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The 15 Most Aesthetic Bodybuilders of All Time
Who are the most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time?
In today’s era of bodybuilding, mass monsters, and freakish physiques are admired and celebrated.
However, we’re now starting to see a shift back to a more aesthetic physique, where small waists, symmetry, and a well-balanced physique are preferred.
So, to recognize the trend, we thought we’d put together a list of the most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time, like Frank Zane, Steve Reeves, and Flex Wheeler, to help inspire you during your workouts.
Here’s a list of the 15 most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time.
The 15 Most Aesthetic Bodybuilders of All Time
The list of aesthetic bodybuilders and figures mentioned below has been compiled from various sources around the web, such as Muscle & Fitness, and Wikipedia.
These are the 15 most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time:
15. Robby Robinson
Robby Robinson is an American former professional bodybuilder who competed in the sport from the late 70s to the early 90s.
In his first year as a professional bodybuilder, Robinson won the IFBB Mr. America, Mr. World, and Mr. Universe titles, and went on to win eight IFBB Pro competitions throughout his career, including the Masters Mr. Olympia in 1994.
“The Black Prince”, as he’s also known, competed around 200lbs on stage and would get up to approximately 215lbs during the offseason.
Robinson retired from the sport of bodybuilding in 2001, at the age of 55, but continues to train and coach up and coming bodybuilders, and spread the word about the importance of proper training and nutrition.
14. Chris Cormier
Chris Cormier is a retired bodybuilder from America who competed in the IFBB from the late ’80s to the early 2000s’.
He won several major bodybuilding competitions throughout his career, including the 1997 Night of Champions, 1999, 2000, and 2001 Ironman Pro Invitational, and the Grand Prix Australia multiple times.
Chris has also competed in more than 70 IFBB competitions over his 30+ year career.
In terms of aesthetics, Cormier was on the heavier side compared to most, weighing in around 250lbs on stage.
However, that didn’t stop him from bringing clean lines, deep cuts, and shredded legs every time he stepped on stage.
Overall, his physique was well balanced and a sight to be saluted!
13. Miloš Šarčev
Former Yugoslavian IFBB professional bodybuilder, Miloš Šarčev, is 1989, Mr. Universe, and was well recognized in the sport for his symmetry.
Šarčev came to be known in the industry as “The Mind,” due to his intense focus and dedication to continually find better ways of training and dieting so that he could help himself and other bodybuilders continue to improve.
Throughout his career, Miloš competed in approximately 72 IFBB competitions and became known as a pillar of consistency due to his year-round aesthetic physique, which would rarely fluctuate even during the off-season.
12. Dexter Jackson
Dexter “The Blade” Jackson is an American IFBB professional bodybuilder and former Mr. Olympia champion.
Jackson has won countless competitions over the years, including five Arnold Classics, the New York Pro, the Tampa Pro, and the Night of Champions.
His physique seems to get better year after year, and his abs are arguably the best in the business.
Dexter’s conditioning is always on point, and he has some of the deepest abdominal cuts and shredded glutes you’ll ever see!
11. Lee Labrada
Lee Labrada is a retired IFBB professional bodybuilder and the current CEO of Labrada Nutrition.
He competed in the sport of bodybuilding from 1982 to 1995 and was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004 for his contribution to the sport.
Labrada is one of only a handful of people to have placed in the top four at Mr. Olympia for seven years in a row and has built an impressive collection of 22 bodybuilding titles to his name.
During his heyday, his physique was outstanding. He had size, shape, proportion, and rock-hard conditioning, and when he was on point, he was about as aesthetic as it gets!
10. Shawn Ray
Shawn Ray is a former professional bodybuilder who retired from the sport in 2001.
He’s one of only a handful of bodybuilders that competed professionally across three different decades.
He was also one of the most frequent competitors in Mr. Olympia’s history and managed to finish in the top five for 12 consecutive years, which no other professional bodybuilder has achieved.
Rays’ muscularity and definition were impressive, and he was known for his artistic posing routines, choosing to entertain audiences with his creative display as well as his aesthetics.
9. Mohamed Makkawy
Mohamed Makkawy is a former professional bodybuilder turned personal trainer and coach.
He’s known for his outstanding physique and confident attitude and is regularly cited as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.
Although he was small, standing at 5’3″ and weighing around 155 – 165lbs, his physique was insane, and he had some of the best arms and abs in the sport at the time.
Makkawy turned pro in 1977 at the Mr. Universe, and then went on to win several competitions, like the IFBB World Pro, and the Grand Prix England, before his retirement in 1999 at the age of 46.
Now, Makkawy helps other bodybuilders pursue a career in the sport through personal training and coaching.
8. Lee Haney
Lee Haney is a retired professional bodybuilder who was the first man ever to win eight consecutive Mr.Olympia titles.
