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Career moves from contest data

Division Migration Tracker

Find bodybuilders whose recorded contest history shows a chronological move from one canonical division to another.

How migrations are defined

Query-derived Compiled from contest-result records and cached for performance; community flags are reviewed before any change. Updated October 4, 2026

Maxx Charles

No strict chronological division migration was found from canonical division data.

Does moving divisions work?

Across 811 recorded moves by 663 athletes, 461 improved the athlete's average placing, 56.8% of them. Average placing across all moves goes from 7.96 before to 7.42 after.

Winning an Olympia title in two divisions is rarer than the move itself: exactly one athlete has done it. Derek Lunsford (Men's Open Bodybuilding and Men's 212 Bodybuilding).

The routes athletes actually take

The ten most travelled moves between two divisions, with what happened to average placing on each one. Read a row as one route rather than one athlete: it pools every move made along that route, so a corridor with three moves on it is a hint and a corridor with thirty is a pattern. An athlete who made the same move twice is counted twice. Lower average placing is better.

Most travelled division corridors
Move Moves Average placing before After Improved
Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding # 98 8.3 7.4 61 of 98
Men's Physique to Men's Classic Physique # 93 8.3 7.1 58 of 93
Women's Bodybuilding to Women's Physique # 65 5.6 8.8 14 of 65
Women's Physique to Women's Bodybuilding # 58 8.6 5.2 50 of 58
Women's Figure to Women's Physique # 56 9.0 6.7 39 of 56
Women's Figure to Women's Bikini # 51 9.7 9.5 25 of 51
Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Open Bodybuilding # 44 6.8 7.8 18 of 44
Women's Physique to Women's Figure # 41 8.8 8.3 24 of 41
Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's Classic Physique # 32 8.1 6.0 24 of 32
Men's Classic Physique to Men's Physique # 31 7.2 7.2 15 of 31

Computed over 2,000 of the 2,058 athletes with recorded results in two or more canonical divisions, ranked by career wins.

A move counts only where at least two results sit on each side of it, which is why the totals here are smaller than a raw count of athletes who ever changed division. Lower average placing is better.

Individual athletes who changed division

Named careers behind the numbers above, each card showing the move and what the record looked like on either side of it. Order comes from recorded wins, result volume, how many results sit either side of the move, and major-contest appearances, so the list leans toward heavily documented careers and does not rank which move worked best. Open a card for the full chronology.

Darrem Charles

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's Classic Physique, 2016

8 wins, best placing 1, 6.1 average placing across 68 results (1992-2013)

10 wins, best placing 1, 2.8 average placing across 23 results (2016-2023)

Natalia Abraham Coelho

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2018

2 wins, best placing 1, 5.2 average placing across 13 results (2015-2017)

22 wins, best placing 1, 1.3 average placing across 30 results (2018-2026)

David Henry

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2009

2 wins, best placing 1, 7.2 average placing across 25 results (2004-2008)

5 wins, best placing 1, 3.6 average placing across 30 results (2009-2024)

Ronny Rockel

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2016

4 wins, best placing 1, 6.1 average placing across 62 results (2003-2015)

2 wins, best placing 1, 3.7 average placing across 6 results (2016-2017)

Hidetada Yamagishi

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2014

0 wins, best placing 2, 7.0 average placing across 34 results (2006-2013)

2 wins, best placing 1, 3.3 average placing across 9 results (2014-2017)

Camala Rodriguez

Women's Fitness to Women's Figure, 2013

0 wins, best placing 2, 6.2 average placing across 6 results (2011-2012)

7 wins, best placing 1, 4.8 average placing across 24 results (2013-2020)

Alejandro Cambronero

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Classic Physique, 2019

4 wins, best placing 1, 4.5 average placing across 11 results (2015-2018)

6 wins, best placing 1, 3.6 average placing across 19 results (2019-2025)

Breon Ansley

Men's Classic Physique to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2026

8 wins, best placing 1, 3.1 average placing across 18 results (2016-2025)

1 wins, best placing 1, 7.0 average placing across 2 results (2026)

Erin Stern

Women's Figure to Women's Bikini, 2020

9 wins, best placing 1, 1.9 average placing across 17 results (2009-2014)

2 wins, best placing 1, 7.7 average placing across 15 results (2020-2022)

MayLa Ash

Women's Physique to Women's Bodybuilding, 2020

4 wins, best placing 1, 7.1 average placing across 12 results (2017-2019)

4 wins, best placing 1, 5.4 average placing across 21 results (2020-2026)

Gaetano Cisternino

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2017

4 wins, best placing 1, 4.6 average placing across 22 results (2011-2016)

