The human body contains 600 muscles, all working together so we can go about our lives. But some bodybuilders have pushed those muscles to near inhuman proportions. From seven-foot-tall human skyscrapers to Herculean monsters weighing in at over 400lbs, dust off that barbell and find someone to spot you as we look at some of the biggest bodybuilders to ever walk this earth!
Ronnie Coleman
Bodybuilding is tough! It takes courage, sacrifice, and a whole lot of hard work, and nobody understands this more than cop-turned-bodybuilding pro, Ronnie Coleman. At his heaviest, this colossus weighed a whopping 300lbs, and it shows.
Crowned "The King" of bodybuilding, the International Sports Hall of Famer has an impressive eight Mr. Olympia championships under his belt. And he boasts superman-level personal records, including being able to both squat and deadlift a death-defying 822lbs of weight. But life didn’t always go so well for the bodybuilding goliath. Despite graduating with a degree in accounting, Coleman was initially unable to find work. So, unsure what else to do, he took a job at a Domino’s pizza branch. But this didn’t even earn him enough to properly feed himself and he was forced to survive on the complementary daily pizzas. But one day everything changed when he saw an ad for a police officer position. As a testament to his unrivaled motivation, he followed it through, and smashed police academy with flying colors! Coleman remained in the force until 2004, all while simultaneously pursuing his bodybuilding career and stacking up those Mr. Olympia wins!Now a household name with a plethora of catchphrases, the regal warrior’s legacy has been solidified in pop culture.
Sadly, however, it came at great cost. Extreme bodybuilding is one of the most strenuous things you can put your body through. Without great care, it can be very dangerous. And at the peak of his career, in the mid-nineties, Coleman didn’t take the greatest care. He slipped a disc in his back but instead of seeking medical help carried on weightlifting, exacerbating the problem. Atop this, he also injured his shoulders, hips, and neck because of his seriously heavy lifts. All this means he’s endured a painstaking 13 surgeries, and today is unable to walk unassisted. But in typical champion fashion, the king regrets nothing, and has even said he wishes he’d gone further! One shouldn't condone this approach, but you’ve got to applaud the man’s dedication and optimism.
Phil "The Gift" Heath
A name can say it all, and Phil ‘The Gift’ Heath is no exception. A seven-time Mr. Olympia, this internationally renowned 270lb gladiator is credited with having one of the most well-rounded physiques in bodybuilding.
A talented athlete from a young age, he was captain of his high school’s basketball team in the nineties and received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Denver. While continuing to gift the court with his skill, it was here that he also started lifting weights. Eventually this led to him developing the lifetime goal of having an incredible physique. So, he trained. Hard. But it wasn’t until April 4th 2003 that he actively started pursuing a career in bodybuilding.
Bit of a precise date, right? Heath once struggled with low self-esteem. Terrified of failure, he shied away from bodybuilding competitions despite the impressive muscles he’d worked so hard to attain. Yet, his best friends saw his potential and relentlessly encouraged him to go for gold. April 4th 2003 is the date he remembers finally gathering the courage to take their advice. That year, he entered his first competition. And won! With newfound confidence, Heath ended up dominating the stage within a decade, culminating in winning Mr. Olympia for seven straight years!
The iconic superstar continues to enjoy tremendous success as an Instagram fitness influencer, and despite being in his 40s is still an absolute tank of a human. Let’s hope this gift doesn’t stop giving anytime soon.
Nataliya Kuznetsova
Coming in at nearly 40 inches, Russian bodybuilder Nataliya Kuznetsova’s quads are quite literally the size of tree trunks. An achievement she’s managed through an incredibly rigorous training schedule. If you already hate leg day, try pulling off Kuznetsova’s routine! She smashes out seven different exercises including squats, leg extensions, and leg curls, totaling over 300 reps a session. But it’s taken a literal lifetime to get to this level.
Powerlifting since she was 14 years old and just 88lbs, the Russian muscle machine put the time and work in and is now over 250lbs! She isn’t all legs either. She’s set multiple world records in deadlifting and bench press, capable of 375lbs and 530lbs respectively. While that’s mighty impressive, it hasn’t stopped her coming under criticism, about her use of certain performance enhancing substances.
But while many in the fitness industry have tried to hide their steroid use, Nataliya is one of the few influencers that has always been honest about using. Which means she’s not pushing unrealistic expectations on anyone. I’m not condoning what she does by any means. In fact, I highly advise against it. But admitting to it is a heck of a lot more respectable than lying to your fanbase.
Martyn Ford, The Nightmare
Forget tanks, if you ever have to go into battle, there’s only one weapon you need, and his name’s Martyn Ford. At 6’8, this monster of a man would’ve been intimidating even if he wasn’t stacked with a nightmarish amount of pure mass. But he is. So, he’s often called the scariest man on the planet with the nickname “The Nightmare”.
