of including standing barbell curl exercise in every arm workout. He says that it's a classic mass builder for biceps, and a go-to for everyone who wants to build huge arms.

Rule no3 – Superset

Going for supersets straight after exhausting arms with straight sets is the best option to restore the pump and build additional mass, according to the Australian.

However, Lee admitted that it's not something he would recommend to beginners. Here's Lee's advice; “Wait until you are intermediate or advanced before super-setting. Build mass, with straight sets first.”

Rule no4 – Include two-arm preacher curls in every workout

Priest said that including preacher curls with either a barbell or cambered bar is necessary in order to put the most stress at both ends of biceps bellies' insertions, thus making the arms look fuller.

Rule no5 – Change your workouts

Lee believes that by constantly changing the workout routine, one can maximize his growth.

“Never give your body a chance to adapt.”

Workout Split

Lee's usual workout routine looks like this:

• Day 1: Legs
• Day 2: Back, Forearms
• Day 3: Chest
• Day 4: Shoulders
• Day 5: Arms
• Calves Trained Daily
• Abdominals Trained Every Other Day

Young and green

A year later, he wanted to compete at the World Championships in Poland, but due to doping he was removed from the competition.

“The strangest thing is that I really didn’t take anything then. I was checked twice before this. If I had gotten hooked on steroids, I would have weighed 10 kilos more,” the athlete was indignant.

After the failure, he felt that he needed to change something in his life. For example, get a PRO card. The request for extradition received a categorical refusal with the wording that he was still too young. At his own risk, the guy began to prepare for Niagara Falls. When there were two days left before the competition, I “accidentally” came across Jim Manion. When he saw Lee’s figure, the American heavyweight decided that it was time for him to turn professional. The card was issued to the athlete on the day of the competition.

Personal life

In July 2000, Priest married Canadian bodybuilder Katie LiFrancos, who was also competing in professional competitions at the time. After meeting, the couple did not think about improving their personal life, and the topic of their conversations was sports.

Lee Priest and his wife Rachel Goodbun

7 celebrity couples in which the man is much shorter than the chosen one

One day, Lee felt that he had more than friendly sympathy for a beautiful and pumped-up woman and decided to write her a romantic message. And then, when Katie went to the USA for a photo shoot, the bodybuilder said that he would fly with her.

Until 2005, the couple lived in America and worked together in the gym, improving their abs, biceps and triceps. Then the couple lost interest in each other and filed for divorce, while LiFrancos continued to play sports, and Priest remarried a girl named Rachel Goodbun.

"I won't get upset over nonsense"

Having gained another 6 kilos, in 1994 the athlete appeared before the public at Ironman and took 4th place, pushing aside the Australian king Sonny Schmidt. A week later, he was already listed as 7th in the Arnold Classic standings, although Kevin Levrone predicted him to be 4th. Then he showed 7th result in San Jose and failed at the “Night of Champions”.

1995 was a successful year. After 3rd and 4th places at South Beach and Ironman, Lee received admission to Olympus. Then problems with the IFBB began, which happened often in Lee's career. As a result, he refused 2 prestigious, but unnecessary competitions, paid a penalty, received a disqualification and began to fall in love. In 1996, he did not rise above 4th place in all competitions. But in 1997 everything went like clockwork.

Until 2000, there were victories, failures, and disqualifications in my career. In the spring, Priest was in better shape and was determined to win, but finished 5th.

“I’m not upset - I’m only 28 years old, everything is still ahead,” he said.

He said the same thing after the 6th result at Olympia. And, really, why be upset if there is a honeymoon ahead.

Biography

Lee Priest grew up in Wallsend, Australia. Priest's mother was also a bodybuilding competitor, and posed with Priest onstage. Priest started training at the age of 12 with the help and support of his grandfather. He competed for the first time at the age of 13 and won. He went on to win numerous other competitions leading up to him winning the IFBB Mr. Australia at 16 17, 18, and 19. Priest competed at the World's Championship at 17, where he placed 4th. At 19 he again competed and won The Mr. Australia title, but was not allowed to get his pro card in Australia because of his young age. It was then Priest decided to enter an amateur competition, Niagara Falls Championships. While there, Priest was discovered and given his pro card. Priest became one of the youngest men ever to turn IFBB pro at the age of 20.

Priest competed successfully within the IFBB for 16 years. After falling shy of a notable championship, Priest set his sights on his most elusive opponent The Ironman Pro. After ten years of coming in 2nd or 3rd, 2006 proved Priest's year as the Ironman Pro.

In 2010, Priest was encouraged to compete at the NABBA Mr. Universe however this did not eventuate. He was invited by Paul Dillett to compete in the WBFF, but due to the lack of competition, he decided against competing.

