Top 10 Bodybuilders in the world

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Secrets & mindset: Arnold believed in the “mind-muscle connection”, hard training, high volume sets, and consistent posing practice (posing is training too).
Workout routine: In his prime he used high volume–multiple exercises per muscle, often large rep ranges (8-12+), 5-6 days a week, sometimes twice a day. His workouts included squats, presses, lots of compound lifts.
Food habits: He ate many meals, plenty of protein, moderate carbs and fats; in the old era he also emphasised milk, steak, eggs. He also believed in regular meals and using food to support recovery.
Daily lifestyle: Early rise, training hard, posing often, recovery (sleep, rest) taken seriously, and mindset that one must be disciplined.
Key takeaway for you: At your age, focus on form, build good habits, don’t jump for huge weights early. Consistency and correct technique matter.

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2. Ronnie Coleman

Secrets: Ronnie is known as possibly the “greatest mass monster” in bodybuilding. He pushed extremely heavy weights and had unbelievable work capacity. Wikipedia+1
Workout routine: He lifted crazy heavy—squats, deadlifts, leg presses with massive loads. He trained almost every body part with intensity and volume.
Food habits: At his peak he consumed around 6,000 calories a day. His diet: grilled chicken breasts, turkey, steak, egg whites, rice, baked potatoes, grits with cheese. Wikipedia+1
Daily lifestyle: From early mornings, intense gym sessions, phenomenal dedication. However the heavy lifting took a toll: multiple surgeries in later life.
Key takeaway: Mass and extreme weights can achieve great size—but at your age, the risk of injury is higher and you’ll want to prioritise safe progress rather than massive loads too early.

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3. Jay Cutler

Secrets: Cutler emphasised spacing, diet discipline, and strategic training. kylehuntfitness.com+1
Workout routine: High volume, many sets per muscle, he trained each muscle group twice a week during competition prep. The Sun
Food habits: During competition: about 5,000 calories a day over 6-7 meals. He had huge amounts of meat, eggs, rice. For example, at times four pounds of meat daily, 30 dozen eggs weekly. BarBend+1
Daily lifestyle: Consistent meal timing (every ~2½ hours), training, recovery, monitoring body changes. After retirement he still emphasises smart diet, brain health, recovery. GQ
Key takeaway: Timing, consistency, and nutrition matter a lot — for you as a younger trainee, getting enough protein, recovery and sleep matter most.

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4. Phil Heath

Secrets: Known as “The Gift”. He emphasised technique, muscle shape, and smart diet. Wikipedia+1
Workout routine: His training involved 3-5 exercises per muscle group, sessions lasting ~2 hours. gymbeam.com Also, for example when prepping he used sets of 6-12 reps with short rest (e.g., FST-7 style) to maximize hypertrophy. Steel Supplements
Food habits: Seven meals a day during prep, simplified foods: egg whites + oats, tilapia + yams, chicken + rice, steak + rice. BarBend+1
Daily lifestyle: Early wake-up (~4:45 or 5 am during competition times), eating every 2–3 hours, training specific muscle parts, recovery methods (e.g., sauna) in high-level prep. Talksport
Key takeaway: Precision in training and diet really matters. If you’re drawing and training and busy, you can borrow the principle: structured plan + consistency wins.

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5. Kai Greene

Secrets: Kai emphasised the mind-muscle connection: feeling the muscle work, visualising it, posing to improve connection. Wikipedia
Workout routine: He used creative bodybuilding training, heavy leg work, varied angles, artistic posing as part of his training.
Food habits: Similar to other top pros: high protein, high calories, clean food sources, prepared meals.
Daily lifestyle: Discipline as much mental as physical: for him bodybuilding was art + sport. He emphasised preparation (his motto: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance) and much focus on posing, mental conditioning.
Key takeaway: The mental side matters. For you (lean, tall, artistically inclined), you could integrate mental focus (visualisation, mind-muscle connection) with your training to make it more interesting and tailored.