Peaking at an awe inspiring 360lbs, Ford underwent a transformation in 2022 and actually slimmed down a bit in order to prepare for a boxing match. However, by “slimmed down” it doesn't mean he got on the weight watchers’ diet. The absolute brutus eats up to 10,000 calories a day when he’s bulking, which is four times the amount of a normal man. And when he’s slimming down, he still eats a not-so-small 4,500 calories.
Not that Ford was always such a beast. The built-up Brit was once a slight professional cricketer! But at the age of 19 he was forced to give it up after sustaining a career-ending injury and contracting glandular fever. Suddenly, Ford was weak and struggled to even leave his bedroom without aid. He stopped eating and grew so ill that he fainted while out in town. This, he marks as the turning point. Ford started eating properly again and hit the gym as a positive outlet for his frustrations. I don’t need to reiterate the result, but with an online following of over 4.5 million people and a number of roles in popular movies, it’s safe to say Ford’s not doing so badly for himself nowadays. I just feel bad for whoever ends up in the ring with him.
Olivier Richters, The Dutch Giant
There’s big. Then there’s bigger. Then there’s the world’s tallest bodybuilder, Dutch Giant Olivier Richters.
Standing at a whopping 7’2 and weighing over 330lbs, this absolute powerhouse of a man eats around 16 ounces of protein every day to maintain his towering physique. That’s like chowing down on 16 chicken breasts! He achieves this over the course of seven meals that add up to an extraordinary daily intake of 6,400 calories, nearly three times what we usually eat!As you can imagine, he didn’t come out of the womb like this. The men’s health cover model and promotional cosplayer began his bodybuilding career at the age of 19. Then weighing only 176lbs, Richters suffered from self-esteem issues due to what he saw as his tall, lanky frame. So, he started eating more and hitting the gym. It paid off. Through the blood, sweat and tears of tough training and a strict diet, Richters gained a seriously impressive 155lbs of muscle in eight years, nearly doubling his weight. He’s so committed to his new physique that he sets an alarm for 3am every night to pack in his seventh meal! Richters still isn’t satisfied with his appearance though and reckons he can go even further. Not that bodybuilding is all he does. Aside from modelling, acting, and cosplaying, Richters has also launched a successful “healthy ready meal” brand with his two siblings.
Lifting Through The Ages
Have humans always been fascinated with the idea of tanking, muscular physiques? Well, for a very long time at least. The origins of bodybuilding can be traced all the way back to Ancient Greece and its myths about muscular heroes like Hercules. Indeed, one look at the famous Doryphoros sculpture is all you need to know about how Grecians viewed the ideal male body type.
But modern bodybuilding as we know it started much later, in the 1890s. Prussian strongman Eugen Sandow was one of the first people in history to achieve such a muscular physique, and people flocked to see him show it off. In the following century however, bodybuilders gradually went from projecting relatively sleek, athletic builds like Sandow’s to flexing biology-defying amounts of muscle. Quite literally.
Yes, it’s time to bring up the elephant in the room, anabolic steroids. First discovered in the 1930s, these performance enhancing hormones gained popularity in the 1950s and when ingested can drastically increase a person’s muscle growth. But they can also cause a plethora of adverse side effects, like stomach pain, hair loss, and even infertility. Because of this, they’re controlled substances in many countries including the US, and require a prescription to use. That little technicality hasn’t stopped many professional bodybuilders from illegally taking them though, and they’ve only grown in popularity since their inception.
The rise of steroids and the subsequent obsession with becoming as big as possible culminated in the 1990s, when a bodybuilder subtype called ‘Mass Monsters’ marched onto the scene, including the famous Ronnie Coleman. Defined by throwing proportionality to the wind and pushing human size to fanatical limits, the goal of mass monsters was to be, well, massive. And among the "massivest" of them all was
Markus Rühl.
The former soccer pro got into bodybuilding in 1990 after suffering a serious knee injury on the pitch. As part of his rehabilitation, he started lifting weights, and the changes in his physique convinced him to lift full-time. In just a few years he gained over 100lbs of mass and by the 2000s he’d become a seriously powerful force of nature. Standing at 5’10 and peaking at 280lbs, his Herculean figure secured him several competitive wins and even a few cheeky DVD releases.
Greg Kovacs
How big is too big? Being so big that you need to carry a handheld fan around because of all the body heat you produce? Bodybuilding legend Greg Kovacs would say that’s the perfect size. According to legend, the 6”4 1996 Canadian National Champion was so enormous that his body perpetually sweated, to the point he carried a battery-powered fan with him to cool down!
