Want to know the Top 10 Bodybuilders in the World? Well, you have landed on the right article.
Bodybuilding and gyms are not new concepts for us. Exercise, fitness, and gym visits are a regular part of our lives.
Whether it’s to maintain our health, improve our physical condition, or become a bodybuilder yourself, we’ve all made or will make efforts in our lives.
Being physically fit is one thing, but having to become a professional bodybuilder is quite another.
To become a professional bodybuilder, you must put in a few hours of daily training, follow a rigorous diet, get the right quantity and kind of sleep, eat well, and many other things—even your genes!
To give you an example of the best bodybuilders in the world, here are some:
Top 10 bodybuilders in the world (Updated 2023)
Table of content
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger, sometimes referred to as the “Austrian Oak,” “The Terminator,” “the Governador,” “Mr. Freeze,” “John Matrix,” or simply “Arnie,” is not only a bodybuilder; it’s crucial to note that he is also a politician and movie star.
Being motivated by Reg Park’s portrayal of Hercules, he mapped out the complete strategy almost immediately, bringing the bodybuilding business or career path into the public.
Becoming an activist for causes such as equal rights, equality, and the defence of the environment and social change.
He had the ideal body, but he also had a larger-than-life attitude, was humorous, and was good at one-liners.
Before winning titles like the Steirer Hof Competition in Graz, Austria in 1963, Junior Mr. Europe in 1965, Best-Built Athlete of Europe in Germany in 1966, and the International Powerlifting Championship in Germany in 1966.
He won titles like the Steirer Hof Competition, Junior Mr. Europe, and Best-Built Athlete of Europe. From there, he won Mr. Olympia titles in a row in cities like New York three times, Paris, Germany, Pretoria and Sydney.
- DOB: Born on 30th July 1947.
- Place of Birth: Austria
- Body Measurement: He is as tall as 6’3” or 190.5 cm. His waist is 30 inches and arms are 22 inches.
- Country: Austria
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 235 lb (107 kg) during competitions.
2. Ronnie Coleman
Ronnie Coleman is without a doubt the best of all time, and we’ll explain why. Like most of the heroes described in this essay, he started out in life with very little.
Three amateur championships were won by him: Mr. Texas in 1990, the NPC Texas Championships in 1990, and the global amateur championships in 1991.
He then advanced and won titles and positions in his professional bodybuilding career, including the 1992 Chicago Pro Championships, 1993 Grand Prix France, and 1996 Canada Pro Cup.
1997 Grand Prix, 1997 Toronto Invitational, 1998 Mr. Olympia, 1999 Mr. Olympia, 1999 World Pro Championships, 1999 Grand Prix England, and 1999 Mr. Brody Lan.
He persisted till he finished in fourth place and earned his last title in 2007 for Mr. Olympia IFBB.
The titles alone are very intimidating, don’t you think? He also held a BSc in accounting, and he began this entire trip with only enough money to buy pizza from his place of employment while working at Domino’s.
Afterwards, he became a police officer and continued his bodybuilding career, setting a record by winning Mr. Olympia eight times!
- DOB: Born on May 13th in the year 1964
- Place of Birth: America
- Body Measurement: His height is 180.34 cm or 5’11” weighing 130-140kgs or 287-310lbs.
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 287–300 lb (130–136 kg) during competitions.
3. Phil Heath
He is referred to as “the gift” and has won the Mr. Olympia title six times! In 2014, on the occasion of the competition’s 50th anniversary, Phil Heath was named Mr. Olympia.
He came close to tying the record held by Dorian Yates and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Since both of his parents were full-time employees, he had to practically raise himself by himself to learn how to work hard.
Through this experience, he gained several life skills that helped him cope with his circumstances.
- DOB: 18 December 1979
- Place of Birth: America
- Body Measurement: He is 5’9” or 175 cm tall, his waist was 29 inches and his arms were 23 inch.
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 240 lb (109 kg) during competitions.
4. Frank Zane
Triumphed three times as Mr. Olympia, but they weren’t his only victories. Among them were Mr. Pennsylvania, who finished in 17th place in the year 1961, Mr. Keystone.
Who came in second place in the following year, Mr. Sunshine State in 1965, and many more until he won the IFBB Mr. Olympia title in the year 1983, which came after an accident and shoulder surgery.
He began his career when he was just 14 years old, using just some dumbbells. He worked hard and trained rigorously to achieve his goals.
His propensity for hard work is already apparent from the efforts he put into the last title he won in 1983.
While he was on his bodybuilding adventure, he also taught arithmetic. He was born in 1942, was 5’9″ (175 inches) tall, with a waist of 29 inches (73.7 cm), and arms that were 18 inches (45.7 cm) long.
- DOB: 28 June 1942
- Place of Birth: America
- Body Measurement: He is 5’9” or 175 inches tall, his waist was 29 inches or 73.7 cm and his arms were 18 inches or 45.7 cm
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 200 lb (91 kg) during competitions.
5. Dorian Yates
Doesn’t the fact that an English bodybuilder won the Mr. Olympia title seven times between 1992 and 1997 speak for itself?
He surprised everyone by entering the stage after Lee Hayley retired with a height of 5’10” and a weight of 262 lbs., when nobody expected someone to be even bigger than him. Born in England on April 19, 1962.
- DOB: 19th April 1962
- Place of Birth: England
- Body Measurement: He was as tall as 5’10” and weighing 262 lbs
- Country: England
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 260–265 lb (118–120 kg) during competitions.
6. Franco Columbu
Francesco Maria Columbu, sometimes known as Franco Columbu, has always been active.