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6. Lee Haney

Secrets: Lee Haney holds the joint-record of eight consecutive Mr Olympia wins (tied with Ronnie Coleman). He trained smart, emphasised injury prevention and longevity.
Workout routine: He used high volume but with smart recovery; he’d do compound lifts, super-sets, and trained multiple muscle groups per session.
Food habits: Balanced diet, plenty of clean proteins, and a focus on consistency rather than gimmicks.
Daily lifestyle: Haney emphasises “stimulate don’t annihilate” — meaning heavy but smart training rather than reckless. He also emphasises life outside the gym (faith, family).
Key takeaway: Especially at your age, prioritise longevity, recovery, avoiding injuries, building good habits rather than going “all in” too aggressively.

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7. Dorian Yates

Secrets: Known for “Blood & Guts” training: extremely intense, shorter workouts but very high intensity, often to failure, very heavy.
Workout routine: Focused heavily on back development (many say his back was the best ever), used very heavy weights, low reps, high intensity, fewer sets.
Food habits: Clean, high protein, moderate carbs, but overall diet structured for muscle growth and recovery.
Daily lifestyle: Focused, serious, disciplined, count details, rest and recovery as important.
Key takeaway: Intensity matters, but at your age you might use moderate weights, good form, moderate volume; you don’t need extreme loads or injury risk.

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8. Flex Wheeler

Secrets: Known for aesthetic, symmetry, beautiful lines—“the most aesthetic bodybuilder many say”. He emphasised shaping rather than only raw size.
Workout routine: Split training focusing on muscle detail, isolation exercises, perfect form, varied training to emphasise muscle shape.
Food habits: Cleaner diet, more careful in prep phases; emphasised being “balanced” and attention to detail.
Daily lifestyle: Rich in discipline, in training and in life; he emphasised the refining of physique.
Key takeaway: For you (lean build, tall, model-type), emphasising symmetry, muscle shape, good proportions might suit more than “mega mass” early on.

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9. Samir Bannout

Secrets: Nicknamed “The Lion of Lebanon”, he held Mr Olympia 1983. Known for great conditioning, classic lines, smart training rather than pure brute force.
Workout routine: Balanced compound + isolation, the emphasis on aesthetics and proportions.
Food habits: Clean diet, good nutrition, less of the exaggerated mass monster style.
Daily lifestyle: Focus on long term sustainability in bodybuilding and healthy habits.
Key takeaway: Considering your build (lean model-type), following a well-rounded training + diet that emphasises lean muscle and aesthetics is very compatible.

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10. Brandon Curry

Secrets: A more modern champion (Mr Olympia 2019) who blends mass, shape, conditioning. He uses modern training, recovery, diet science.

Workout routine: Well-balanced training: heavy lifts, supersets, attention to lagging areas, modern hypertrophy methods (8-12 reps, 3-5 sets, varied tempos).

Food habits: Clean meals, lean proteins, carbs timed around workouts, plenty of veggies + healthy fats; more advanced nutrition tracking.

Daily lifestyle: Includes recovery, sleep, smart supplementation (legal), and modern support methods (stretching, mobility, rest).

Key takeaway: As you grow up, modern training methods, smart nutrition tracking and interpolation between school/life/training will help you more than old brute style.

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Overarching Lessons & How You Should Adapt Them

• Progressively build: At age 13 you are still growing. Focus on mastering bodyweight exercises, fundamentals (squat, push, pull, hinge) rather than trying to match 300 kg lifts.
• Nutrition basics: Get enough protein (for your age and size), plenty of vegetables, decent carbs to fuel growth/training, and good sleep.
• Rest & recovery: Every top bodybuilder emphasised recovery (sleep, rest days, mobility) as much as training.
• Mind-muscle & consistency: The connection between your mind and your muscle matters. Consistent training over months/years beats sporadic “go hard” sessions.
• Avoid injury: Many rivals paid the price for insane weights and neglecting form. You’ll thank yourself later if you prioritise form and gradual progress.
• Coachability and learning: Many of the greats studied their bodies, varied their training, changed diet when needed, and were always learning.
• Lifestyle fit: Since you’re drawn to art (you mention hyperrealistic drawing talent) and more relaxed style, you can incorporate that into your training: treat your body like your art piece, focus on aesthetics, detail, posture and quality—not just “big”.
• Stay healthy: While the focus is on bodybuilding, remember you’re still a teenager: your hormones, growth plates, bones are changing. Make sure you have good supervision, good nutrition, moderate training load, and avoid extreme dieting.

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