The Official 2017 Bodybuilding Awards
The judges have already cast their votes at the 2017 Mr. Olympia. Now, it was time for the fans to decide who the true best athletes of 2017 really were. The votes are in, and here are the official fan-chosen winners of 2017:
Best Male Athlete 2017
- Hadi Choopan – 32.6%
- Big Ramy – 19.4%
- Jeremy Buendia – 15.4%
- Phil Heath – 8.7%
- Flex Lewis – 9.1%
Best Female Athlete 2017
- Angelica Teixeira – 35.1%
- Oksana Grishina – 25.6%
- Juliana Malacarne – 18.7%
- Cydney Gillion – 5.9%
- Candice Lewis – 10.3%
Best Arms 2017
- Hadi Choopan – 29.2%
- Roelly Winklaar – 22.6%
- Big Ramy – 17.9%
- Phil Heath – 14.2%
Best Chest 2017
- Big Ramy – 39.4%
- Phil Heath – 24.5%
- William Bonac – 12.5%
- Cedric McMillan – 11.7%
Best Legs 2017
- Big Ramy – 36.8%
- Hadi Choopan – 34.2%
- Phil Heath – 18.7%
Best Back 2017
- Phil Heath – 30.4%
- Big Ramy – 27%
- Arash Rahbar – 25.9%
- Flex Lewis – 11.2%
Up-And-Comer of the Year
- Rafael Brandao – 36.3%
- Chris Bumstead – 29.8%
- Ahmad Ashkanani – 20.4%
Most Improved Bodybuilder 2017
- Big Ramy – 40.7%
- Brandon Curry – 22.9%
- Ahmad Ashkanani – 17.5%
Best Posing Routine 2017
- Dexter Jackson – 33.6%
- Cedric McMillan – 33.5%
- William Bonac – 13.8%
Most Shredded Bodybuilder 2017
- Jeremy Buendia – 41.5%
- Chris Bumstead – 23.4%
- Dexter Jackson – 15%
Guru of the Year
- Hany Rambod – 33.9%
- Ahmad Askar – 31.7%
- Abdullah Alotaibi – 15.5%
Personality of the Year
- Kai Greene – 27%
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – 17.5%
- Rich Piana – 15.3%
Bodybuilding Nominees Breakdown
Best Male Athlete 2017
Phil Heath: having just won his 7th consecutive Mr. Olympia, judges have proclaimed him the best bodybuilding physique in the men’s open division for over seven years.
Big Ramy: The moment Big Ramy was switched into the middle of the top 3 callout at Mr. Olympia… everything changed. He almost beat the reigning champ and many believe him to have had the better physique despite placing second.
Flex Lewis: The undisputed king of men’s 212 bodybuilding. He just won his 6th Olympia 212 trophy.
Breon Ansley: Breon won the Classic Physique Olympia, defeating the first ever champ, Danny Hester.
Ahmad Ashkanani: Ahmad dethroned previous champion Hidetada Yamagishi for the Men’s 212 Arnold Classic and is a real threat for Flex Lewis moving forward.
Jeremy Buendia: Jeremy brought Men’s Physique Division to new heights with his shredded physique – winning his 4th Olympia trophy this year.
Hadi Choopan: Despite traveling controversies preventing him from competing in a few competitions this year – Hadi has an insane Men’s 212 physique and even landed second at the San Marino pro when he jumped up into the Men’s Open category.
Flex Wheeler: The ultimate comeback. Flex’s return to the Olympia stage showed an impressive improvement despite health risks and many years of being retired. He also gave an honorary and emotional posing routine during the finals at Mr. Olympia.
Best Female Athlete 2017
Oksana Girshina: She now holds 4 epic wins in the Fitness Olympia competition with her latest victory in 2017 – and continues to revolutionize what Fitness posing routines should look like.
Angelica Teixeira: Rising through the ranks at breakneck speed – Angelica won her first ever Bikini Olympia title in 2017.
Juliana Malacrne: Now a four time winner of the Olympia Women’s Physique and has set the new standard for the ideal aesthetics in this division.
Cydney Gillon: Cydney landed a first place victory at the Olympia Figure 2017 competition.
Latorya Watts: While Cydney beat her out at the Olympia, Latorya still landed a win at the 2017 Arnold Classic Figure competition continuing her champion level status.
Candic Lewis: Rising up from 4th place last year, Candic landed a first place victory at the Olympia Figure competition this year.
Up-And-Comer Of The Year
Breon Ansley: Seemingly coming out of nowhere in the new Classic Physique division – Breon appeared like a hurricane to take over first place at the Olympia Classic Physique.
Ahmad Ashkanani: Earning his way up to first place at the Arnold Classic 2017 – Ahmad is the prime example of the rising power of Kuwait-trained bodybuilders.
Chris Bumstead: Another Classic Physique competitor who seemed to have exploded into stardom overnight. Chris might not have landed first place but has all the promise in the world to become a threatening athlete for years to come.
Regan Grimes: Still young with room to grow – Regan nabbed a second place spot at the Vancouver Pro right behind Michael Lockett and is now training with the Camel Crew over in Kuwait showing a lot of promise moving forward.
