Best Natural Bodybuilders – 18 Natty Lifters You Need To Know About

If you were to make a list of the best natural bodybuilders today, we are certain that your overall five favorite bodybuilders will not make it to the list. The sad part? Things do not appear to be changing for the better. 

Muscle aesthetics and size are probably the reasons why the sport of bodybuilding initially gained traction. But it was not long before athletes turned to the syringe for their lust for winning bodybuilding shows, social media fame, glamour, and to satisfy their ego and insecurities. 

At the beginning of mankind, if it were a couple of fitness enthusiasts who had landed in the Garden of Eden, steroids would have been the forbidden fruit. 

Today, things have gone so out of hand that you cannot talk about Mr. Olympia without talking about steroids. On top of that, recent pro athlete premature deaths have also sparked outrage about drug use in the bodybuilding world. 

While there is no doubt that pro bodybuilders, the likes of Mr. Olympias and NPC bodybuilders, are the torchbearers of the bodybuilding world, natural bodybuilders receive special attention and love from the fans. These people did not use gear for carving their dream physique but stuck to perfecting their muscle symmetry, proportions, size, and conditioning through correct training, diet, and recovery programs. Or like Hulk Hogan would have said, these athletes met the four original demandments – train, eat your vitamins, say your prayers, and believe in yourself.

Best Natural Bodybuilders

In the age of Instagram, natural bodybuilders are hard to find. While every gym bro on the internet tries to come off as a natty in hopes of selling his diet and training programs, we did the hard work of unearthing the best natural bodybuilders who do not use steroids. 

Related:

• Chris Bumstead Gives Advice On Starting Steroids: ‘The Answer Is Already No’
• Video: Calum Von Moger Shares His Experience With Using Steroids

#18 Steve Cook

Steve Cook Stats

• Height: 6’ 1” (185 cm) 
• Weight: 205-215 lbs
• Chest: 45” 
• Waist: 34”
• Biceps: 16.5”

Steve Cook is one of the OG fitness YouTubers. If you are a 90’s kid and are into the fitness lifestyle, chances are that you have followed at least one of Steve Cook’s training routines. 

Cook is a former Men’s Physique competitor and has competed at the prestigious Mr. Olympia contest. Like every other athlete on the list, Steve focuses on building muscle definition, symmetry, endurance, and strength.

Steve Cook had a headstart in the fitness game. His father (an athletic director) would take him to the gym and track. By age 10, Cook was already using free weights with proper form. As a result, Steve’s superhero arms could put Thor to shame. The swoldier’s drive, commitment, and grit have earned him a place on the list. 

Next Read: Steve Cook Lost Gains And He’s OK With It

#17 Jeff Seid

Jeff Seid Stats

• Height: 6′ ft (183 cm)
• Weight: 205 – 215 lbs
• Chest: 50 inches
• Waist: 29 inches
• Biceps: 17 inches

Jeff Seid is one of the most well-known faces in the fitness industry. His broad shoulders and small waist make him the proud owner of a perfect V-taper.

Jeff Seid started training at the age of 12. He is honest enough to admit that his main goal for getting in shape, in the beginning, was not to lead a healthy lifestyle but to impress girls. 

Seid developed an interest in athletics from a young age. Jeff played football in high school, was an All-American wrestling champion, and then went on to become the youngest IFBB champion in America. 

Watch: Jeff Seid’s Insane 9 Year Transformation

#16 Donte Franklin

Donte Franklin Stats

• Height: 6′ ft (183 cm)
• Weight: 220 – 230 lbs 

Donte Franklin is a genetic freak. He manages to grow and improve his physique every year – a characteristic otherwise associated with an athlete on roids. 

Franklin isn’t about the gear life. He preaches working hard inside the iron paradise. Some experts even consider him one of the biggest and best natural bodybuilders of our time.

#15 Lazar Angelov

Lazar Angelov Stats

• Height: 5′ 11″ ft (180 cm)
• Weight: 195 – 205 lbs
• Chest: 50 inches
• Waist: 32.5 inches
• Biceps: 17 inches

You cannot talk of the best natural bodybuilders and not talk about Lazar Angelov. Most people are unaware of the fact that Lazar was a basketball player in his youth and served in the army for a short period. 

Thanks to his ripped physique and stunning looks, he probably is the fitness model with the highest number of posters in gyms around the world. 

“I am ready to overcome anything that life throws at me. To me life is like a bench press – if I don’t push the weight, it will fall on me.” – Lazar Angelov

Related: Top 20 Male Fitness Models List

#14 Mike Thurston

Mike Thurston Stats

• Height: 6′ ft (183 cm)
• Weight: 205 – 215 lbs

If we were to take a wild guess, we would say Mike Thurston is the athlete who probably has the highest number of female followers on the best natural bodybuilders list. He is the kind of guy you find on the cover of magazines and TV shows.

