During the New York Knicks' historic run, the iconic IFBB Pro bodybuilder and actor Kai Greene shared his Mount Rushmore of New York City bodybuilders. 

On June 10, Greene appeared in an exclusive podcast with Generation Iron. In the podcast, The People’s Champ was seen recalling the iconic athletes who shaped the rich bodybuilding history of NYC, alongside the Russian filmmaker and co-founder of Generation Iron, Vlad Yudin.

Though Greene hasn't won an Olympia title yet, he has placed second 3 times, in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He is also a 3-time Arnold Classic winner, which is why Yudin already placed him on the list and asked for two to three more names. 

Then the bodybuilder came up with some of the vital bodybuilding personalities, which he included on the list: Lou Ferrigno (Incredible Hulk), Victor Martinez, and Akim Williams, among others.

Let's look at why the 3-time Arnold Classic winner included them on the Mount Rushmore list.

Lou Ferrigno

Speaking about him, Greene said, “Lou Ferrigno should be right at the top because he's a recognizable part of everybody's life and is familiar with the sport of bodybuilding, particularly in the 70s, 80s, 90s.”

The actor who played The Incredible Hulk won two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles in 1973 and 1974. He also became the runner-up in the NABBA Mr. Universe Tall category. In fact, he placed third behind legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1975 Mr. Olympia. 

Victor Martinez

Martinez is also known as the Uncrowned King of Bodybuilding, particularly for his conditioning at the 2007 Mr. Olympia. Martinez holds legendary status and a foundational appearance, making the bodybuilder a strong pillar of bodybuilding, like Mount Rushmore.

Generation Iron added that, for him, the bodybuilder said, “He was on the way to really showing some major star power. And he did… For me, that’s always, always, always an original king of New York when it comes to the bodybuilding scene.”

Standing 5’9” and weighing 255 to 265 lbs during his competition days, he earned titles in many Pro bodybuilding competitions, including the Arnold Classic in 2007 and the Arnold Classic Madrid in 2011.

Akim Williams

The IFBB Pro bodybuilder is known for his intense strength and massive 20-inch arms.

While speaking about him in the video, Greene said: “If we don’t celebrate somebody who belongs there now, you know what I mean, has been now competing for the better part of more than a decade, he deserves the current.”

Williams competes in the open division and has demonstrated his power by deadlifting 800 lbs. He has also done incline press with two 170-lb dumbbells.

Although this list may differ for others, Greene places the right personalities on Mt. Rushmore, as their work and contributions in the sport truly justify their placement.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil