Kevin Levrone was already an established force when 8x Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman won his first title in 1998. Finishing in second place in '92 and '95 and battling legends like Dorian Yates, he stood among the sport’s true giants. However, his story was not without its setbacks.

On December 4, 2025, Levrone sat down with Mike Thurston on his podcast, First Things Thrst, for a candid conversation about his life. When Thurston asked, “Do you look back at the competing days and miss it?” his response was a straight “No.”

Perplexed by the answer, Thurston questioned, “How come?” as the four-time Olympia runner-up still trains regularly at 61. “I always thought about my parents. I had to go to a dark place,” Levrone started.

“To create that character, you know, the bodybuilder that people see, was created from pain and everything that I went through. I would get on a cycle of steroids or something, it was just, I was in survival mode," Kevin Levrone told Thurston.

Losing both of his parents to vicious cancer, his childhood was filled with sorrow, regret, and the fear of facing the same fate. “I don’t want to go to school because all the kids were laughing at me in school because I don’t have a father."

When the situation was really grim, he found solace in bodybuilding: “In the gym, I found peace because it was almost like a therapy for me.” The sport pushed him onto a path of dedication, discipline, and confidence.

Even though Levrone never won the Mr. Olympia, he finished his runner-up finishes often made him the people's champ. During the conversation, Kevin shared advice for those very fans, and especially those going through rough times.

Kevin Levrone's advice

Levrone's mental health took a huge hit after his father's passing. However, the key was finding discipline. "Martial arts, you know, teach you discipline and self-confidence. So I studied the arts of martial arts, and I kind of found strength and how to pretty much control your destiny," said Levrone.

The bodybuilding icon explained that it was through reading Bruce Lee's books that he developed the mindset to excel. Later, he simply applied Lee's philosophy to succeed in bodybuilding.

“I say that, and I’ve said this a lot, you know, when you think your life is falling apart, it’s actually falling into place,” said Kevin Levrone.

“Most of us get in the way of what we try to force. Sometimes you don’t have to force it; you just have to embrace the pain," he concluded. While martial arts may not be the key for everyone, Kevin Levrone's advice is something anyone can follow, just like the bodybuilder who followed Bruce Lee.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi