Let's start with the freshest hero - David Lawrence (nickname "Sid"). He began his sports career back in 1988 as a cricketer. But in 1992 he earned terrible injury knee, after which Sid had to leave the sport altogether.

See how it happened:

After 22 years, David realized that this could not continue. So he decided to go back to big sport. And now the most interesting: the star did not appear on the cricket playing field, but at the competition of British bodybuilders. Moreover, 50-year-old Lawrence even managed to win (in the category "over 40"). Bravo, Sid, bravo!

Taking this opportunity, we will tell you more about the strong men, on whose bodies all mankind relies.

10th place - Phil Heath, nickname "Gift"

We start with the champion, who from 2011 to this day takes first place in the competitions "Mr. Olympia" and "Sheru Classic". With a height of 175 cm, Phil weighs 114 kg (in the off-season - up to 125 kg), and boasts the following:

• neck volume - 47 cm;
• waist - 73 cm;
• bicep volume - 56 cm;
• thigh volume - 82 cm;
• leg volume - 51 cm.

Phil (born in 1979 in Seattle) began his sports career as a basketball player - success in this sport allowed him to receive a scholarship and graduate from the University of Denver. But a small growth put an end to professional career Phil. The guy was not taken aback and decided to go into bodybuilding.

In 2003, he won his first tournament in Northern Colorado, where he met Jay Carter, a bodybuilder who provided invaluable assistance to Phil in further development. At the moment, Phil Heath holds his leadership on the Olympus of bodybuilding. He is also young (34 years old). Therefore, you can expect everything from him (we hope only good things).

Source: rewalls.com

9th place - Lee Haney

Born in 1959 in California. The world of bodybuilding knows him for the fact that for the first time in the history of bodybuilding, he held the most prestigious title - "Mr. Olympia" for 8 years in a row.

*by the way: before that, the record belonged to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who climbed the winner's step 7 times

• Height - 180 cm;
• competitive weight - 112 kg;
• weight in the offseason - 118 kg;
• bicep volume - 52 cm.

You can be sure: the 80s in bodybuilding was the era of Haney. No other bodybuilder in those days could compete with him. Interesting fact: Lee has never been injured in his entire sports career. What's the secret? He admitted:

"I never swing to the limit."

Today, Lee is already 54. Of course, he has finished his career. But the passion for weightlifting has not faded away. Therefore, Haney is engaged in coaching. Having a diploma in child psychology, he pays a lot of attention to difficult teenagers at his own specially built camp site, conducts a sports and educational radio program, believes in God and adores his wife, whom he became friends with when he was a 6-year-old boy.

Source: ohmymag.com

8th place - Ronnie Coleman, America's strongest cop

Ronnie is a Native American from Louisiana. Born in 1964, played American football, first graduated from the University with a degree in finance and accounting, and then - a real Police Academy. Coleman devoted most of his life to maintaining order on the streets of Arlington, where he shocked local villains with his:

• height - 180 cm;
• weight - 138/149 kg;
• bicep volumes - 61 cm;
• volume chest- 148 cm;
• waist - 87 cm;
• hip size - 87 cm.

The bodybuilder looked into bodybuilding in order to set an example for everyone. Like, a real cop should look like this. And I got to my first competitions thanks to the requests of the owner of the gym.

In 1988, Haney won the Mr. Olympia competition. The fun fascinated him so much that the bodybuilder stood on the "golden" step for another 8 years (yes, he managed to repeat Lee Haney's record). The funny thing is that Ronnie has always treated bodybuilding as a hobby. He speaks:

"Sport is good, the police service does not feed me."

Source: infocium.com

7th place - Franco Colombo, actor, boxer, doctor and writer

The Italian Franco (born in 1941 in Sardinia) got into the world of bodybuilding because of boxing and a casual acquaintance with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Against the backdrop of a Hollywood star, Franco, of course, looked more modest:

• height - 166 cm;
• competitive weight - 84 kg;
• bicep volume - 47 cm;
• chest volume - 134 cm;
• leg volume - 44 cm.

Although he is not so big, he won several times in special "light" categories, and twice (in 1976 and in 1981) he was recognized as the absolute "Mr. Olympia". Still: not everyone can squat with a weight of 297 kg, take 238 kg in a bench press, and not everyone can take a deadlift of 341 kg.