0 wins, best placing 5, 6.0 average placing across 2 results (2017)

Sharif Reid

Men's Classic Physique to Men's Physique, 2019

0 wins, best placing 7, 8.5 average placing across 4 results (2016-2018)

11 wins, best placing 1, 5.6 average placing across 41 results (2019-2025)

Lukáš Osladil

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2015

0 wins, best placing 7, 7.3 average placing across 3 results (2014)

3 wins, best placing 1, 5.1 average placing across 27 results (2015-2020)

Diana Schnaidt

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2017

0 wins, best placing 4, 8.5 average placing across 13 results (2014-2016)

0 wins, best placing 2, 8.3 average placing across 41 results (2017-2025)

Janet Lynn West

Women's Figure to Women's Bikini, 2013

0 wins, best placing 15, 16.0 average placing across 3 results (2011-2012)

10 wins, best placing 1, 5.0 average placing across 52 results (2013-2026)

Regan Grimes

Men's Classic Physique to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2019

1 wins, best placing 1, 4.5 average placing across 2 results (2018)

5 wins, best placing 1, 4.4 average placing across 26 results (2019-2026)

Jim Holcomb

Men's Physique to Men's Classic Physique, 2016

0 wins, best placing 3, 11.0 average placing across 11 results (2011-2015)

0 wins, best placing 2, 8.1 average placing across 37 results (2016-2026)

Logan Franklin

Men's Physique to Men's Classic Physique, 2019

2 wins, best placing 1, 4.7 average placing across 10 results (2016-2018)

5 wins, best placing 1, 3.9 average placing across 14 results (2019-2025)

Hidetada Yamagishi

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2018

2 wins, best placing 1, 3.3 average placing across 9 results (2014-2017)

0 wins, best placing 5, 6.8 average placing across 4 results (2018)

Camilo Diaz

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's Classic Physique, 2022

1 wins, best placing 1, 8.1 average placing across 8 results (2017-2021)

1 wins, best placing 1, 7.0 average placing across 29 results (2022-2026)

Leonida Ciobu

Women's Bikini to Women's Wellness, 2021

0 wins, best placing 7, 8.3 average placing across 3 results (2019)

6 wins, best placing 1, 3.3 average placing across 18 results (2021-2026)

Jennifer Taylor

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2017

8 wins, best placing 1, 5.8 average placing across 25 results (2013-2016)

2 wins, best placing 1, 3.8 average placing across 10 results (2017-2023)

Tonio Burton

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2022

1 wins, best placing 1, 5.5 average placing across 2 results (2021)

8 wins, best placing 1, 3.4 average placing across 20 results (2022-2026)

Keone Pearson

Men's Classic Physique to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2020

1 wins, best placing 1, 3.0 average placing across 4 results (2018-2019)

9 wins, best placing 1, 2.6 average placing across 11 results (2020-2026)

Margita Zámolová

Women's Physique to Women's Bodybuilding, 2020

3 wins, best placing 1, 4.4 average placing across 16 results (2016-2019)

2 wins, best placing 1, 4.0 average placing across 7 results (2020-2021)

Derek Lunsford

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2022

2 wins, best placing 1, 2.5 average placing across 6 results (2017-2021)

4 wins, best placing 1, 1.7 average placing across 7 results (2022-2026)

Troy Alves

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2013

1 wins, best placing 1, 7.1 average placing across 33 results (2003-2012)

1 wins, best placing 1, 4.5 average placing across 2 results (2013)

Courage Opara

Men's Classic Physique to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2025

6 wins, best placing 1, 4.3 average placing across 14 results (2017-2023)

3 wins, best placing 1, 2.0 average placing across 4 results (2025-2026)

Craig Richardson

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2014

1 wins, best placing 1, 7.8 average placing across 23 results (2003-2013)

2 wins, best placing 1, 3.7 average placing across 10 results (2014-2018)

Margita Zámolová

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2016

0 wins, best placing 4, 8.5 average placing across 2 results (2015)

3 wins, best placing 1, 4.4 average placing across 16 results (2016-2019)

Samir Troudi

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2017

2 wins, best placing 1, 7.0 average placing across 5 results (2014-2016)

0 wins, best placing 3, 7.9 average placing across 18 results (2017-2022)

Sadik Hadzovic

Men's Physique to Men's Classic Physique, 2016

4 wins, best placing 1, 2.1 average placing across 13 results (2012-2015)

1 wins, best placing 1, 3.7 average placing across 3 results (2016-2017)

MayLa Ash

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2017

0 wins, best placing 4, 9.6 average placing across 11 results (2013-2016)

