If we were to ask who’re the most effective bodybuilders on the planet, it is crucial to understand that almost all, if not all, of the names that come to mind, wouldn’t make this list. If bodybuilding has taught us anything, it comes all the way down to two things.
One: Discipline, consistency, and labor can assist us achieve incredible results, and it is simply too hard for most individuals to commit to this lifestyle. The second is to temper expectations as a natural lifter and accept that you’ll spend a lifetime chasing something you might not quite get to. But that’s the fantastic thing about the game.
The most effective legit natural bodybuilders cannot compete with enhanced ones, nevertheless it’s crucial to recollect they’re still within the .1% percentile of the population so far as physiques go.
Like anything in today’s world, context is king when attempting to decipher all of the unlimited information at our disposal. This text will discuss whether the 12 names on our list are truly natural, along with answering common questions regarding natty bodybuilders, fake natty bodybuilders, legit natty competitions, drug tests, and more.
Table of Contents:
- Top 12 Natural Bodybuilders: Are They Really Natty?
- What Is Natural Bodybuilding?
- How Can You Tell A Natty Bodybuilder?
- Differences Between Natural Bodybuilding & Bodybuilding
- Pros vs Cons Of Natural Bodybuilding For Serious Lifters
- FAQs
12 Best Natural Bodybuilders: Are They Really Natty?
Before we start, let’s take a second to recollect why these bodybuilders were chosen.
- These athletes are likely to compete in federations with strict testing, have never failed a drug test, and for probably the most part, have displayed slow, regular attainable growth throughout their careers.
- Their genetics are second to none, and their strategy and tactics appear to align with natural lifters. Having said that, there are various lifters competing inside this division who’ve develop into really good at working the system. Because of this while they weren’t taking performance-enhancing drugs on the time of testing, it actually does not imply they’ve never taken them.
So, who’s natty and who’s not? We may never have a 100% correct answer here, but take a have a look at our list of top 12, and we’ll allow you to be the judge.
It’s also essential to keep in mind that at the moment, it’s not only competing in competitions that makes you a competitive bodybuilder. In our social media-driven world, marketing yourself is a bodybuilding competition in and of itself, and a few of these lifters, just like the top male fitness models, have mastered it.
1. Ron Williams:
At 5 foot 11 and 190 kilos, Ron is probably the most decorated bodybuilder in natural bodybuilding history, having won over 250 competitions. Take into consideration the entire training and discipline it takes to do one competition. This man has made this his life’s work and dominated at it.
He’s a seven-time Mr. Natural Olympia, a seven-time Mr. Natural Universe, seven-time Mr. Natural World, and was inducted into the International Bodybuilding Association hall of fame in 2008.
2. Donte Franklin:
At a more “normal” size, Donte is 6 feet and around 215 kilos. With one in one million muscle-building genetics, he has been roughly the identical size his entire life – big.
Competing within the INBA and NANBF federations with strict drug testing, including multiple random tests all year long, he’s at or near the highest of any natural bodybuilding great list.
3. Simeon Panda:
Simeon is one in all the primary social media bodybuilding stars and might be seen everywhere in the web and in fitness magazines. At 6’1 and 230 kilos, Simeon won the European championship to earn his pro card.
4. Sadik Hadzovic:
Since coming to the US after leaving his war-torn home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has develop into a four-time men’s physique champion.
At 5’11 and 190 kilos, he’s best known for his classic V taper, tiny waist, and shredded physique. We will not promise you will get his same results, but you may try Sadik’s leg workout for some lifting inspiration.
5. Jeff Seid:
Jeff got here from an completed athletic background and was an all-American wrestler before becoming the youngest ever IFBB pro.
At 6 feet and around 205 kilos, he has competed in Mr. Olympia, written a book titled “Guide to Aesthetics”, is an ISSA-certified online personal trainer, and has been featured on the duvet of multiple magazines.
6. Mike Thurston:
Mike is 6 feet, 210 kilos, and while he doesn’t necessarily have the identical competition pedigree as among the other lifters on this list, there is not any denying he’s made a reputation for himself.
In today’s bodybuilding world, it’s just as prestigious to leverage your physique to develop into a nationally recognized personal trainer and entrepreneur as Mike has done.
7. Steve Cook:
At 6’1 and 210 kilos,Steve is a pioneer and original fitness YouTuber. He also has competed at Mr. Olympia and won quite a few men’s physique competitions. Steve has alluded to previously using steroids but not using them currently, so we’ll let you select whether this counts as natty or not.