Colombo earned special respect from his colleagues in the workshop because, after a severe knee injury and long break in competitive activity was able not only to return to bodybuilding, but again become "Mr. Olympia" (in 1981). All thanks to the knowledge of medicine and own program, which Franco developed for himself.

Source: jaja.club

6th place - Dorian Yates, a bodybuilder with a "dark past"

Born in Birmingham in 1962. In his youth he was a skinhead, often arranged street fights, was registered with the police, and even spent six months in a correctional facility. Sitting there, Yates realized:

"Something needs to be changed in this life."

And went to the gym.

• Height - 178 cm;
• competitive weight - 121 kg;
• weight in the offseason - 131 kg;
• bicep volume - 54 cm;
• chest volume - 148 cm;
• waist - 86 cm;
• thigh volume - 81 cm;
• leg volume - 56 cm.

At the age of 24, he became the best in the British Championship, and acquired his own gym. During the first participation in Mr. Olympia, Dorian became the second (lost to Lee Haney, although the next year he pushed the leader off the podium).

In 1997, three weeks before the next Mr. Olympia, Dorian tore his biceps. With violent pain, he wins the competition for the sixth time, after which he goes to the bench of bodybuilders, for whom big sport is closed forever.

Source: muskelaufbau1.de

5th place - Jay Cutler, Mr. "Optimism"

Born in Massachusetts in 1973, the son of a construction businessman. So with early childhood he is accustomed to physical labor. I went in for sports, studied, worked. And then I decided to go to the gym. What came out of it:

• height - 176 cm;
• competitive weight - 121 cm;
• weight in the offseason - 141 cm;
• neck volume - 50 cm;
• bicep volume - 57 cm;
• waist - 86 cm;
• thigh volume - 79 cm;
• leg volume - 51 cm.

start at sports career was sluggish - 11th place at the Night of Champions in 1998. A year later - 4th place at the "Arnold Classic", and only 14th place at the "Mr. Olympia". And then Jay got tired of losing. He took on the 320kg barbell squat and the 250kg bench press. Deadlift- also not a miss: 305 kg.

The result - in 2006, Cutler did achieve his goal and became the first at Mr. Olympia. Today he has 4 victories in the same competition. In addition, Jay has 11 more gold medals in his piggy bank.

Source: viagialla.ch

4th - Steve Reeves, Hercules of Montana

• Height - 185 cm;
• competitive weight - 95 kg;
• chest volume - 132 cm;
• waist - 73 cm;
• thigh volume - 66 cm.

Giuliano Stroe (born July 18, 2004) is a Romanian athlete and bodybuilder. Giuliano Stroe started weight training at the age of 2. His family now resides in Florence, Italy. The teenage strongman earned a place in the pages of the Guinness Book of Records after performing one incredible coordination exercise.

Giuliano says the fame didn't go to his head. And he adds that he still does the activities of a small child, such as watching cartoons and drawing.

The smallest athlete in the world often performs at shows in Italy and his native Romania, where he demonstrates his amazing skills, as well as his muscular figure of a real strongman. Giuliano has repeatedly become a Guinness World Record holder - last time he did 20 push-ups on one hand while keeping his legs in the air.

Father gymnast Julian from birth instilled in the boy a love of sports. At 2 years old, the boy was already doing weights. Father says he does not torture the child with training, claims that the son’s training scheme is not difficult “He is just a child and when he gets tired, we go and play”

Giuliano set the record for the most brisk walking on the hands of 10 meters with heavy ball between legs. He performed a stunt in front of a live audience on an Italian TV show, and became an internet sensation as hundreds of thousands of people watched the footage of what he did on YouTube.

VIDEO:

Bodybuilding is that beautiful and complex sport that owes its popularity to the real Hercules. Today, the biggest bodybuilders in the world are under the gun, whose stunning achievements and sculpted stone muscles attract more and more fans in favor of sports and gyms. Your attention to the top 10 most majestic bodybuilders in world history.

There are many opinions that distribute the places of bodybuilders based on their physical data and contribution to the development of this sport. Your attention is one of the options for the distribution of seats.