Weighing a remarkable 420lbs off-season, that’s over twice the weight of the average man, and 330lbs during competitions, this outstanding affront to nature’s boundaries is considered the biggest bodybuilder to have ever made the stage in International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. But the former FLEX magazine cover model wasn’t all bark, no bite. His unmatched power saw him bench pressing an unbelievable 700lbs, and not just for one rep, for two! That’s not far off benching an entire adult horse twice.
And his leg press was even more superhuman, coming in at a monumental 2,025lbs. It should come as no surprise then that Kovacs is comfortably one of the strongest athletes to have ever lived. Sadly the behemothic beast passed from heart failure in 2013 at just 44, but his legend lives on.
Jay Cutler
Good nutrition, there’s no denying it’s an important part of keeping healthy. As we’ve seen though, bodybuilders need a hell of a lot more food than we do to keep all that muscle. Heavyweight tank Jay Cutler knows this all too well. This absolute behemoth of a man weighed nearly 300lbs at his heaviest and had an absolutely wild diet to support the lifestyle.
For breakfast, Cutler ate two whole eggs, 15 egg whites, 4 slices of Ezekiel toast and a cup of dry Ezekiel. This was followed by another three meals throughout the day consisting of chicken, steak, buffalo meat, and a hell of a lot of rice. Pair that with an incredibly demanding workout routine and you’ve got a recipe for, well, a back that looks almost inhuman.
Helle Trevino
Meet Helle Trevino. Training as a gymnast from the extraordinarily young age of three, this small-town Dane competed in track and field and horse riding in her younger years, then began hitting the gym at 17. And her transformation was dramatic.
Quickly gaining 20lbs of muscle in a year, she realized she had great genetics for bodybuilding. And genetics matter. To simplify massively, several genes are associated with muscle development and growth, and if you’ve got them, you’re gonna have a much easier time than someone who doesn’t. Not that Helle didn’t have to try; she trained hard, and at only 22 won the Danish heavyweight and overall championships in 1998. Helle weighs an impressive 165lbs when in contest shape, made even more noticeable by her modest height of 5’5. The key to her Olympian physique? Discipline, according to her. She sticks to a strict diet of chicken, rice, and veggies, and lifts weights for two hours a day, six days a week, no matter what else she has going on.
Whether you want to lose or gain weight, Helle is a strong believer in reminding yourself why every time you want to cheat. That way, you’ll find the motivation to achieve your goals.
Paul Dillett
Like any sport, bodybuilding carries the risk of injury. But for the very biggest bodybuilders this risk is far greater. Not only is training with super heavy weights potentially dangerous, but even prepping for competitions can be too. Canadian colossus Paul Dillett knows this all too well. Back in 1994, he was competing in the Arnold Classic when a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare happened.
During the last callout for the symmetry round, the 300lb Night of Champions winner attempted a double bicep pose. But suddenly his arm got locked above his head and the oblique muscles on his left side went into agonizing spasms. Fortunately, he managed to get himself backstage and made what he thought was a recovery. So, 25 minutes later, he went back out to finish the show, only to suffer the same fate while attempting a back bicep pose. This time, it was even worse. The audience gasped as Dillet collapsed to the floor and had to be carried offstage.
After a short stint in hospital however, he returned to the event just hours later and gave a speech declaring his intention to come back stronger than ever! Talk about soldiering on. But what had actually caused the cramps? Well, to achieve the most chiseled look possible, bodybuilders typically “dry out” before a show. This means they reduce their water intake so their bodies aren’t bloated and appear more defined. However, if they go too far and end up dehydrated, this can upset the balance of electrolytes in their system, which are responsible for healthy muscle function. In turn, this can lead to debilitating muscle cramps, which is exactly what happened to Paul Dillet.
Despite this setback though, the aptly nicknamed “Freak-einstein” still boasts an illustrious career with several wins and appearances at the most recognizable bodybuilding events in the world.
Sergio "The Myth" Oliva
Born in Guantanamo, Cuba, it was clear from a young age that Sergio ‘The Myth’ Oliva was destined for greatness. After just six months of training, the 20-year-old could clean and jerk a difficult 400lbs and quickly found himself among Cuba’s weightlifting elite. As such, he was selected for the national weightlifting team and sent to represent the country at the 1961 Pan American Games in Kingston, Jamaica. It was here that Sergio made a brave and life changing decision.
Cuba had become a communist nation since Fidel Castro’s victory in the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Sergio, however, had fought on the wrong side and found himself adrift under this new regime. So, before the event began, he told a guard he needed to take a walk to psyche himself up. Then, he started sprinting as fast as he could from the team’s hotel all the way down to the American Embassy. Amazingly, he made it safely and was promptly granted political asylum, with the rest of the Cuban weightlifting team soon following suit. Safe to say, it was the right decision. Sergio worked hard and trained harder, following an intense 6-day weightlifting plan. What’s more, he’d been gifted with a lightning-fast metabolism. So rather than living off chicken, eggs and veg like most bodybuilders, he could eat anything he wanted! And he did, hamburgers, hot dogs, twinkies, you name it, Sergio stuffed it down. And by 1972, after years of training, he’d transformed himself into an absolute monster pushing 240lbs in weight.
