Since the start of Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia contest in 1965, there have been nineteen different champions, each with a different X factor body part contributing to their winning physique. Maybe they had insane lats, and that’s what earned them the victory, or maybe it was their crazy conditioning. Today we’re going to be taking a look at each Mr. Olympia’s best body part, starting with Larry Scott, A-K-A the Golden Boy and the first winner of the Mr. Olympia competition.
Scott won the competition in 1965 and 66, and retired right after. He had a great well rounded and proportional Golden Era physique, but his arms were clearly his standout muscle. They measured 20 plus inches, which was unheard of at the time.
Next up is Sergio Oliva, or “the myth”, who was victorious from 1967 to 1969. Just like Larry Scott, Oliva brought arms that were unmatched to the Olympia stage, and we believe it was definitely his best body part.
From 1970 to 1975 the winner was Arnold Schwarznegger, or the Austrian Oak. Arnold is the arguably the most famous bodybuilder of all time, and the greatest athlete promoter of the sport. He had great arms just like the prior champions, but one quick look at his physique and you will be in awe at his pecs. With his favorable muscle insertions and size, Schwarzengger arguably sported the best chest of all time. Arnold also won in 1980, but he lacked the size and conditioning that he had in the 70’s, and it was one of the most controversial Olympias of all time.
After his retirement in 1976, Arnold’s closest friend Franco Columbu gained the judges favor. Franco also won the competition in 1981, another controversial Olympia. We believe the best feature of his physique was his conditioning, as he had muscle striations and paper thin skin that was very rare in the Golden Era.
From 1977-1979 Frank Zane, A-K-A the chemist, won the contest. Zane had one of the best midsections of all time, and it was definitely the best feature of his physique. He had one of the craziest ab routines, and he showed his six pack off on stage along with his insane vacuum.
After a close second in 1981, Chris Dickerson received the Sandow in 1982. His best body part was his back, as the width of his lats was unmatched.
After Dickerson it was Samir Bannout in 1983, another one and done winner. We also believe his back was his best body part, with his arms taking a close second.
Then came the reign of Lee Haney. He won from 1984 to 1991, and was the last Mr. Olympia before the mass monster era began. Haney had the full package. Great chest, great back, and great legs, making it hard to decide, but we’re going to say that his back was his best body part, and that the judges during the 80’s likely favored thick wide lats as the last two Mr. Olympias also had standout backs.
In 1992, The most controversial bodybuilder of all time started his six year reign. Dorian Yates was the first mass monster and the bodybuilder with the coolest nickname, he was known as the shadow. He changed the sport more than anybody ever has, and the Mr Olympia competition still favors a mass monster style of physique. He was big on high intensity training, taking every set to failure and keeping workouts short and sweet. We believe his best feature was his conditioning, as he had some of the thinnest skin the Mr. Olympia competition had ever seen. He brought a crazy amount of mass at an insanely low body fat percentage, and this was now the standard.
In 1998 the goat of bodybuilding Ronnie Coleman started his eight year reign, taking the title from predicted winner Flex Wheeler, who actually mentored Ronnie on anabolic steroid usage. Ronnie had the craziest physique ever, and we’ll likely never see a bodybuilder with that combination of size, conditioning, and let’s not forget strength, as he was throwing around 800 on squat and 550 on bench at his peak. It’s beginning to get a bit old, we know, but we also believe Ronnie’s best body part was his back. He had size everywhere, but his back is likely the thickest and widest the Olympia stage has ever seen.
In 2006, after placing second four times, Jay Cutler finally dethroned Ronnie Coleman. He won again in 2007, and again in 09 and 2010. If you’ve ever seen Cutler’s legendary quad stomp in 2009, you’ll know that his legs were his best body part. He had the striations, the deep cuts, and the size.
Despite his massive legs, Jay had the title stripped away from him in 2008 by Dexter Jackson, who is the most winning bodybuilder the I-F-B-B has ever seen. He was nicknamed the blade, which is almost as cool as the shadow. We believe his best body part was his midsection, as he had very developed and symmetrical abs.
After Jay Cutler won his final title in 2010, Phil Heath, AKA the gift, took over in 2011, winning the title seven times. He tied Arnold’s record, but couldn’t secure the eighth like Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman. Without a doubt, his best body part was his arms, and they’re likely the best arms ever.
Shawn Roden won the Mr. Olympia in 2018, and unfortunately died shortly after in 2021. He had a crazy wide back with lats that popped even from the front, and we think it was his best body part.
In 2019 Brandon Curry secured the Sandow with his amazing shoulders, and we think it’s right to call his delts his best body part.
Big Ramy won the competition in 2020 and 2021, and while he had a ridiculously wide back, we believe his legs were even crazier.
Then came Hadi Choopan in 2022. He had a very proportional physique, so we’re going to say that his conditioning was actually his best feature.
In 2023 Derek Lunsford shocked the bodybuilding world and stole the title from Hadi Choopan. It was argued that this show was won from the back, and Derek had an amazing lat spread, making his back his standout muscle.
And finally, Samson Dauda, the 2024 and current Mr. Olympia. He stands at six foot one, quite a bit taller than the past champions. He has crazy size all over, but we believe his chest is his best body part because of the crazy fullness and density. It even slightly reminds us of Arnold’s Golden Era chest.
And there you have it. Every Mr. Olympia and their standout muscle or feature. This was just our opinion, and if you disagree with any of our picks, let us know.