Canadian Beef!

The Best Muscle Men from the Great White North

Canada has just over 10 percent of the population of its neighbor to the south, the USA, yet it has always played a key role in the sport of bodybuilding. Firstly, the sport as we know it today wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for the joint efforts of the Weider brothers, Joe and Ben. It was nearly a century ago in Montreal, Quebec, that Joe began his empire that would eventually encompass publishing, equipment and supplements. His brother Ben was the first man to establish a federation that was purely for bodybuilding, the IFBB, and which did not require athletic demonstrations such as weightlifting or gymnastics. Ben also worked tirelessly for decades in efforts to make bodybuilding a sport in the Olympic Games. Canada has always had a rich tradition of strength sports, including Quebec’s legendary strongman, Louis Cyr. When the sport of bodybuilding dawned, physique champions also began to emerge from Canada. Among the best of the earlier era was Montreal’s Leo Robert, who won the NABBA Pro Universe in 1955.

Though he was originally from Barbados, Roy Callender’s pro bodybuilding career began after winning the 1977 CBBF Canadian Championships. Known for his tremendous chest and arm development, Roy won several IFBB contests including the Mr. International, the Pro Universe, the World Pro Championships, and placed second or third at nearly a dozen others. His record at the Mr. Olympia was third place in 1978, fourth place in 1979, seventh place in 1980, fourth in 1981, with his final appearance being a fifth place at the 1984 Mr. Olympia where Lee Haney began his eight-year reign.

The ‘80s and ‘90s saw a strong wave of Canadian bodybuilding talent. Long before there was a 212 division, Steve Brisbois was one of the original giant killers. At 5-foot-3 and 160 pounds, his shape and proportions allowed him to routinely beat much taller and heavier men. After winning the lightweight and overall titles at the 1986 Canadian Championships, Steve competed for six seasons as a pro. His best placings were at the Arnold Classic, where he placed fifth in 1990, sixth in 1991, and fifth one last time in 1992. Other notable Canadian pros of the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s were Nimrod King, Henderson Thorne, Joe Spinello and Claude Groulx. Claude won the 2003 Masters Mr. Olympia, and was also the first pro bodybuilder a young Phil Heath ever met, at a guest-posing appearance in Colorado.

But of course, the man who really put Canada on the map in terms of being a force in pro bodybuilding was “Jurassic” Paul Dillett. Born in Montreal and a former player for the Canadian Football League, he was known as one of the most massive pro bodybuilders ever seen up to that time. Standing 6-foot-2 and competing anywhere from 270 to 285 pounds, Paul was known for his impossibly wide and round shoulders, his legit 23-inch arms, and an almost alien level of vascularity. He was a mass monster with a small waist. Dillett made his debut at the same two pro shows Flex Wheeler did, the 1993 Iron Man Pro and Arnold Classic, where he made an almost equally impressive first impression on the bodybuilding world for his sheer mass. He would win two grand prix events in Europe along with the 1999 Night of Champions, the year it had 43 men competing. Paul’s best showings at the Mr. Olympia were all in the Dorian Yates years: fourth in 1994, fifth in 1996, and fifth once again in 1997.

Special mention must go out to the late Greg Kovacs, from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Greg was billed by his sponsor, MuscleTech, as the world’s biggest and strongest bodybuilder, and appeared prominently in their print ads for the better part of a decade. At 6-foot-4, he crushed the scales in the off-season at 420 pounds and would diet down to 315-330 to compete. Though he never did well in professional competition, fans marveled at measurements like 25-inch arms, a 70-inch chest, and 35-inch thighs. Greg was also known for his strength exploits on the Smith machine, flat pressing seven plates, incline pressing six, and overhead pressing five plates per side. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 44.

Canada kept it going strong in the 2000s. After Fouad Abiad won the 2006 Canadian Championships, he embarked on a very respectable pro career that so far has included wins at the 2015 Orlando Show of Champions and Vancouver Pro, and top three showings at many other events. His best placing so far at one of the “big shows” was the last time he competed, sixth place at the 2017 Arnold Classic. With his package of size, shape and condition, we hope to see Fouad back onstage again soon.

And then there’s the man they call B-Pak, Ben Pakulski. If you’re a fan of freaky quads and monster calves, Ben is your type of pro bodybuilder. It was in his third pro season in 2013 that Ben truly served notice that he wasn’t just some guy with huge legs and delts. Pakulski took second place at that year’s Arnold Classic to Dexter Jackson, and would go on in 2016 to win the Vancouver Pro. Since then, Ben has retired from competition and now is a renowned training expert. Top bodybuilders come from around the world come to his Mi40 Gym in Tampa to learn new techniques from Ben.

Special mention again needs to go to Frank McGrath, who was the face of Animal in their print ads for several years and built a tremendous fan base. Frank is known to most for his freaky arms and forearms, both of which are wrapped in garden-hose veins.

Canadian Bodybuilding – The New Generation

Not only is Canadian bodybuilding alive and well, it’s thriving more than ever before. Toronto in particular has become a hotbed of talent, gaining a reputation as the muscle mecca for the nation. In the open ranks, Canada is represented by stars like Antoine Vaillant, Iain Valliere and Regan Grimes (who did move to Classic for one season last year but is back now). Also keep an eye out for the young rookie, Robin Strand.

In the Classic Physique division, the runner-up at the Olympia for the last two years has been Chris Bumstead, and in 2018 we also saw the Classic debut of Henri-Pierre Ano, who won his Classic Physique debut in Tampa before finishing a strong fourth place at the Olympia. Khaled Chikhaoui is also a rising star in Classic.

The 212 division has strong Canadian power in the form of Zane Watson, who won the 2018 Toronto Pro, and Mahmoud Al Durrah, last year’s Vancouver Pro champ, hoping to get the win in Toronto this weekend.

Though we didn’t discuss it in detail, Canada has also given us many incredible female bodybuilders, including Sharon Bruneau, Laura Creavalle, Cathy Lefrancois, Dayana Cadeau, Laura Binetti, and the late bodybuilder and author Negrita Jayde, as well as pro fitness stars Mindi O’Brien and Myriam Capes.

As you can see, Canada has always been on the forefront when it comes to producing top bodybuilders, and that trend is even stronger today than ever before.

Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram

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