Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!

Novocastrian bodybuilder Lee Priest was never backward in coming forward despite being only 5′ 4″ tall – at least he was the tallest in his family.

But I guess even if you’re only 160cm tall 90kg of muscle gives you the confidence to suggest that “a bodybuilder has to sleep with officials to do well in contests.”

That remark cost Priest $12,000 in a fine from the IFBB.

More recently, Priest received a one year suspension for competing in a non IFBB sanctioned event losing a lucrative Twinlab sponsorship deal in the process.

It will be interesting to see what our Lee gets up to in 2007. leepriestdriven.com, doesn’t seem to have been updated lately – there are still references to his Twin Lab sponsorship – but it’s nice to see there’s more to Priest than bodybuilding.

He describes himself as a Bodybuilder and Racecar driver. Why not, Arnie went to Hollywood so Lee might drive himself to Daytona or the Indy 500.

And Lee likes to indulge in a little body art as a hobby.

It’s not hard to see why Priest got disenchanted with the IFBB – pissed off might be more accurate – finishing 6th 4 times at the Mr Olympia.

No wonder he says “Just because I’m bigger, or well known, isn’t an indicator of being a better bodybuilder. The truth is bodybuilding is a self-empowering endeavor in which you receive what you invest, and the only judge worthy of deciding how good you are is yourself. At the end of the day, we’re all equal. Don’t let anyone else tell you different.”

And how did Lee get to where he is today?

Volume training coupled with volume eating, just imagine 130kg on a 5′ 4″ frame.

While this type of training might break mere mortals Priest does offer some good advice.

“Stick to the basics. You can use machines to warm up or finish off a muscle, but the free-weight basics should form the core of your program. Use trial and error. Some exercises might not work as well for you. Sometimes it takes a long time to figure out the training and diet that works best for you. Everybody is different.” says Lee.

Here’s an example of his first mass building program

Leg extensions 5 x 8-10
Squats 5 x 6-8
Leg presses 5 6-8
Lunqes 5 x 6-8
Leg curls 5 x 6-8
Stiff-leg deadlifts 5 x 6-8

Compared to his current leg routine:

Oh, and “eat like a pig”!

More Lee:

2003 Flex Interview

BB.com Interview