Stunning Mr. Olympia crowds with his unmatched physique and tremendous symmetry, he won the competition for three consecutive years, a period defined by a friendly feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger. So staggering were The Myth’s bodybuilding abilities that even today Arnie places himself second to the Cuban legend. Sadly, Sergio passed away in 2012. But he’s survived by his son, Sergio Oliva Jr., who followed his father’s footsteps and became a successful bodybuilder in his own right. The second generation great uses his large online platform to continue his family’s legacy, and it’s clear he’s inherited his dad’s drive. Back in 2020, he was taken to hospital suffering from nerve damage and forced to put his weightlifting on the backseat. Yet, less than three years later the legend posted on Instagram the unbelievable transformation he’d undergone since recovering.
Aaron W. Reed
Life’s hard. But nobody’s been up against it quite like Aaron W. Reed. The 6’7, 300lb hulk of a man is a successful bodybuilder, actor, wrestler, and author. But he went through a lot to get to where he is today. At just 4 years old, this now-enormous warrior was diagnosed with leukemia and had to undergo intensive chemotherapy. Thankfully he survived, but the treatment made him lose his hair and weight and he was bullied relentlessly for it at school. But he didn’t let that get him down.
Inspired by his childhood role model Arnold Schwarzenegger, Reed decided to start lifting weights at the age of 12. Within a few years, he’d already transformed his body considerably. But his monstrously muscular physique took a long time.
By following an intense six day workout routine and eating nothing but fruit, eggs, chicken, beef, veg, and rice Reed gradually built himself into the giant you see today. In total, he’s won nine National Physique Committee titles and become the tallest ever Men’s Physique Overall Champion! His massive build also meant he was perfect for the entertainment industry, spending a brief period of time as a WWE performer under the name Lift Sawyer. But he suffered yet another setback when it was discovered he had hepatitis from a blood transfusion he’d received as a kid. Though it wasn’t lifechanging in and of itself, he was forced to quit wrestling.
Even this couldn’t stop him though. Tenacious as ever, Reed moved to Los Angeles to become an actor and even penned his own diet book, The SuperNatural Lifestyle.
Iris Kyle, The Iron Maiden
If you hear “Iron Maiden” you probably think of either the fictional torture device or the heavy metal band. But there’s a third, far more impressive than either of those: bodybuilding superstar, Iris Kyle, AKA, the Iron Maiden! And the nickname ain’t for nothing, coming in at a gargantuan 167lbs, Kyle isn’t someone you’d want to mess with.
Considered the most accomplished bodybuilder of all time, she’s won a record-breaking 10 Ms. Olympia contests and raked in seven Ms. International wins on top! But it didn’t just come out of nowhere. The multi-talented Michigan native was super sporty throughout high school and attended university on a basketball scholarship. However, it was only upon moving to Orange County, California at the age of 20 that Kyle felt inspired to buy a gym membership and go into bodybuilding. The rest, as they say, is history. An unparalleled force of athletic achievement, Kyle went on to be admired by millions for her dedication, even bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, who once famously joked with her about her unusually impressive abs at the 2010 Ms. International. Which she obviously won.
Iris Kyle interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone by drgrowalot Though officially retired since 2014, she’s continued to remain active and regularly updates her Instagram with training videos.
Lou Ferrigno
If you wanna get big, you gotta train for it. But if you wanna get really big, you’d best make sure you’re training for a long, long time. Well, bodybuilder and international superstar Lou Ferrigno certainly started early, first picking up weights at just 13 years old!
Taking inspiration from Steve Reeves in the 1958 movie Hercules, the future International Sports Hall of Famer would end up becoming one of the most successful bodybuilders of all time. I’m talking two-time Mr. Universe Champion, one-time Mr. America champion, and starring as
The Incredible Hulk levels of successful. Considering his immense 315lb weight and intimidating 6ft5 stature, it’s not hard to see why he was chosen for that role. In fact, Ferrigno was so respected for his physique and profound understanding of fitness that he was recommended to King of Pop Michael Jackson as a personal trainer.
To protect the Thriller star’s privacy the pair’s working relationship was secretive, but Ferrigno claims they developed such a close friendship that Jacko taught him the moonwalk! If you were amazed at the biggest bodybuilders to ever walk this Earth, you might want to read about people with
0% body fat. Thanks for reading!
