The Best Ever Bodybuilder? Have Your Say!

Whenever the best bodybuilder ever question comes up, I find myself ambivalent about it. Let’s take stock of the 13 Mr. Olympias who have won bodybuilding’s most prestigious prize. One is in awe of the physiques each Mr. Olympia built. But is it really fair to compare them? All any athlete --in any sport-- can do is become the best in his era, and it is futile to try to compare champions from different eras. Imagine trying to convince a modern-day bodybuilding fan that Larry Scott was better than Ronnie Coleman. And it’s a given that Arnold Schwarzenegger if he had been born 30 years later would – due to muscle building strategies evolving – would have had a completely different body than the one that dominated the ‘70s.

Instead of choosing a best-ever Mr. Olympia, maybe all one can do is reflect on 50 plus years of Olympia history and highlight those instances where the winner advanced the sport on that particular day. With that in mind, I would nominate the following.

Sergio Oliva: 1968

Although Mr. Olympia lineups were smaller in those days, no one even challenged Sergio at that contest, in part because his physique (one of my all-time favorites) was so intimidating. His tiny waist was the centerpiece of a torso that sprouted massive arms and pecs, and his leg development was ahead of its time.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: 1974

In my opinion, this is the year the Oak achieved his best-ever all-around physique. He combined great condition (including a seldom-discussed Xmas tree) with mass and fullness. Plus, Schwarzenegger was so charismatically dominant in his era that he convinced everyone else that second was the best they could do.

Frank Zane: 1977

After being an Olympia also-ran in four previous attempts, Zane finally nailed his ideal look, imbued with razor-sharp condition, along with classical lines and proportions. In so doing, he established a new vogue that showed that a good little 'un can beat a host of good big 'uns. In an MD story posted in 2015 we asked Which Mr. Olympia Would You Most Want To Look Like, the physique of Zane came second to Arnold, proving how his look still inspires.

Lee Haney: 1984

Although highly touted from the time he turned pro in 1983 (in his first O, also that year, he placed third), Haney simply appeared at the 1984 Olympia with a whole new body. He was harder and more vascular than ever, his arms had improved, and he was the winner from the get-go. He had one comparison.

Dorian Yates: 1993

When he first walked out onstage, someone cried, "You're a dinosaur, Yates" (it was a compliment, Jurassic Park was breaking box office records). Given his stunning superiority, the judges saw no need to include him in a muscularity comparison, so Wayne DeMilia called out Yates, Flex Wheeler and Shawn Ray just for the audience. The Shadow was so far ahead of the field that Samir Bannout was prompted to say, "Yates was first, second and third."

Ronnie Coleman: 1999

In his first defense of the Mr. O title, Coleman exhibited size, condition and sinew-splitting fullness he lacked a year earlier. At 257 pounds, he was so separated that he looked like a walking anatomy chart. That being said, I still think he achieved his best-ever physique for the 2001 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic.

Jay Cutler: 2009

In reclaiming his title after losing it to Dexter Jackson Cutler re-invented himself and in his best ever shape he came out full and ripped. It would be a physique that would be a handful for any other Mr. Olympia.

Phil Heath: 2011

The ripped physique Heath unveiled that year – with crazy full muscle bellies and tie-ins – caused shock and awe prompting a spectating Flex Wheeler to shake his head and say in praise, “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

And so the debate continues. Let us know your views.

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