The fitness sensation played numerous sports during high school like rugby, football, cricket, and was part of many athletics teams. By the time Mike joined college, he was fully committed to realizing his ambition and left rugby to focus on bodybuilding.

#13 Ulisses Jr.

Ulisses Jr. Stats

• Height: 5′10″ ft (178 cm)
• Weight: 205 – 215 lbs

Irrespective of whether you are into the fitness lifestyle, if you are on Instagram, chances are, at some point, you have seen a photo/video of Ulisses Jr. His chiseled physique and ripped 8-pack abs make him one of the best natural bodybuilders of our time. 

Ulisses Jr. also has one of the most interesting and fun Instagram feeds. He is one guy who truly loves what he is doing. Scroll through his timeline, and you will see him training in the gym, playing with his kids, and enjoying the outdoor life. 

Unlike most of his online fitness guru peers, Ulisses Jr. has numerous bodybuilding competition wins under his belt. 

“My overall motivation is to be part of history and be compared with legends” – Ulisses Jr. 

Next Read: 18 Most Aesthetic Bodybuilders of All Time

#12 Simeon Panda

Simeon Panda Stats

• Height: 6′ 1″ ft (185 cm)
• Weight: 225 – 235 lbs
• Chest: 50 inches
• Waist: 30 inches
• Biceps: 20 inches

Simeon Panda has one of the most insane natural physiques. He was named one of the world’s top ten fitness influencers by Forbes and has over 7 million Instagram followers.

Although Panda started training at age 16 as a skinny kid, he found the motivation to turn around his physique when he met a friend in college who was muscular and in great shape. 

Not only does Simeon Panda have an aesthetically appealing physique, but he is also strong like a bull. His deadlift and squat videos are a treat to watch for bodybuilders and powerlifters alike. 

Watch: Strength Wars, Powerlifter VS Bodybuilder

#11 Paul Krueger 

Paul Krueger shook the bodybuilding world by winning the 2021 Natural Olympia just weeks after earning his Pro card. He has become a force to be reckoned with in the industry after winning a pro bodybuilding competition on his debut. 

Do not let the first few sentences fool you, though. Paul Krueger was an amateur bodybuilder for 25 years before earning his pro card. His second-most-recent show was the 2021 INBF Phoenician Classic, where he jumped on stage after a 16-year hiatus. 

Apart from competing in natural bodybuilding competitions, Krueger is a lifestyle and prep coach and has a YouTube channel where he teaches natural ways to transform your physique. 

Check Out: Top 8 Must-Follow Male Fitness Models on Instagram

#10 Rob Riches

Rob Riches Stats

• Height: 5′10″ ft (178 cm)
• Weight: 185 – 195 lbs
• Chest: 41 inches
• Waist: 31 inches
• Biceps: 16.5 inches

Rob Riches has one of the most shredded physiques on the best natural bodybuilders list. He looks like he came straight out of the Vita-Ray chamber responsible for transforming Steve Rogers into Captain America.

Rob started lifting to strengthen his shoulder after recovering from a fracture. He had fractured his shoulder at age 15 during a mountain bike race. There was no turning back after this point. 

Rob has competed in the BNBF, Musclemania, UKBFF, and NPA (all legit natty competitions) and has never tested positive for steroids. 

Watch: The Most Shredded Physique Ever – Insanely Shredded to the Bone!

#9 Anton Antipov

Anton Antipov Stats

• Height: 5′10″ ft (178 cm)
• Weight: 186 – 193 lbs

Anton Antipov is an IFBB professional physique champion and fitness model from Belarus. Antipov didn’t have access to a gym back in Belarus. He had his first gym session after his family moved to the USA in the 1990s. 

It looks like this dude has been in shape his entire life. His pictures from 2002 can knock many Instagram fitness stars out of the park. Anton Antipov has won many major IFBB shows and has modeled for some of the most famous brands and magazines. 

#8 Brandon Lirio

Brandon Lirio is a 3X Mr. Natural Olympia and 2X Mr. Universe champion. He is also a PNBA Pro Hall of Famer. Brandon started lifting to fight his anxiety disorder after he joined the military in 2006. 

#7 Sadik Hadzovic

Sadik Hadzovic Stats

• Height: 5′ 11″ ft (180 cm)
• Weight: 190 – 210 lbs
• Chest: 46 inches
• Waist: 30 inches
• Biceps: 18 inches

Sadik Hadzovic is one of the most prominent faces on the best natural bodybuilders list. Growing up in a war-torn country, Bosnia, he idolized comic book heroes and wanted to carve a physique just like them. 