4 wins, best placing 1, 7.1 average placing across 12 results (2017-2019)

Missy Truscott

Women's Fitness to Women's Figure, 2025

7 wins, best placing 1, 1.2 average placing across 9 results (2019-2024)

2 wins, best placing 1, 6.0 average placing across 5 results (2025-2026)

Michaela Aycock

Women's Physique to Women's Bodybuilding, 2021

3 wins, best placing 1, 4.8 average placing across 15 results (2016-2019)

3 wins, best placing 1, 3.8 average placing across 13 results (2021-2024)

Paula Ranta

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2024

1 wins, best placing 1, 7.1 average placing across 14 results (2021-2023)

1 wins, best placing 1, 4.1 average placing across 16 results (2024-2025)

Hidetada Yamagishi

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2019

0 wins, best placing 5, 6.8 average placing across 4 results (2018)

3 wins, best placing 1, 6.1 average placing across 7 results (2019-2025)

Frank Same

Men's Physique to Men's Classic Physique, 2019

0 wins, best placing 3, 6.7 average placing across 7 results (2017-2018)

0 wins, best placing 2, 5.4 average placing across 7 results (2019-2021)

Reshanna Boswell

Women's Physique to Women's Bodybuilding, 2020

0 wins, best placing 2, 9.1 average placing across 15 results (2014-2019)

3 wins, best placing 1, 5.8 average placing across 21 results (2020-2026)

Tanya Chartrand

Women's Figure to Women's Physique, 2020

0 wins, best placing 8, 12.0 average placing across 5 results (2015-2019)

6 wins, best placing 1, 5.7 average placing across 17 results (2020-2023)

Panexce Pierre

Men's 212 Bodybuilding to Men's Classic Physique, 2017

0 wins, best placing 7, 11.2 average placing across 4 results (2012-2014)

3 wins, best placing 1, 7.7 average placing across 15 results (2017-2019)

Giuseppe Christian Zagarella

Men's Classic Physique to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2023

3 wins, best placing 1, 4.9 average placing across 11 results (2019-2022)

1 wins, best placing 1, 4.2 average placing across 9 results (2023-2026)

Gaetano Cisternino

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2018

0 wins, best placing 5, 6.0 average placing across 2 results (2017)

1 wins, best placing 1, 4.9 average placing across 10 results (2018-2021)

Urs Kalecinski

Men's Classic Physique to Men's Open Bodybuilding, 2025

4 wins, best placing 1, 2.2 average placing across 12 results (2021-2024)

2 wins, best placing 1, 5.0 average placing across 3 results (2025)

Heidi Larson

Women's Bodybuilding to Women's Figure, 2021

0 wins, best placing 2, 4.0 average placing across 7 results (2020)

3 wins, best placing 1, 4.9 average placing across 18 results (2021-2022)

Arash Rahbar

Men's Physique to Men's Classic Physique, 2016

1 wins, best placing 1, 4.5 average placing across 4 results (2014-2015)

3 wins, best placing 1, 2.9 average placing across 9 results (2016-2019)

Kevin English

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2009

1 wins, best placing 1, 10.0 average placing across 5 results (2000-2008)

4 wins, best placing 1, 3.8 average placing across 6 results (2009-2015)

Jason Arntz

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's 212 Bodybuilding, 2008

0 wins, best placing 5, 9.7 average placing across 20 results (1999-2007)

0 wins, best placing 4, 8.0 average placing across 6 results (2008-2013)

Yarishna Ayala

Women's Bikini to Women's Wellness, 2021

0 wins, best placing 5, 8.2 average placing across 14 results (2013-2017)

3 wins, best placing 1, 4.3 average placing across 7 results (2021-2026)

David Hoffmann

Men's Open Bodybuilding to Men's Classic Physique, 2018

1 wins, best placing 1, 2.5 average placing across 4 results (2011-2015)

3 wins, best placing 1, 5.5 average placing across 9 results (2018-2021)

Methodology

How migrations are defined

The tracker uses canonical division type IDs, not raw labels. For years with more than one division, it selects the primary division by Olympia appearances, wins, result count, then best placing.

It collapses consecutive years in that division into one segment and reports a change only when both adjacent segments have at least two results.

  • Canonical divisions come from division_type_id, with labels mapped by the Bodybuilding data API.
  • One-result segments and uncategorized divisions are excluded rather than guessed.
  • The landing list requires a recorded major-contest appearance on both sides of the move.
  • List order reflects recorded wins, result volume, transition sample size, and major appearances. It does not rank which move was best.
  • The before and after metrics are wins, best placing, average placing, and result count in each segment.
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Compare career arcs, peak windows, and all-time ranking context.