Kai Greene may not have a Mr. Olympia title to his name, but his impact on bodybuilding is undeniable. In a recent episode of The Kai Greene Effect, the three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up turned back the clock, revisiting his teenage years as a natural bodybuilder.

Speaking on Generation Iron, while discussing 'natural bodybuilding,' Greene revealed that during his teenage years, he wasn’t exposed to PEDs, yet he could still lift nearly 500 pounds without breaking a sweat.

“I mean, um, I’ve been benching like, you know, 500 lb as a teenager. Um, and yeah—no s*******, even at the time, like nothing, you know. Um, 315 shoulder press. I look at some of this stuff now, and I go, ‘Wow, that was just insane,’ you know,” Greene stated.

The 3x Arnold Classic champion had already achieved a lot in his teenage years. By the age of 19, he had earned a pro card in a natural bodybuilding federation at the 1994 NGA American Nationals.

However, after winning the 1996 WNBF Pro Natural Worlds title, he realized that to make it big in the NPC federation, he would have to gain a lot of size, and that marked the beginning of his PED journey.

It is to be noted that he has never endorsed these, which he cites as "illegal substances," and believes that bodybuilding and PEDs do not go hand in hand. Now, Greene simply knows better.

His journey took him to six Mr. Olympia competitions, where he finished as runner-up three times at best. However, even getting there came at a great cost, as his childhood was anything but smooth.

Kai Greene’s childhood was marked by adversity

Born and brought up in Brooklyn, New York, Kai Greene was orphaned at the age of 6 and was raised by foster parents for over 10 years.

“I was born in Brooklyn, New York. And, um, a family tragedy kind of made it so that I was taken away from a single biological parent at age six,” Greene revealed in his conversation with Sports Illustrated back in 2017.

It was tough for him to find a place for himself in the community, often labeled an outcast, which pushed him closer to bodybuilding. He began bodybuilding at the age of 13 in 1988.

“Bodybuilding is not the wellspring from which my spirit flows. It was a tool that helped me understand and recognize who I wanted to be.”

He might have had great genetics and skill, but he was never keen on making a career out of it, until his 7th-grade English teacher recognized his potential and pushed him toward the sport.

What started as a way out of reality became his biggest gift. What are your thoughts on his journey?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das