Sadik is a versatile athlete and has made a name for himself in both divisions he has competed in – Men’s Physique and Classic Physique. Hadzovic, with his size and conditioning, has been turning heads for quite some time, and we expect to see him disrupt the Classic Physique division soon. 

“My biggest accomplishments are winning 3 IFBB Pro League titles and qualifying for Mr. Olympia 2 consecutive years in a row” – Sadik Hadzovic

Watch: Sadik Hadzovic Is Looking Ripped – Massive Improvement!

#6 Meshack Ochieng

Meshack Ochieng Stats

• Height: 5′2″ ft (157 cm)
• Weight: 170 – 185 lbs

One could easily mistake Meshack Ochieng for an athlete on juice. No wonder he is nicknamed “The Natural Ronnie Coleman.” 

He was born in Kenya and started training in his backyard with some stone dumbbells and barbells. He started competing soon after and won every contest he participated in. 

Meshack competes in both INBA and NANBF (100% natty federations). These federations are very strict about steroid use. They conduct tests randomly to catch anyone suspicious.

#5 Derek Joe

Despite being a fresher, Derek Joe won the 2021 Natural Olympia Men’s Classic Physique Open. He competed in his first-ever amateur bodybuilding event in 2020 at the Grand Canyon Classic. 

Although Derek got second place, it was discouraging for him, and he almost gave up on competing in bodybuilding. If it wasn’t for the encouragement from his friends, family, and other pro athletes, Derek would have never competed in the 2021 Natural Olympia. 

#4 Ryan Terry

Ryan Terry Stats

• Height: 5′10″ ft (178 cm)
• Weight: 185 – 195 lbs

Ryan Terry has one of the most shredded physiques on the list. His shredded midriff has a cult following of its own. He has been on the cover of several magazines and has won more shows than we can track.

Ryan won the Mr. Great Britain pageant in 2010 at the age of 21. He then went on to win the Mr. International competition in Indonesia representing the UK. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Check Out: Men’s Physique Athlete Ryan Terry Shares Absolute Fire Back Workout Routine

#3 Jeff Rodriguez

Jeff Rodriguez Stats

• Height: 5′9″ ft (175 cm)
• Weight: 185 – 195 lbs

Jeff Rodriguez is regarded as the Frank Zane of natural bodybuilding. His muscle symmetry, size, and definition are bang on the money. Although he started training at an early age, it wasn’t until college that he started taking bodybuilding more seriously. 

Jeff smashed the competition out of the water in his very first show. He competed in many shows in the following years and mostly placed in the top 3. 

Next Read: Mike O’ Hearn Joins Legendary Bodybuilder Frank Zane For A Golden-Era Workout Session

#2 Ron Williams

Ron Williams Stats

• Height: 5′ 11″ ft (180 cm)
• Weight: 195 – 200 lbs

Ron Williams is one of the most decorated natural bodybuilders in history. He has won 250 natural bodybuilding competitions, including Mr. Natural World, Mr. Natural Olympia, and Mr. Natural Universe.

Here is a list of some of his titles:

• 7-time Mr. Natural Olympia
• 7-time Mr. Natural Universe
• 7-time Natural World
• Hall of Fame Inductee (2008) — International Natural Bodybuilding Association

Enough to put him in the top 2 of the best natural bodybuilder list? We guess so. 

Ron has built several successful carriers since retiring from bodybuilding. He is a leading life and fitness coach, an expert in physiology, diet and nutrition, and fat loss, and a pastor of a non-denominational Christian church in Salt Lake City, Utah.

#1 Mike O’Hearn

• Height: 6′ 3″ ft (190 cm)
• Weight: 245 – 255 lbs
• Chest: 46 inches
• Waist: 34 inches
• Biceps: 21 inches

We saved the best (and most controversial) for last. Most fitness junkies regard Mike O’Hearn as the best natural bodybuilder of all time. Mike has been around for decades and is still going strong, just like his workouts.

There are hundreds of articles on the internet contemplating if he is natty or not, but no one has ever been able to prove steroid use in his case. Also, the fact that O’Hearn has never flunked a drug test works in his favor.

Related: Mike O’Hearn Reveals His Secrets To Longevity At 52 Years Old

Conclusion

The best natural bodybuilders list should come as a confirmation that, with the right training, diet, and recovery programs, even natties can get as big as the IFBB pros. 

You do not need to juice up to carve a superhero physique. Dedication, discipline, determination, and patience will get you to your goal. So, stop trying to befriend your local chemist and get ready to put in the work.

Featured and other images courtesy of Athletes’ Instagram.