Tweet Top 5 Bodybuilders of All Time

Ronnie Coleman

This man is massive basically everywhere. Many people have said that he has several body parts in the top 10 of all time - chest, back, biceps, quads, forearms, he's got it. His back is so huge; it's almost hard to believe he's a human. It's surprising that any human being has the potential to carry that much lean, dense muscle mass - yet Ronnie Coleman does it, and does it pretty well at that. His arms have the perfect 1/3:2/3 split between his triceps and his biceps. I would say they enter a show contest ready at 23.6" - absolutely massive. His legs are huge and still shredded and his conditioning is on the nail. Ronnie Coleman at 40, He was improved all the time, so don't be surprised at whatever he brings in to the 2004 Mr.Olympia.

Lee Haney

Lee Haney had a good going for himself, to the point where he dominated the 1980s as only the best of bodybuilders ever did. He had a great chest also back both detailed and thick and best at all. Balance as few bodybuilders have ever achieved. This is perfectly in the photograph above mentioned. He had massive full muscle bellies, overall size, excellent conditioning, small waist and at 250 pounds, he had a phenomenal vacuum. He was quite incredible from head to toe. 

Sergio Olivia

Here's a man who was 25 or 30 years ahead of his time. Sergio Olivia brought mass to a level that bodybuilders only started catching up to in recent years. His back and chest were both massive, as were his legs and his arms and shoulders were so big they dwarfed his head. Top it off, he had a small waist and streamlined midsection. His arms were genetically very full and lacked the peak that Arnold had that many fans and critics gloss over. He was also one of the few bodybuilders who could display the hands over head pose without displaying any glaring weaknesses - in fact, he was the originator.

Dorian Yates

Dorian Yates is another bodybuilder that can be praised a lot for personality, confidence, professionalism and expressed love for the sport of bodybuilding helped a lot. The one time Ronnie's detail was close was at the 2001 Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic. But even then, it wasn't quite the combination of muscle size and detail that Dorian Yates was known to display. In fact, the debate over who had the better back between those two still rages on. I would have to give it to Ronnie because to me, his freaky size is even freakier than Dorian's freaky detail and conditioning. Dorian probably had the best calves of bodybuilding. Dorian had a blocky waste compared to some of his top competition. Overall, his body was at its best before the injuries he had later in his career as a result of his high intensity training. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

This guy definitely made an impact on mass bodybuilding, as both a personality and with his physique. His arms were big and peaked and his chest was among the very best of all time. Even compared to the Dennis James - Arnold stands out. Of course a lot of that unbelievable size and shape comes down to genetics, but you can rest assured he had drive, ambition and confidence that few ever did, this isn't a personality contest - but he did have a lot of strengths. Other than arms and chest, his midsection was very streamlined and his abs were very sharp. His back was very dense and defined. He calves set a new standard at 20 inches. They were formally a weak point that he brought up after years of intense training. Actually his legs were not big; at least not by today's standards