His career spanned from 1983 to 1991, and his physique was unmatched by any other in the sport at the time.
Lee was freakishly big up top and had a tiny waist, which meant he had one of the best v-tapers in the history of the sport.
Haney stood 5’11” and weighed in around 233 – 248lbs, which at the time was massive, and always brought his a-game when it came to conditioning.
The eight-time Mr.Olympia champion had one of the most aesthetically pleasing physiques of any former and current Mr. Olympia champions.
7. Sergio Oliva
Sergio Oliva was a Cuban bodybuilder who participated in the sport of bodybuilding from 1962 to 1985.
Known as “The Myth” to his fans, Oliva used to pull off one of the best crucifix poses in bodybuilding history and was one of the biggest bodybuilders of his generation.
Oliva stood 5’10”, weighed approximately 240lbs, and was one of the only men ever to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a Mr.Olympia contest.
Some of his career wins include Mr. Illinois, Mr. Chicago, Mr. World, Mr. Universe, and 1969, Mr. Olympia.
As far as physiques go, Sergio Oliva will always be remembered for his size, symmetry, and god-like structure, which made him one of the most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time.
6. Serge Nubret
Serge Nubret was a French professional bodybuilder who was also known as “The Black Panther,” and “The Nurbet Lion.”
He was recognized as having some of the best abs, chest, and shoulders in the sport and was both graceful, yet powerful on stage.
Nubret was renowned for advocating high volume training with moderate weight, which worked well for him as he managed to build one of the most aesthetic physiques in bodybuilding history.
Serge stood 6′ and weighed approximately 220lbs, and when he walked on stage to pose, many have said that it appeared as those he was gliding above the floor, as he was so graceful.
5. Samir Bannout
Samir Bannout, A.K.A, “The Lion of Lebanon,” began competing professionally in bodybuilding at the age of 18.
He stood at 5’7″, weighed between 205 – 215lbs, and competed in countless competitions throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.
Bannout earned his pro card in 1979 and, in 1983, became the best of the best by winning the Mr.Olympia title.
He was the 6th bodybuilder to win Mr. Olympia by 1983 and retired in 1996, at the age of 41.
Bannouts physique was about as aesthetic as it gets, with boulder shoulders, shredded quads and glutes, and a chiseled midsection that most could only dream of.
4. Flex Wheeler
The most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time list wouldn’t be complete without “The Sultan of Symmetry,” Flex Wheeler.
With a nickname like that, it’s pretty evident that he was known for his proportions, but Flex also had some of the biggest arms in the sport.
He’s considered by many to be one of the best bodybuilders ever, and one of the most aesthetic uncrowned Mr.Olympias.
3. Frank Zane
Frank Zane is an American retired professional bodybuilder and three-time Mr. Olympia champion.
Known as “The Chemist”, Zane was meticulous when it came to supplements, symmetry, and proportions, and he used his knowledge to build one of the most aesthetic physiques of any Mr. Olympia in history.
He made his pro-debut in 1961 at the Mr. Pennsylvania and retired from the sport in 1983.
Frank had the second-thinnest waistline of all Mr. Olympias, second only to Sergio Oliva, and shifted the perception from mass to aesthetics during his three-year reign at the top.
2. Steve Reeves
Steve Reeves was an American professional bodybuilder who won Mr. America, Mr. World, and Mr. Universe and is widely regarded as one of the most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time.
After his success in the sport of bodybuilding, his aesthetic physique and natural good looks set Reeves on the road to stardom.
Reeves was snapped up by Hollywood film director and producer Cecil B. DeMille and cast in films like Hercules, Goliath, and Sandokan.
1. Bob Paris
Former Canadian-American professional bodybuilder and IFBB World Bodybuilding Champion, Bob Paris, has one of the most aesthetic physiques ever.
Paris earned his pro card in 1983 at the NPC Nationals and retired from the sport of bodybuilding in 1991 after a successful career.
In 2006, Bob was ranked as the most aesthetic athlete in the history of bodybuilding by the IFBB in Flex Magazine.
Summary
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 15 most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time.
Those were some truly inspiring physiques.
We’re more into the aesthetic look ourselves, as opposed to the mass monster vibe.
Frank Zane is our all-time favorite bodybuilder, and someone we aspire to look like.
Here’s a quick recap of the 15 most aesthetic bodybuilders of all time:
- Bob Paris
- Steve Reeves
- Frank Zane
- Flex Wheeler
- Samir Bannout
- Serge Nubret
- Sergio Oliva
- Lee Haney
- Mohamed Makkawy
- Shawn Ray
- Lee Labrada
- Dexter Jackson
- Miloś Šarčev
- Chris Cormier
- Robby Robinson