10 position - "Giving" Phil Heath

Since 2011, Phil Heath has been taking first positions in the Mr. Olympia and Sheru Classic competitions since 2011. His biometrics:

• height - 1 m 75 cm;
• weight - 114 kg, and in the off-season - 125 kilos;
• neck circumference - 47 cm;
• girth of the belt - 73 cm;
• hips - 82 cm;
• the size of the biceps is 56 cm, the lower leg is 51 cm.

Phil Heath was born in 1979 in Seattle, and the athlete began his dizzying career as a basketball player. Phil has always lacked height, and subsequently he retrained in powerlifting. In 2003, the strongman won his debut bodybuilding tournament in Northern Colorado, and since then, Phil Heath has held the lead on the Olympus of bodybuilding as a "natural bodybuilder." Read more about him.

9th position - Lee Haney or "Forgotten Star"

Lee Haney was born in California in 1959. Professional bodybuilders respect Lee for the first time in the history of this sport that he held the coveted Mr. Olympia award for 8 years. Previously, the record for holding the title was held by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who climbed the podium 7 times. Indicators:

• height - 180 cm;
• weight during competitions - 112 kg, and between seasons - 118 kilos;
• biceps - 51 cm;
• waist - 79 cm.

The 80s in bodybuilding were rightfully considered the era of Haney. There was not a single athlete who could compete with Lee. Interesting but distinctive feature is the fact that Haney has never been injured. When asked how he succeeds, the man replied that he never swings to the limit of his physical ability. To date, the bodybuilding veteran has already completed his career, but he has not lost his passion for weightlifting and has become a coach. The coach pays special attention to difficult teenagers, training them on a special base.

8 position - Ronnie Coleman "America's Strongest Cop"

Ronnie Coleman (whose fate can be found in more detail here) is an American, originally from Louisiana. A strong man was born in 1964, he was fond of American football, along the way he graduated from the University with a degree in accounting and finance, and then fulfilled his old dream by studying at the Police Academy. The athlete devoted the lion's share of his biography to policing the streets of Arlington. The villains were apparently shocked by the anthropometry of the cop:

• height - 1 m 80 cm;
• weight - 138 and between seasons 149 kg;
• bicep size - 61 cm;
• sternum volume - 1 m 48 cm;
• girth in the belt - 78 cm;
• thigh - 87 cm.

The passion for bodybuilding came only as a desire to set an example for everyone, exactly how an American “cop” should look like. And I got to the first competitions in my life with the light hand of the director of the gym. Already in 1988, Ronnie won Olympia, and he got so carried away that he spent another 8 years on the first step, duplicating the record. An interesting fact is that the champion treats bodybuilding as a hobby, believing that only official work can feed him.

7th place - "Italian" Franco Colombo

- a doctor, writer, actor and boxer, who was born in 1941 on about. Sardinia. Franco got into the bright world of bodybuilding from boxing thanks to a chance meeting with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, of course, was slightly inferior in terms of anthropometry:

• height - 1 m 66 cm;
• weight in competitions - 84 kg;
• biceps - 47 cm;
• chest - 1 m 34 cm;
• bootleg - 44 cm.

Despite the modest dimensions, the athlete has repeatedly won the "light" competitions, and twice became the absolute "Mr. Olympia. This is not surprising, because he could sit down with a weight of 297 kg, take 238 kg in the bench press, and even handle 341 kg with a deadlift. The champion was respected when, after a long break caused by an injury, he was able to return and again take the “Mr. Olympia” in 1981.

6th place - "Dark Horse" Dorian Yates

Dorian Yates was born in 1962 in Birmingham, was a skinhead, was registered with the police, and spent six months in a correctional institution. Deciding to radically change, he achieved the following indicators:

• height - 1 m 78 cm;
• body weight - 121/131 kg;
• biceps - 54 cm;
• Yats chest - 148 cm;
• in the belt - 86 cm;
• thigh - 81 cm;
• lower leg - 56 cm.

Already at the age of less than 24, the strongman became the best in competitions in Britain, and bought himself a personal gym. In his debut year, he became the second at Olympia, losing only to Haney, and the next time he simply “threw” a competitor from the podium. In 1997 he injured biceps shoulders, but despite this, it becomes the best again. It has been described in detail.

