The Mr Olympia bodybuilding competition is the most popular bodybuilding contest in the entire world, and it is one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the bodybuilding calendar. Over the decades, we have seen some of the all-time greats win the Mr Olympia, including competitors such as: Lee Haney, Frank Zane, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Dorian Yates, and more. However, if you ask most avid bodybuilding fans, there is a name missing from that list that deserves to be up there, and that name is Kevin Levrone. Kevin Levrone is one of the all-time greats in the bodybuilding world, and he has won a whole host of prestigious bodybuilding contests and titles over the years, but he has never won an Olympia, though many believe that he should. This year, Kevin will attempt to make the mother of all comebacks, by hopefully winning his very first Mr Olympia title. What makes this story so special? How about the fact that Kevin is competing after recently coming out of retirement? Here’s a look at how many expect Kev to do on the big stage.
Who is Kevin Levrone? – Kevin Mark Levrone, also known as the Maryland Muscle Machine, is one of bodybuilding’s most respected names, and he is considered a true legend of the sport. Kevin Levrone has competed in some of the biggest competitions in the entire world, many of which he has won in dominant fashion time and time again. However, one title he has never won, is a Mr Olympia title. From Baltimore, Maryland, Kevin has competed in close to 70 professional competitions, 23 of which he won professionally. He began his career in 1991, yet a year later people thought he was done when he tore his pectoral muscles in the gym. Two surgeries later however, Kevin was back and looked better than ever. He competed in 12 Mr O contests, yet never won, despite consistently finishing in the top 3. Many believe he is an uncrowned Mr Olympia however, and they believed that backstage politics were the main reason for him never picking up a title. Although he never officially announced his retirement, Kevin stopped competing in 2003, lost a heap of size, and went on to pursue other subjects.
The comeback – A few months ago however, after months of speculation, Kevin Levrone officially announced his professional comeback, by announcing that he would be competing in the 2016 Mr Olympia contest. Fans of Kevin will know that for 8 months of the year when he was competing, he would hold off on his diet and training, and would only kick into a higher gear a few months out, where he would blow up like a balloon, and pack on some serious size. His genetics are clearly superior to the average person, but at 51 years of age, have his genetics let him down? 8 weeks out, Kevin participated in a photoshoot with MD, where he trained back. Despite looking the best he’d looked in more than a decade, the pics were slightly underwhelming, as he did appear to be lacking the size required to compete with monsters such as Phil and Big Ramy. However, just two weeks later, Kevin posted a video in which he look phenomenally better than he has two weeks prior, as he was even leaner, he was sporting shoulder striations and muscularity, and he had packed on heaps more size. The fact that Kevin has now kicked things into a higher gear, and the fact that he now looks so much better than just 14 days prior, proves that the Levrone genetics do appear to be alive and well, and if he continues on this track, who knows how the Olympia will pan out? Kevin has said a top 5 placing would be a victory, but you can bet your ass that he’ll be aiming for number one, and if he nails it, what a story this year’s Mr O will be.