8. Lazar Angelov:
The poster child for the Instagram fitness generation, at 5’11 and 200 kilos, Lazar is a bodybuilder, personal trainer, and fitness model. Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Lazar leverages his model looks and shredded physique to be one of the vital popular fitness models and successful fitness entrepreneurs on the planet.
9. Ulisses Williams Jr:
One other fitness model phenomenon, at 5’10 and 210 kilos, Ulisses has had competition success as well, having won over 24 competitions throughout his profession.
He’s widely known to have probably the most impressive eight-pack (read up on why you will have 4 pack abs vs 6 pack vs 8 pack here) seen in natural bodybuilding competitions.
10. Jamie Alderton:
Competing within the extremely strict BNBF and Musclemania Natural shows, at 6 feet and 190 kilos,a lot of his fans believehe is a tried-and-true natty.
Jamie likely would have been caught if he had ever used performance-enhancing drugs, because the shows he participated in tested randomly and infrequently. He can also be the duvet model for the famous Grenade complement line.
11. Sergi Constance:
Having a master’s degree in physical education, at 6’1 and 215 kilos, Sergi has won quite a few IFBB competitions and the Muscle and Fitness cover model search at Mr. Olympia weekend.
12. Mike O’Hearn:
At 6’3 and 250 kilos, Mike is by far probably the most controversial on this list as his FFMI is higher than most naturals can achieve. Often accused of being a fake natty, Mike has been winning natural bodybuilding competitions for years.
Gifted with strength, he was squatting 600 and bench pressing 400 kilos at 17 years old. And, the previous American Gladiator has never failed a drug test. Natty or not? You select.
Whether you suspect him or not, there is not any denying he knows his thing around a gym. Try the Mike O’Hearn biceps workout to coach like the professional.
What’s natural bodybuilding?
The definition has modified quite a bit over time, but to maintain it easy, natty bodybuilding is a contest for drug-free natural bodybuilders. Natural bodybuilding was created and gained popularity within the 90s to compete with the improved bodybuilding competitions that were growing in popularity.
It’s essential to understand what a legit natty competition is and what it entails. It has nothing to do with one’s strength, ability to burn fat, muscle mass, muscular endurance, or physique. All of it comes all the way down to the testing.
Testing might be so simple as checking the banned substance list, including anything from anabolic steroids to easy creatine monohydrate. Some competitions even go along with the glory system (insert eye roll here), and a few have stricter testing policies.
So what ensures the Natural Mr. Olympia shouldn’t be a fake natty? The testing!
The Natty Mr. Olympia is the world’s most important natural bodybuilding competition. Every athlete is screened by the best drug testing standards for the competition. The testing can include blood, urine, and even polygraph testing. The World Anti-Doping Agency is even the host of the event.
But, it is important to take note that some bodybuilders have also gotten pretty rattling good at cheating the system, so sometimes the definition of natural bodybuilding simply means “not on drugs straight away.”
For instance, Mr. Natural Universe winner Mike O’Hearn is one of the vital controversial figures in bodybuilding. Simply because the title says natural doesn’t necessarily persuade everyone that they’re all, actually, drug-free lifters. There are fake nattys all over leveraging their physique, competition wins, and standing as a “natty” to earn money and grow their following.
Let’s have a look at how you may spot a drug-free natty bodybuilder.
How are you going to tell who’s a natural bodybuilder?
Many of the answers in this text will start with a disclaimer just like reminding you that an R-rated movie might not be suitable in your kids. It’s essential to keep in mind that there are many outlier cases, and there really is not a 100% accurate technique to confirm either way.
There are actually some guidelines to present you a reasonably good shot at telling who’s natural and who isn’t. And do not let this discourage you into believing nothing is achievable without being an enhanced lifter, since it’s simply not the case. You only keep specializing in constructing muscle, honing in in your nutrition, and prioritizing the importance of sleep.
And with that, let’s get into 8 guidelines that will indicate whether someone is actually a natty bodybuilder.
1. A Normalized Fat-Free Mass Index:
This will likely not be an on-site variety of thing, but with a simple calculation, you may resolve. This describes the quantity of muscle mass in comparison with height and weight. This can be a more precise calculation than BMI. BMI doesn’t consider muscle mass, and really fit people can often be categorized as obese (for more information, this post discusses the differences between BMI vs body fat percentage).
Using height, weight, and body fat to calculate, a natural lifter could have an FFMI around or below 21-22. Being around 23-24 will start to lift some questions, nevertheless it does still provide you with some room for simply being a genetic freak. Being at 25 or over will signal that you just are pushing past your genetic limits with some assistance.
