Casual lifters and exert bodybuilders are very different in size in the bodybuilding community. Entering the world of professional bodybuilding and gaining the kind of mass necessary to go on stage requires years and years of intense concentration in the kitchen and gym. There are various categories, even on the main stage. Sure, everyone is huge, but then there are the largest of the largest, referred to as “Mass Monsters.” These are the guys who, even in comparison to other pros, seem little because of how much muscular mass they possess.
Top 12 Best Bodybuilders
1. Mamdouth Elssbiay
Almost everyone refers to Mamdouth Elssbiay as “Big Ramy.” Perhaps it is because his real name is too difficult to pronounce, or perhaps it is just that he is, well, a large guy. really large. Mamdouh Elssbiay began training in 2009 and reached a weight of 200 pounds by 2011. But according to the account, Big Ramy weighed an incredible 286 pounds for his contest weight in 2012 when he took the stage at Kuwait City’s Amateur Olympia. Three years after he started training, he won first place there and received his pro card. Big Ramy has since developed his physique to the point that he won first place in 2020 while walking the Mr. Olympia stage. Then, in 2021, he repeated the act.
2. Lee Haney
Lee Haney, who is 5′ 11″, would weigh about 255 pounds when competing on the Mr. Olympia stage. In the off-season, he would gain only about 10 pounds, weighing 265 pounds. However, that was sufficient. In addition to being Mr. Olympia in 1984, Lee Haney won the competition each of the following seven years. That’s eight wins in a row at Mr. Olympia. He shares the record for most victories on the Mr. Olympia stage with Ronnie Coleman, having won the competition eight times. Lee Haney was named chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports following his retirement. Additionally, he launched his own programme on The Trinity Broadcasting Network, where he mostly lectures on spiritual and physical well-being.
3. Dorian Yates
Dorian Yates was known as “The Shadow” because of his bulk, which shaded the light from his face when he moved among persons of average stature. Dorian Yates, a British national, started weightlifting and developing his muscles in 1983 and made his professional debut in the Newcastle Pro in 1991. Dorian Yates, who stood 5’10”, had an off-season weight of about 310 pounds, but when he took the stage, he shrank to 260 pounds of pure muscle.
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Without this utter beast of an Austrian, the world of professional bodybuilding probably would not be what it is today. One of the first bodybuilders who added more muscular mass to an incredible physique is Arnold Schwarzenegger. During the “Golden Era” of bodybuilding, Arnold lifted weights, bodybuilders prioritising symmetry and aesthetics over the present scenario. Don’t get us wrong, these lifters—Arnold among them—were still enormous. Arnold was well-known for having a really attractive body. He was 6’2″ and weighed 252 pounds when competing. As a matter of fact, his physical attributes and attractiveness helped him defeat Lou Ferrigno in the 1975 season. Since then, Arnold has developed the IFBB Arnold Classic, giving rise to the biggest fitness expos globally. The Arnold Classic features a variety of competitive bodybuilding competitions in addition to a number of other fitness competitions like powerlifting and Strongman.
5. Greg Kovacs
This behemoth of a man was extremely tall in addition to having an absurd amount of mass. At six feet four inches, Greg Kovacs was taller than most bodybuilders, standing at least six feet zero inches. Being among the list of exceptionally tall bodybuilders, his weight could reach an incredible 420 pounds in the off-season. Subsequently, Greg would reach an astounding competitive weight of 330 pounds. That is very significant. In context, he was about eighty pounds heavier than Arnold. That is absurd. He might be the largest bodybuilder to have ever appeared on the Mr. Olympia stage. Regretfully, Greg Kovacs passed away from heart failure in 2013 at the age of 44.
6. Dennis James
Dennis James weighed in at 260 pounds during competitions despite being on the shorter side at 5’8″. At 300 pounds, he was huge! Dennis James first competed and won in 1985. In 2000, he made his Mr. Olympia stage debut with his bodybuilding poses. Dennis James would later record his best finish in a Mr. Olympia competition in 2003, coming in fourth. Dennis James, who was born in 1966, is still a beast today. He maintains a rigorous workout schedule and a balanced diet. Dennis is another Trifecta Nutrition-sponsored athlete. Every week, he gets to choose between 3 pounds of cod, 5 pounds of chicken breast, and 3 pounds of salmon.