5th place - "Mr. Optimism" Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler was born in 1973 in Massachusetts. I got used to work, studied, and studied with a coach. Options:

• height - 1 m 76 cm;
• weight - 121/141 kg;
• neck size - 50 cm;
• the size of the cans is 57 cm;
• waist - 86 cm;
• Cutler's thigh - 79 cm;
• leg size - 51 cm.

Having started his career in 1998, it was only in 2006 that Olympia submitted to him. To date, the athlete has 4 statuettes in stock. you can get to know the athlete better.

4th place - "Hercules from Montana" Steve Reeves

• height - 1 m 85 cm;
• weight - 95;
• chest part - 132 cm;
• Reeves waist - 73;
• hips - 66 cm.

The parameters show that Stevie is far from the biggest bodybuilder in history, and he clearly falls short of the monsters of bodybuilding. However, he visited the war, which tempered the character of the athlete. In 1946, Steve was already performing as a bodybuilder. At the age of 20-plus, Reeves topped the list of the youngest bodybuilders in history. In 1948 he took the title of World Champion, and in 1950 he became Mr. Universe. But now they do not remember his performances at competitions, but historical videos and films in which Stephen starred as an actor, including playing Hercules.

3rd place - "Myth" Sergio Oliva

Sergio (Sergio) was born on America's Independence Day on Liberty Island in 1941, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 20. Options:

• height - 1 m 78 cm;
• weight - 102 kg;
• the size of the cans is 54 cm;
• chest - 1 m 40 cm;
• waist length - about 75 cm;
• thigh - 73 cm;
• lower leg - 47 cm.

Legendary person. This is the main opponent of the iron Arnie, who managed to win Olympia three times. Read more about Sergio.

2nd place - "Arnie" Arnold Schwarzenegger

Now even the biggest bodybuilders in the world pay tribute to Arnold. He had the most outstanding parameters in history:

• height - 187;
• weight - 107/118 kg;
• biceps - 56 cm;
• sternum - 145 cm;
• waist - 86 cm;
• hips - 72 cm;
• leg circumference - 51 cm.

Arnie once said, "My favorites are Reg Park and Steve Reeves." This once again suggests that the large and pumped-up bodybuilders who appeared in the cinema had a great influence on the minds of young people throughout the 20th century. The advantages of Schwarzenegger are so great that they deserve special attention. Born in the small village of Tal, he managed to achieve dizzying results in bodybuilding: at the age of 20 he became the youngest "Mr. Universe", after which he received the same title 4 more times, "Olympia" submitted to Arnie 7 times, in addition, he won the title " Mister World. The surname "Schwarzenegger" has long become a household name, as the bodybuilder has achieved worldwide recognition and fame on all continents of the planet. Since 1980 he has been passing on his knowledge of the sport through books and magazines.

1st place - The founder of bodybuilding Evgeny Sandov

From birth his name was Friedrich Müller, but for his career he took his mother's surname. The athlete was born in 1867. There were no competitions at that time, but the whole district came running to stare at the noble strongman.

• Height - 1 m 70 cm;
• body weight - 88 kg;
• banks - 43 cm;
• thigh - 63 cm;
• each shin - 40 cm.

The athlete earned money by fighting lions in the circus, actively advocated a healthy lifestyle, and in 1911 he was awarded the title of "professor" of physical education. It is he who is considered the founder of bodybuilding, and it was from his photo that his figures cast the figurine "Mr. Olympia". This is, without a doubt, the most natural bodybuilder of all those listed, since at the time of the life of Friedrich Müller, the world did not yet know about any anabolics.

Interesting! To date, the largest female bodybuilder is the Russian bodybuilder Natalya Kuznetsova, whose parameters any weightlifter will envy:

• height - 170 cm;
• weight - 93 kg;
• biceps - 48 cm;
• waist - 76 cm;
• hip measurements - 72 cm.

We have already talked about other achievements of Natasha.

Each of the listed bodybuilders has already taken its niche in the sport and entered the history of bodybuilding for centuries. And who do you think deserves to take a place in the list of the best? Share your opinion in the comments.

Video: Top 10 best bodybuilders in the world