This also touches on the body fat-to-bodyweight ratio. It’s pretty rare to see someone massive and shredded. So keep the FFMI in mind when making a call about whether someone is natty.
2. Natty’s don’t have excessive traps:
The muscle receptors within the trapezius muscles show a dramatic response when using anabolic steroids. As most lifters know, a formidable pair of traps, even if you’re dedicated to your trapezius exercises, is hard to return by unless you’re one in all the few genetically gifted or you’re enhanced.
To not say you can’t grow a formidable pair, because you may, but generally, if someone has ridiculous comic book character traps, it’s a telltale sign. So keep an eye fixed out for realistic-looking traps when wondering who’s natty or not.
3. Natural lifters see much slower changes:
Almost anytime you see a dramatic increase in muscle size and someone who puts on an excessive amount of weight too quickly, otherwise you notice a brilliant fast improvement in muscular strength gains, you may throw up a red flag. Natural bodybuilders are going to progress much slower than enhanced lifters.
That is one in all the explanations being natty might be so rewarding (and sometimes frustrating). The last word sign of consistency, dedication, and discipline is chasing that goal each day, knowing it won’t come fast.
Especially if you could have been resistance training for years, you understand the lean muscle mass gains come slower. Ensure that your weight loss program is in check as well to see slow and regular progress. Emphasize high protein, balanced carbohydrates, and a mixture of healthy fats.
4. A standard head-to-body ratio:
Everyone has seen the huge bodybuilder who seems to have a pinhead in comparison with the remainder of his body. As all the time, there are outlier cases. But this piggybacks off the fat-free mass index again; natural bodybuilding is about aesthetics and proportions, including your head in comparison with the remainder of your body.
5. Natty’s have flatter muscles:
Someone who’s enhanced will look almost competition ready year-round. Natural lifters could have flatter muscles when attempting to lose body fat during natural bodybuilding contest preparation.
This ties into the slower changes concept for natural bodybuilding we discussed earlier. The method can be much slower, so precision along with your weight loss program and training is vital to creating the changes occur.
This also explains why natural lifters must put more prolonged periods into bulking vs. cutting and gaining muscle, because it doesn’t come as easy as if you’re enhanced. They might have periods where they appear fluffier in the course of the bulking season, after which as they lean out, they are going to must cope with looking flat at times.
It’s all a component of the natural bodybuilding process. And in any case that onerous work, it is also why the payoff as a natty might be so sweet and satisfying.
6. No gynecomastia:
Commonly known as “gyno,” this refers to a rise in breast tissue. And no, we usually are not talking chest fat here. During anabolic steroid use, elevated testosterone also results in high estrogen. Depending on an individual’s genetics, they might be susceptible to developing this unlucky side effect.
This comes up even in natty competitions where lifters are sometimes accused of possibly being on a cycle and coming off months before the competition. It isn’t foolproof, but it would show you how to make your decision.
7. No steroid pimples or hair loss:
Steroid use often has the side effect of back pimples, and for certain people, results in earlier hair loss if it’s in your genes.
It doesn’t occur to everyone, but when the lifter in query doesn’t have these symptoms, it’s one other sign he could also be natty.
8. They compete in tested competitions:
For those who can take the entire above concepts and have a look at who competes in natural competitions, you could have a fairly good shot at seeing who’s natural and who isn’t.
In the event that they are stepping on stage in competitions which have strict drug testing policies, it’s only going to up their good faith standing that they’re, actually, a natty bodybuilder. But additionally keep this in mind: Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test.
Natural Bodybuilding Competitions vs Non-Natty Bodybuilding Competitions
Natural bodybuilding is a category that excludes using anabolic steroids, insulin, diuretics, and human growth hormone. It’s as much as the federation to find out its testing method. They’ll use blood tests, urinalysis, and polygraph tests. These tests might be performed randomly year-round or just right before the competition.
It’s essential to keep in mind that each federation could have its own rules. Each contest will specify how long a participant will must be drug-free. This will range from the day of the competition weeks or months, years before the competition, or a lifetime of being all-natural.
Unfortunately, in America, we concentrate on the larger, the higher, and the almighty dollar. It often comes all the way down to being clear concerning the rules to make sure you do whatever you may to get around these tests. Remember, there may be little to no money in natural bodybuilding apart from probably the most significant competitions.
Pros and Cons of Natural Bodybuilding for Serious Bodybuilders
We just covered a formidable natural bodybuilder list, so now let’s take a have a look at the professionals and cons of constructing muscle naturally.
