💪 The Biggest Men’s Bodybuilders Of All Time

Author

Andrew Gutman
July 27, 2022

Happy Wednesday. Have you called a friend this week? Texted them? Okay, maybe at least you could "Like" their latest training videos on Instagram...

We've got 12 of the BIGGEST men's bodybuilders of all time. Not much more explanation needed.

Noted 212 pound bodybuilder Kamal Elgargni is headed to the Open division. Here's why that matters.

And physical culture historian Dr. Conor Heffernan outlines how Charles Atlas sold the greatest fitness advertisement of all time. (Cue image of Kanye rushing the VMA stage...)

THE BIGGEST OF THE BIG

The Biggest Men's Competitors of All Time

Image: @theofficiallouferrigno, @ronniecoleman8 on Instagram

"Big is as big does." — Forrest Pump

Bodybuilding is a unique sport. Competitors’ “skills” are displayed by the physique they bring onstage. Several factors help determine the winner of a bodybuilding contest — definition, symmetry, proportions, posing ability, and, yes, size. If all things are equal between two competitors, then the bigger bodybuilder (almost always) wins.

The list of 12 bodybuilders below knew size was their greatest strength, and they brought a lot of it. Some may have been more successful than others, but their presence on bodybuilding’s grandest stages will be remembered in the sport’s zeitgeist forever.

NEWS

Kamal Elgargni To Enter Men’s Open Division

Image: @ifbb_pro_kamal_elgargni on Instagram

Who says you can't give a seasoned bodybuilder new mass? On July 26, 2022, 2019 Olympia 212 bodybuilding champion Kamal Elgargni formally announced that he intends to compete in the 2022 Tampa Pro and the 2022 Texas Pro competitions as a Men’s Open competitor.

The 51-year-old Elgargni made the announcement on the BPI Sports Instagram page via a live video. The 2022 Tampa Pro, scheduled for August 6, 2022, in Tampa, FL, would be Elgargni’s debut as a Men’s Open competitor. The 2022 Texas Pro will be one week later, on August 12-13, in Irving, TX.

HISTORY

How Charles Atlas Sold The Greatest Fitness Advertisement 

Image: @thearchivesofbodybuilding on Instagram

“Hey skinny, your ribs are showing.” 

A simple message that underpinned one of the most successful and well-known fitness advertisements of all time. Produced by Charles Atlas and his business partner, the “Insult that made a man out of Mac” advertisement inspired thousands to take up physical exercise in the 1930s.

In the ad, titular character Mac is shamed by a bully and has sand kicked in his face. Mac goes home, uses Atlas’ patented “dynamic tension” exercise plan, and returns to confront the bully. This advertisement made Atlas one of the most well-known personalities in the burgeoning fitness industry. Atlas promised a complete bodily transformation — without lifting a single weight.

THE DROPSET

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Image: @hunterlabrada on Instagram