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For enthusiasts, appreciators, and fitness nerds worldwide, Kevin Levrone can be placed as one of the most recognizable bodybuilders around the media platform alongside the iconic Coleman and Bumstead.
The 90s bodybuilder competed at the peak era alongside some legendary competitors when bodybuilding slowly garnered mainstream recognition and appreciation. From memes to media, Levrone became an internet sensation with his hyper-muscular flexing, tensed facial expressions, and hilarious captions on TikTok.
What makes Kevin Levrone so special in Bodybuilding history?
Kevin Levrone, the Maryland Muscle Machine, was born in 1964 to an Italian-American father and an African-American mother. He lost both parents to cancer at a young age.
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His cousin inspired him to pursue bodybuilding. This would have a serious impact on Levrone becoming one of the best IFBB physiques. Levrone competed alongside the legendary Dorian Yates in the 1990s to his iconic comeback that shocked the bodybuilding world in 2016.
One cool feature that set Kevin Levrone apart was his training period. He was able to train quickly for competitions, getting competition-ready at a compact schedule rather than year-long training.
This is owed to his gifted genetics, which is also a factor for his legendary comeback in 2016 at the age of 51. It showed his mentality towards the sport he describes as one of the most difficult on the planet. While he was placed 17th, Kevin Levrone gave us a reason why mindset never fails one’s spirit.
In his interview for RxMuscle Youtube Channel with the old beast Dave Plumbo, he talked about his decision to choose his health over his desire to be Mr. Olympia. He feels grateful, saying that realizing and respecting his body’s extremities is why he is alive today and has a life after bodybuilding.
He very humbly accepts by saying, "I always wanted to win”, and then goes on to give a very touching statement, on why he never won The Olympia:
"Not all the time what you want is what god wants for you. It just wasn't written in my lifetime to be Mr. Olympia; it was written for me to do exactly what I'm doing now, being influenced to many thousands of millions of kids around the world and so many countries around the world and that was a platform that bodybuilding gave to me, which completely blew up and flourished into where it is today."
Kevin Levrone is popularly known being an “unacclaimed Mr. Olympia" who shares the title with Kenneth Wheeler. Having competed for the Olympia title four times yet missing it by the smallest inches, he never showed resentment.
He complimented Dorian's mindset of coming back stronger and bigger consistently in every successive session. This helped Levrone to push beyond limits too but he preferred not risking his life over the sport.
He suffered a massive setback before his debut competition, suffering two major injuries. However, he still managed to compete with surgeries in the best shapes within eight weeks which again was a reason for his losing the Olympia title.
Kevin Levrone on present-day Bodybuilding culture
Levrone is attributed with one of the most iconic physiques that won him 20 pro competitions and 3 amateur championships. This is recorded as one of the earliest "most" wins by any competitor. His charisma towards his sport is what stole the show. In his interview, he appreciates the diverse cultures worldwide. Especially praising the Eastern culture devoted towards a more disciplined, religious, respected lifestyle. He conveys both his displeasure and amazement with modern-day gyms reminding him of "hotels" rather a places of training. This reflects his dedication to the sport. He also found it surprising for young fans reaching out to him that he humbly mentioned "How do you even know me?".
Greatly known for his humble approach, and a beastly mindset that defies all age limits. His in-depth knowledge of the sport can be comparable to the legend Mike Mentzer himself. All of these together are what makes Kevin Levrone one of the most culturally iconic bodybuilders around the world.