Priest is also an avid racing enthusiast and champion race car driver. He started racing in 2002 with road-racing and circle track. Priest then progressed to drag racing in 2004. He won numerous races and titles in road and circle track. His most successful bid came within drag-racing. He won Rookie of the Year in 2005. The following year, 2006, he won the SCEDA Racing Championship in Lancaster, California.

Priest has also done some TV and movie work. He did all the bodywork for The Hulk Movie and also for the video game. In 2011, he appeared a local Australian TV series, Rescue Special Ops

.[
citation needed
] In 2012 Priest was featured in the promotional ads for Big Brother Australia 2012.

Following a seven-year absence from competitive bodybuilding, Lee Priest returned in 2013 to compete in the NABBA Mr Universe where he won the overall title as an amateur. He then appeared as a special guest at the 2014 Universe Championships while he was on tour in the UK.

Priest joined MuscleSport Magazine

in November 2014 and began writing a monthly column online and in their print magazine. He was featured on the cover of their Winter 2015 issue.

He has a pet fox, named "Carlos".

Lee Priest's workouts

Favorite muscles are the triceps. He preferred to work with heavy weights and perform up to 20 approaches for all groups. Adapted version of the weekly split:

• one day - pumping the torso, biceps;
• in the second - work with the back;
• on the third - triceps heads, deltas;
• in the fourth - legs.

Lee was always critical of himself, believing that he had many lagging groups.

“I like athletes with separately developed zones of monstrous size, like Sonbati and Dillet.”

Rather, it is low self-esteem or perfectionism.

No one in the history of bodybuilding had triceps like Lee’s.

When asked how to pump up such spherical shapes, he jokingly suggests doing squats more often. Seriously, my favorite exercise is the barbell press. The strongman also does a lot of squats, presses his legs and takes in quantity.

Accomplishments

Racing Career

Apart from bodybuilding, Lee is also known for his enthusiasm for speed and driving racing cars. He started racing when he was 32, having won many races and titles in road racing, drag racing, and circle track.

His most notable successes took place when he won the SCEDA Racing Championship in 2006, in California, and Rookie of the Year in 2005.

Bodybuilding Competitions

• 1989 IFBB Australian Championships (1st)
• 1990 IFBB Australian Championships (1st)
• 1990 IFBB World Amateur Championships, Lightweight (4th)
• 1993 IFBB Niagara Falls Pro Invitational (9th)
• 1994 IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (7th)
• 1994 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational (4th)
• 1994 IFBB Night of Champions (12th)
• 1994 IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational (7th)
• 1995 IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (9th)
• 1995 IFBB Florida Pro Invitational (4th)
• 1995 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational (3rd)
• 1995 IFBB South Beach Pro Invitational (4th)
• 1996 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational (4th)
• 1996 IFBB San Jose Pro Invitational (6th)
• 1997 IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (7th)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix Czech Republic (5th)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix England (6th)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix Finland (9th)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix Germany (3rd)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix Hungary (3rd)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix Russia (9th)
• 1997 IFBB Grand Prix Spain (3rd)
• 1997 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational (2nd)
• 1997 IFBB Mr. Olympia (6th)
• 1998 IFBB Mr. Olympia (7th)
• 1999 IFBB Iron Man Pro Invitational (6th)
• 1999 IFBB Mr. Olympia (8th)
• 2000 IFBB Night of Champions (5th)
• 2000 IFBB Mr. Olympia (6th)
• 2001 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational (7th)
• 2002 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational (2nd)
• 2002 IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic (4th)
• 2002 IFBB San Francisco Pro Invitational (1st)
• 2002 IFBB Mr. Olympia (6th)
• 2003 IFBB Mr. Olympia (15th)
• 2004 IFBB Ironman Pro (2nd)
• 2004 IFBB San Francisco Pro Invitational (2nd)
• 2005 IFBB Grand Prix Australia (1st)
• 2005 IFBB Arnold Classic (4th)
• 2005 IFBB Iron Man Pro Invitational (2nd)
• 2005 IFBB BBC Classic
• 2006 IFBB Ironman Pro (1st)
• 2006 IFBB Arnold Classic (6th)
• 2006 IFBB Grand Prix Australia (2nd)
• 2006 NOC New York
• 2006 PDI Night of Champions (1st)
• 2013 NABBA Mr. Universe (1st)

Lee Priest in 2022

Now the athlete continues to train in the gym and keeps his body in shape, completely eliminating pharmaceuticals from the “Kachkovsky” diet. From now on, a healthy lifestyle is a priority. Judging by the photos on the Internet, he looks better than many colleagues of his age. Yes, I’ve aged, but it hasn’t affected my form at all. At 45, he has become a philosopher and enjoys spending time alone. Traditionally, it organizes lunches for the homeless twice a year.

