Retired IFBB Pro Kevin Levrone’s emotional pain fueled his bodybuilding career. In a recent video shared on Dec. 5, 2025, he reflected on using steroids and going to a dark place to etch his name into the bodybuilding history books.
Kevin Levrone lost both his parents at a young age to cancer. It sculpted him as an athlete, allowing him to tap into internal struggles to present a legendary physique. Although he never laid claim to the Olympia crown, he pushed dominant titleholders, including former six-time champ Dorian Yates and eight-time winner Ronnie Coleman.
Levrone admits his training looks nothing like it did back in the 90s and 2000s. He transitioned away from hypertrophy and now focuses on athleticism, conditioning, and functionality. In his spare time, he broke down how he transformed pain into triumph onstage.
Kevin Levrone Says His Career Was ‘Created from Pain,’ Talks Steroids and ‘Survival Mode’
In the video, Levrone reflected on losing both his parents, revealing how it motivated him throughout his career.
“Every set, every rep, every competition I always thought about my parents. I had to go to a dark place to create that character, the bodybuilder that people see. It was created from pain and everything that I went through. I would get on a cycle of steroids or something; I was in survival mode.”
No longer pursuing the sport’s greatest honor, Levrone revealed he’s ‘not that guy anymore’ when he’s training at the gym.
“Feeling a part of me that was a deep, dark side. Revisiting it in those moments, and when I go into a gym, I can’t really go and work out if I’m not 100 percent that guy. I was that guy. I’m not that guy anymore. So, I don’t do 16 sets a body part, I don’t squat heavy, I don’t do the heavy bench pressing and stuff.”
Instead of pushing through ‘survival mode,’ Levrone said his training prioritizes movement and conditioning.
“For me, now, it’s a whole other type of training that I’ve never done before. It’s running, conditioning, being a moving athlete. For me to go to the dark side, there’s no reason to, but back then, it was survival. That was my therapy,” he said.
Levrone isn’t the only elite-level bodybuilder who flipped a mental switch for the Mr. Olympia. Former four-time champion Jay Cutler revealed that he separated himself from society and went to a dark place to maintain his position as top two in the world for 12 consecutive years.
Sacrifice and pain were essential to Levrone’s rise in the IFBB Pro League. While training and diet look different, he still challenges himself to be better each day.
Watch the full video from the First Things THRST YouTube channel below:
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