Pros:
- Pride: Knowing you worked as hard as possible in your muscle growth along with your genetic limitations. The satisfaction of knowing you pushed it to the bounds and did your easiest without outside help. You might be using lighter weights than someone taking steroids, but that muscle growth is all you!
- Safer in your body: Immediately eliminates the entire unintended effects of any performance-enhancing drug use. No worries about heart failure, gynecomastia, hair loss, or other hormone-related problems. So far as this is worried, prioritizing secure supplements, like the most effective creatine, together with following strategies to enhance natural anabolic hormone production, like increasing amino acids, is a much healthier option.
- Credibility: For those who are someone who wants to construct a following, whether on social media or around competitions, this offers you the peace of mind to understand it was all you that made this occur, and people who wish to follow in your footsteps will trust you.
Cons:
- Lack of recognition: As mentioned, the highest bodybuilders on the planet who get probably the most attention are those that use performance-enhancing drugs. It’s just the way it is and a troublesome pill to swallow.
- Limits: This is usually a pro, as we mentioned, but you won’t give you the option to compete with those that are enhanced. You might give you the option to push past your genetic muscle fibers ceiling a bit of bit, occasionally breaking your personal record, but not nearly as much as those using performance-enhancing drugs.
- Compensation: Unless you’re winning the Natural Mr. Olympia or leveraging your physique as an entrepreneur, there may be little to no money in natural bodybuilding.
- Psychological struggles: Depending on who you’re comparing yourself to, it will possibly be disheartening to compete against athletes who’ve used steroids to get where they’re.
FAQs on Natural Bodybuilding
Let’s answer just a few regularly asked questions on natural bodybuilding.
Who’s the most effective & biggest natty bodybuilder?
The 2 best and largest natural bodybuilders currently are Ron Williams and Donte Franklin.
What’s the difference between natural bodybuilding and bodybuilding?
If a bodybuilder takes any of the next, they usually are not natural:
Your strength ceiling can be much higher should you usually are not natural. This implies you may lift more, train a muscle more regularly, construct more muscle, and get well from all of it as you grow right into a massively shredded physique.
What Are The Major Natural Bodybuilding Competitions?
The PNBA Elite World Tour and the Natural Olympia competition are the creams of the crop for natty bodybuilders, and they’ll have probably the most substantial testing for his or her events. It’s great to know that there are alternatives for withholding the integrity of the natural bodybuilding label.
What Major Bodybuilding Competitions Do Not Test?
Because it is more popular, the non-natural competitions have just a few more prestigious options. Mr. Olympia, Mr. Universe, and the Arnold Classic are huge events, to call just a few.
Can You Still Develop A Muscular Physique If You are Natural?
Yes, natural lifters can still achieve incredible physiques. But they have to be far more aware of slow, regular progress and be dialed in entirely with nutrition and a natural bodybuilding weight loss program, together with workout programming to realize lean muscle and their desired body composition.
Is it possible to be a famous and successful bodybuilder without steroids?
Being enhanced will undoubtedly permit you to even the playing field in top competitions, but the method and principles are what make someone a famous and successful bodybuilder. So unless you are attempting to win the highest bodybuilding competitions on the planet, yes, you may actually make a life and profession as a natural bodybuilder.
As we mentioned earlier, today’s day and age present a distinct playing field. It’s not just competitions prefer it was back within the day. You need to use social media platforms to have a following within the tons of of 1000’s, whilst a natural lifter. Try these top female fitness models’ Instagram accounts and you will see their follower stats are not any joke. All of it comes all the way down to who you should be.
For those who try to develop into famous, there may be actually an avenue. For those who try to earn money, you may leverage your physique and skills as a trainer by showing people how you probably did it and the way they’ll. If you should win natural competitions and wave that as a flag of pride within the faces of those that are enhanced, you may do this too.
As a caveat, it’s also key to keep in mind that there are cases where therapeutic doses of testosterone alternative therapy are an incredible option to enhance quality of life. Yes, some people will take away your lifetime natty card, but should you are doing it to enhance your health and be the most effective person you may be for yourself and your loved ones, it might be best for you.
To bring all of it full circle: If you should win the highest bodybuilding competitions, you won’t give you the option to compete with those on performance-enhancing drugs. So just don’t compare yourself to that group if enhancement drugs aren’t your thing.
At the same time as a natural lifter aiming to make the most effective natural bodybuilder list, you’re in the highest .1% of the world should you train consistently, prioritizing constructing muscle, quality nutrition, staying lean, and moving well.
Naturally, you may still make gains, compete, and construct a fitness empire.