One of my favorite pastimes is driving a car. Lee has been crazy about racing cars since childhood. In 2002, he trained as a circuit racing driver and took part in competitions. In 2005 he received the status of “Rookie of the Year”, the next year he won the race in Lancaster. Today I am in love with my BMW 850i, which I drive around the track.

In 2022, he will star in the movie “Both Sides.” From time to time, the bodybuilder pleases fans with new designs on his body. An article can be devoted to Lee's tattoos. Slowly but surely the area covered by the body is gradually expanding. Half of the face and one eye are already covered with prints. It's scary to think where else he knocked them out. However, this is his style. He is always ready to shock the audience. Fans can watch Priest's "White Myth" and get the latest news here: https://www.instagram.com/leeapriest/.

Nutrition

When it comes to bulking Lee tends to gain around 75 pounds in his off-season bulking phase, and no matter how much weight he gains during the off-season, he's always ready and in top shape on the day of the show.

Needless to say, when it comes to dieting, he eats clean and is strict about eating cheat meals. He says that cheat meals are his favorite part of dieting, but when he's cutting, he almost never eats unhealthy. Priest also stresses that one should eat 6 full meals a day, every 2-3 hours for optimal strength gains.

Lee's Daily Diet

• Proteins – Tuna, Lean Steak, Chicken Breasts, Whey Protein, Eggs.
• Carbs – Cream of Rice, Pasta, Oatmeal, Bread, Rice.
• Fruits – Oranges, Bananas, Apples.
• Fats – Almonds, Cheese, Milk, Flax Oil.
• Vegetables – Salads, Broccoli, Green Beans, Asparagus.

It is the bank's responsibility to respond to requests from bailiffs

Let's be honest - there is no bank in our country that, having received a request from the FSSP, will throw it in the trash, will not answer it “just on principle” and will not write off your hard-earned funds from your account by order of the court. But there are a number of circumstances that suggest that not all banks can reach the “grabbing hands” of justice.

Let's figure out how bailiffs generally look for citizens' bank accounts and how they write off funds from them.

The right to seize a citizen's bank accounts and write off funds from them to pay off a debt for which a court decision has been made is given to bailiffs by the law on enforcement proceedings. This rule is not stated directly, but the law does not contain a ban on seizing accounts and writing off money from them.

Money in the debtor’s account is also property. And the bailiff has the right to arrest him. Art. 70, 80, 81 of the Law on Enforcement Proceedings of October 2, 2007 No. 229-FZ provide for the possibility of seizing the debtor’s cash accounts in banks. And the bailiffs willingly use this right, since money is the most liquid property of the debtor. There is no need to sell it, organize storage and monitor its technical condition, for example, as is the case with a car.

The bailiff found the account, wrote it off and sent the money to the creditor. And he transferred 7% of the money found to the account of the bailiff service, thereby organizing himself a bonus for good work.

In this chain of work of the bailiff there is one keyword - found. That's the whole point. It is precisely because the bailiffs do not find some accounts (because they are not looking) that rumors arise that there is a whole network of special banks that do not cooperate with the bailiffs. And it is in them that you need to open an account in order to protect the debtor’s money.

It’s like the legend about flying saucers - no one has seen them, but my neighbor’s neighbor has a friend who saw with his own eyes and filmed a fire-breathing dragon and the Loch Ness monster.

Training scheme

The most successful training scheme for gaining “mass” as quickly as possible is when you work out just one part of the body during training. Moreover, the sequence is as follows: legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms. After that, you rest for two days and repeat everything from the beginning.

If you think this isn't enough of a challenge, consider that when you do heavy compound exercises with free weights, every part of your body is challenged, albeit indirectly, more than once a week.

Back training with heavy weights targets your biceps, rear delts, and if you're doing deadlifts, your legs. When working the chest, the shoulders and triceps receive a significant load. Well, when doing squats, the whole body works.

How does a bodybuilder rest?

Lee Priest has now changed a lot in his philosophy, before his main part of the body, what he didn’t like was the body itself, so he trained it, and today it’s the heart. That's the reason for buying a cool BMW850i that a bodybuilder rides.

He loves to get into the car, drive far out of town, where there is no fuss, no gym, and no tasteless food, and enjoy the beauty of nature and truly enjoy life. Wants to buy a Lamborghini in the future.

Photo. What Lee Priest looks like now

He doesn’t watch his diet very strictly, so he can treat himself to snacks at KFC and Chinese cuisine. As for music, he gives preference to love songs and ballads that he likes. Enjoys listening to Celine Dion tracks. He doesn’t really read books, maybe newspapers or magazines, and then only out of boredom. But he sincerely loves and respects black comedians and the same humor. He is a fan of Adam Sandler. In the evening he might turn on some interesting talk show.