Mr. Olympia 1965 to Present!

Lilllian Baird
Sep 20, 2015
5 min read

As Olympia 2015 hits full swing this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, I always like to look back. What would Joe Weider have to say about the change in physiques throughout the years? Who was his favorite? Who is your favorite Mr. Olympia? I have made a time line below so you can choose your favorite OF ALL TIME! Is it Dorian Yates? Ronnie "LIGHT WEIGHT BABY" Coleman? Arnie? Share with your friends on fb!

1965: The 1st Mr. Olympia Champion was Larry Scott from Blackfoot, Idaho. The 5 ft 7in legend was 27 when he made history! He would go on to win the 1966 Mr. Olympia title before retiring! I could not imagine hanging up my posing trunks at the age of 28! NOT TODAY!

1967: Sergio Olivia (The Myth) of Cuba, took over the title for 3 years! Well deserved! The Myth fell in love with olympic style weightlifting at a very young age and by the time he was just 20 years old he was Cuba's top weightlifter! It was nothing for him to dabble in bodybuilding, with numerous titles throughout his career he too can add 3 Mr. Olympia titles to his list of achievments!

1970: Arnold Schwarzenegger

You know this guy! Sergio lost his title to Arnold in 1970. Arnie would go on to win Mr. Olympia 6 years

in a row (and then some) ;)

1976: Franco Columbo

Arnold decided to retire in 1975 at the age of 28 to focus more on movies and "living the dream". His training partner, Columbo took the title. Standing at 5'3, The Sardinian Stronman comes to us from Ollolai, Sardinia. In 1977, Columbu competed in the first World's Strongest Man competition and was sitting at fifth place in total points during the competition; pretty impressive, considering that Franco weighed much less than all his competitors due to his career in bodybuilding. Then the horrific refrigerator race, which called for a downhill race in which a heavy, bulky refrigerator is strapped to the racer's back. Franco was ahead, but suddenly stumbled on national television collapsing with a disgusting dislocated leg. Being as he could not even stand, he was forced to forfeit the World's Strongest Man contest (in the end, he finished in fifth place). After a court settlement, he received a reported $1 million in compensation for his injury. Surgery? Of course! 6 hours to remove all of the muscle and to fix his leg. Doctors told him he would never walk again. Just like any MAN, Columbu fully recovered in a few years. After Arnold Schwarzenegger's comeback victory in the 1980 Mr. Olympia, Franco followed suit and won the 1981 Mr. Olympia.

1977: Frank Zane from Pennsylvania got into bodybuilding at the age of 14! He was walking out of math class and noticed a muscle building magazine in the trash can! My mama always said " One man's trash is another man's treasure." Thank you, Frank Zane, for picking up that trash. You sir, are a TREASURE! One of my favorite physiques of all time! Frank would take the title for 3 years in a row!

1980: Arnold "I'll be back" and he did! After his short 5 year retirement Arnold decided to come back to compete while he was dieting for his movie Conan The Barbarian. While many people loved to see the governator back in action, many competitors raised hell and did not think he could be competitve with his current physique. Some competitors even went to the extreme and protested by never compete again. (cough cough Mike Mentzer-whom tied for fourth at Mr. Olympia with Boyer Coe behind Arnold, Dickerson and Zane.) SEE BELOW!! DECIDE FOR YOURSELF!

1981: Franco Columbo! YES!!! He followed Arnie once again! After leg surgery and being told he would "never walk again" he decided he would take another title! :) RIGHT ON!!

1982:Chris Dickerson is one of the few single title winners of Mr. Olympia. However, Dickerson has 30 years of bodybuilding under his belt!(or posing trunks) Along with bodybuilding, he was an accomplished opera singer! Which I think is pretty awesome! I wonder if he would ever sing and squat?!

1983: Samir Bannout The Lion of Lebanon relocated to Detroit, Michigan and launched his bodybuilding career, taking numerous title and lasting 17 years as a strong competitor.

He didn't just disappear, you may know the name Bannout Nutrition? Yep, that is Samir!

1984: TotaLEE Awesome Lee Haney "train to stimulate, not annihilate." Lee Haney is known for his postitivity and his show "TotaLee Fit with Lee Haney," where focuses on teaching the importance of both physical and spiritual growth. Haney ties for the record of most Mr. Olympia titles. Who is he tied with ? I'll give you a hint: LIGHT WEIGHT, BABY!!!!

1992: Dorian Yates (The Shadow) Yates earned the nickname of "The Shadow" for his tendency to unexpectedly appear at competitions and win, despite having remained out of the public eye(which was easier back then).. He was reported to have turned down several large supplement endorsement contracts and avoided interviews and other television publicity in order to maintain privacy.

1998: Ronnie Coleman After Yates retired, contenders like Ray, Levrone, and Wheeler all thought it was their "time to to shine!" NOPE! The police officer from Arlington, TX would gladly take that title, and for 7 years to follow. "Light Weight, Baby" is known in every gym across the US! Ronnie is thought to be one of the "Greatest Bodybuilders of All Time" and I agree! This is one policeman you do not want to piss off!

2006: Jay Cutler After 4 years of coming up "short" to Ronnie, Cutler "robbed" the police officer of his title! As Ronnie started to fade, Cutler started to excel, though he would'nt go on to win 8 titles, he did grab 4 in 06, 07 and 09, 10!

2008: Dexter Jackson GOOD LUCK TONIGHT! He has been on the Mr. Olympia stage 16 times. At the 2007 Mr. Olympia, Jackson placed 3rd and many critics said he would not likely place any higher. He came back with a fire under his ass and something to PROVE! Even tonight, I found myself amazed by his stage presence. He is always a a crowd favorite!

2009: Jay Cutler He did exactly what he had to do in 2010 and 2011. I admire Jay for being a "watcher". Sure it's "you vs. you", BUT in this sport you need to know your strength and weaknesses just as much as you need to know your competition's! WHICH brings me to my favorite DBZ loving competitor...

2011: Phil Heath HE LOVES DRAGON BALL Z! Did you see the interview with him after the competitors meeting? The Gift was totally wearing a " Just Saiyan" tee shirt! He is our present Mr. Olympia title holder and has held that title for 4 straight years and is battling it out as we speak for the 2015 title! I have always loved his physique, though I'll be the first to admit HE HAS SOME COMPETITION TONIGHT!! Good Luck, Phil!