7. Dennis Wolf
Dennis Wolf, also known as “The Big Bad Wolf,” is 5’11” and weighs 258 pounds during competitions. During the off-season, he puts on 300 pounds. Dennis Wolf, a German professional bodybuilder with the IFBB, started competing at the young age of 21, having started training at the age of 15. 2006 saw him make his professional debut at the World Amateur Championships. Throughout his career, he has placed fourth at Mr. Olympia in 2015 and won the IFBB Arnold Classic in 2014. Dennis regrettably had to retire from stage a little early than he would have liked due to a career-ending injury in 2016 (C4-C7 herniated discs). Still, he looks amazing and continues to lead a healthy lifestyle now. You can see how he trains on Instagram, as well as how he trains his clients, and you can bet that he occasionally poses for pictures.
8. Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler, who began training at the age of 18, received his pro card at the young age of 23, just five years after he began. And he went on to win his first Mr. Olympia title in 2005. Jay went on to win Mr. Olympia three more times, in 2007, 2009, and 2010. This indicates that he defeated the legendary Ronnie Coleman in a match and won at least a few titles. At five feet ten inches tall, Jay Cutler weighs 260 pounds for competition and an incredible 300 pounds for the off-season. Jay Cutler still has an amazing…and massive—look these days. Several well-known companies in the field support him, including Trifecta Nutrition, which provides the Legend with 10 pounds of chicken and 6 pounds of bison weekly.
9. Lou Ferrigno
Lou Ferrigno is among the tallest bodybuilders at 6’4″, which makes it much harder to appear enormous because of weight distribution. However, he succeeded. Lou Ferrigno’s choice to portray the green monster is understandable given his competitive weight of 285 pounds. Mr Ferrigno has landed several additional TV roles and cameos in films since he played The Hulk. One of his most notable roles was in the controversial documentary Pumping Iron, which tracked him and Arnold Schwarzenegger as they prepared for and participated in the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe competitions. This has made him an iconic figure in pop culture and one of the most renowned bodybuilders of all time.
10. Markus Rühl
Rühl, a professional bodybuilder for the German IFBB, began bodybuilding in 1990 when he was just 18 years old. Remarkably, his window of opportunity was opened by a knee injury he suffered while playing football. Markus Rühl’s physician advised strength training as part of his recuperation to hasten his healing and fend against additional injuries. Markus weighed only 125 pounds at the time. Markus Rühl got his pro licence just five years after he began an aggressive six-day fitness regimen. Rühl stands 5’10”. Records indicate that he gained an incredible 325 pounds in the off-season and blew up to 285 pounds during competitions.
11. Phil Heath
Phil Heath, a native of Seattle, was a real freak who won seven Mr. Olympia titles while competing as a 5-foot-9 shooting guard in Division I basketball. Heath played basketball at the University of Denver after being a standout student at Rainier Beach High. He entered the bodybuilding field soon after his basketball career ended, and by the middle of the 2000s, he was winning competitions. Soon afterward, in 2011, he ascended to the summit of the bodybuilding mountain by winning the first of his seven Mr. Olympia titles in a row. His winnings include:
- Seven times Mr. Olympia champion (2011–17),
- Twice runner-up in Mr. Olympia (2010, 2018),
- Winner of the Arnold Classic Europe (2013),
- Twice winner of the Sheru Classic (2011–2012),
- 2008 IFBB Iron Man champion, and 2006 winner of the New York Pro Championship.
12. Franco Columbu
In the records of sports history, not many wingmen have been able to seize the opportunity to cut out their own swatch in the style of Franco Columbu. The Italian struck up a longtime connection with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1965. This bond continued till Columbu’s death in 2019 from a heart attack he suffered while swimming off the coast of his native Sardinia. Columbu was a champion in his own right, even if he was Arnold’s right-hand man. Inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2001, the former professional boxer claimed two Mr. Olympia championships in 1976 and 1981. In addition, he held a chiropractic licence.
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