He began his athletic career by taking up amateur boxing, followed by training in Olympic Weightlifting and switching to Powerlifting.
Two Mr. Olympia championships in 1976 and 1981, and he took part in the World’s Strongest Man competition.
- DOB: August 7th 1941
- Place of Birth: Italy
- Body Measurement: His height was 5’5” or 165 cm. His arms: were 19 inches and his waist: was 30 inches.
- Country: Italy
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 185 lb (84 kg) during competitions.
7. Jay Cutler
He won the Mr. Olympia many times, including in the years 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010, together with other elite bodybuilders.
He began working there at 11 after growing up in a household where relatives were employed in the concrete building industry.
When he was 18 years old, he started making plans for the training. He received his education at Wachusett Regional High School. held a criminal justice degree when she left Quinsigamond Community College in 1993.
He later excelled in bodybuilding thanks to the inspiration of his mentor Marco Rodriguez. He won many championships, including the IFBB Mr. Olympia in 2010, the IFBB Arnold Classic in 2002, the NPC Teen Nationals in 1993, the NPC U.S.
Tournament of Champions in 1995, the Iron Bodies Invitational in 1993, the NPC Teen Nationals in 1993, the NPC Teen Nationals in 1993, the NPC Night of Champions in 200, and the Ironman Pro Invitational in 2003.
- DOB: August 3rd, 1973
- Place of Birth: America
- Body Measurement: He is as tall as 5’9” his competition weight was 124 kgs or 274 lbs. Biceps: 22 inches, Waist: 39 inches.
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 260 lb (118 kg) during competitions
8. Flex Wheeler
Kenneth, Flex Wheeler, or Flex Wheeler’s childhood wasn’t very simple; he had to cope with several challenges,challenges, including deprivation, dyslexia, child abuse, and mental health concerns.
When he was a teenager, he switched from martial arts to bodybuilding to start his professional career. Later, after becoming a police officer, he entirely changed his focus to bodybuilding.
He entered his first competition in 1983, and in 1989, he won the top spot in the NCP MR California Championship, marking the first time he had done so.
He later won several championships, including the South Beach Pro Invitational, the Night of Champions, the France Grand Prix, the Hungarian Grand Prix, and four Arnold Classic.
He has faced several challenges during his life, including some that have already been described as well as others including a vehicle accident, a carjacking, and a condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
- DOB: 23 August 1965
- Place of Birth: America
- Body Measurement: His height was 5’7” and weighed around 102.1-106.6kgs or 225-35lbs. the measurement of his arms was 24 inches, the chest was 56 inches.
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 212–240 lb (96–109 kg) during competitions.
9. Sergio Oliva
He is a professional bodybuilder from Cuba and a member of the IFBB. In the years 1967, 1968, and 1969, he won Mr. Olympia three times in a row.
He belonged to the group of bodybuilders who gained fame via exceptional weightlifting. He continued his bodybuilding career.
He began his road toward becoming a Mr. Olympia winner in 1967 by competing in Mr. Chicagoland.
In 1969, he defeated Arnold Schwarzenegger, a seven-time Mr. Olympia, and became the lone man to ever defeat Arnold.
- DOB: July 4th, 1941
- Place of Birth: Cuba
- Body Measurement: He was as tall as 178 cm or 5’10” and weighing 102-111 kgs or 225-245 lbs. His waist was 68.58 cm, arms/biceps were 22.5 inches or 57.15 cm.
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around225 lb (102 kg) during competitions.
10. Dexter Jackson
Dexter Jackson withdrew from the sport of bodybuilding in 2020 after competing in MR Olympia for the last time.
He is referred to as “The Blade” because he is virtually always in competition shape.
He also holds 28 IFBB championships as a professional bodybuilder, has won five Arnold Classic, holds the record for competing in the most consecutive MR Olympias with 20 and was crowned Mr. Olympia in 2008.
- DOB: 25 November 1969
- Place of Birth: America
- Body Measurement: His height is 168 cm, his biceps are around 53 cm or 21 inches, his waist is around 48 cm or 19 inches, his thighs are 74 cm or 29 inches and his chest is around 127 cm or 50 inches
- Country: America
- Competition Weight: He weighed around 98 kgs or 215 lb during the contests
Conclusion
I believe the George Bernard Shaw adage, “Don’t wait for the proper opportunity: make it,” is most applicable when we think about the tales of the best bodybuilders in the world, some of whom were listed above.
They put in a lot of effort, dealt with issues head-on, gained knowledge, and persisted.
To get where they were, they completed, trained, and stuck to strict schedules and diets.
Establishing records and influencing millions of people worldwide. This essay should have provided you with the knowledge and motivated you to put in the effort and maintain your resolve to accomplish whatever you set out to do.
I hope you liked our article on Top 10 Bodybuilders in the World, if you have any comments or suggestions do share them in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1 Who is the largest bodybuilder of all time?
Without a doubt, the title of biggest bodybuilder on this list goes to Greg Kovacs. This monster of a man didn’t just have an insane amount of mass – he was also very tall.
Greg Kovacs was 6’4″ and towered over the majority of bodybuilders who stood around the 6’0″ mark or shorter.
Q2 Who is the king of bodybuilder?
Ronald “Ronnie” Dean Coleman (born May 13, 1964) is an American retired professional bodybuilder.
Q3 Who won Mr. Olympia most?
The record number of wins is eight each by Lee Haney (1984–1991) and Ronnie Coleman (1998–2005).
Here are the Top 10 Bodybuilders of all time:-