Rafael Brandao: A new IFBB Pro who landed 8th in the Men’s Open at the San Marino Pro 2017. This young pro has a very promising future ahead of him.
Brandon Hendrickson: Chicago native Brandon earned a third place spot at the Olympia Men’s Physique this year. Can he rise further and threaten Jeremy Buendia’s reign?
Robert Timms: Robert had a rollercoaster of a year – landing much lower than expected at the Classic Physique Olympia 2017. But one thing is for sure, when he finally nails conditioning on the day of the competition he will be a true monster threat.
Most Improved Bodybuilder 2017
Brandon Curry: Brandon was on the cusp of potentially ending his bodybuilding career – but then he joined the Camel Crew in Kuwait and transformed his body. Earning him first place over Cedric McMillan at the Lou Ferrigno Legacy this year.
Big Ramy: Conditioning has always been against Big Ramy but this year everything changed. Big Ramy landed a close second behind Phil Heath this year and for the first time ever… it seemed like Big Ramy could have beaten him.
Ahmad Ashkanani: Another prodigy of the Camel Crew in Kuwait. Ahmad is now officially an Arnold Classic Men’s 212 champion… and has his eyes set on taking down Flex Lewis next.
William Bonac: In all honesty, William Bonac has been slowly improving every single year – and this year is no different. He landed 3rd place at the Mr. Olympia and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Nathan De Asha: Nathan jumped up five places at the Mr. Olympia 2017 and earned a 7th place victory. A huge improvement for a promising athlete rising in the ranks.
Best Posing Routine 2017
Oksana Grishina: Oksana continues to revolutionize what the standard is for Fitness posing routines. Always incorporating a theme – this year she brought in a Queen inspired routine.
Dexter Jackson: For Dexter’s posing routines it’s all in the subtle details. He brings a level of passion to a overall classic display on stage.
William Bonac: That heartbeat pec flex. A wonderful touch to an overall fantastic posing routine – perfectly displaying his formidable physique and dedication.
Cedric McMillan: Cedric has one of the most stoic and emotional posing routines seen in bodybuilding. Despite a rough placing throughout 2017 – the actual act of his posing routine is always top notch.
Shaun Clarida: Shaun pays attention to the details – the timing of his routine with the music and the amount of patience he has with every mandatory pose showcases a man who knows the importance of posing.
Most Shredded Bodybuilder 2017
Jeremy Buendia: Landing yet another first place victory at the Olympia Men’s Physique – Jeremy is the true definition of shred.
Breon Ansley: Taking the epic shred of Men’s Physique but bumping it up a notch for the Classic Physique size – Breon set a new standard for what this new division should look like.
William Bonac: William’s biggest enemy is his height – making him appear much smaller than the likes of Big Ramy. But his conditioning has always been superb and 2017 was no different.
Dexter Jackson: Dexter Jackson’s shredded physique is inhuman. His genetics take him a long way… and then his insane work ethic keeps him as one of the top shredded competitors today.
Chris Bumstead: Chris Bumstead gave Breon a run for his money – and a large part of that was his dry and shredded conditioning.
Nathan De Asha: Nathan brings jaw dropping shred to the massive size of Men’s Open. If he can improve in other areas and keep this level of conditioning – he might be unstoppable.
Lukas Osladil: While he landed 12th at the Mr. Olympia 2017 – his conditioning was on point. The definition of cut to the bone.
Personality Of The Year
Rich Piana: One of the most blunt and controversial bodybuilders out there today. Rich made an entire empire not through competing – but through his nuts personality and entertaining videos.
Calum Von Moger: This massive bodybuilder has millions of followers on all social media because of his kind and fun demeanor… and insane physique of course. He also starred in Generation Iron 2 this year.
CT Fletcher: A jacked powerlifter who almost died… comes back as one of the most entertaining and badass motivational speakers ever seen in the fitness world. Recent heart troubles have cropped back into his life – but his indomitable spirit remains.
Kai Greene: Kai’s philosophical bend is what gives him so much traction on top of his amazing physique. Creating works of art on canvas, on stage, or in movies – this man has much personality to give the world. His most recent success? Appearing in season 2 of Stranger Things.
Sergi Constance: With over 8 million followers across his social media channels combined – Sergi is the peak example of success through a great personality, great physique, and mastery of the internet.
Athlean X: High level video production with deep insights into getting shredded and massive. Athlean X has 4.1 million subscribers on YouTube.
Buff Dudes: Mixing humor and 80’s style references into helpful advice and workout plans that any bodybuilder can learn from. Buff Dudes bring true personality to the heart of bodybuilding – and with 1.5 million subscribers. They seem to be hitting a mark with many lifters.
Dana Linn Bailey: Dana was an insane Women’s Physique competitor and continues to stay relevant with her badass personality and engagement with fans in all aspects of the fitness world.
Steve Cook: An empire unto himself, Steve is the perfect “all American” personality in fitness and has inspired millions across the world in fitness.
Felipe Franco: A true Instagram bodybuilding celeb with 2.5 million followers. Felipe is a megastar fitness model and competitive bodybuilder.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: What is there to say about The Rock that everyone doesn’t already know? A celebrity that brings bodybuilding-esque muscle back into Hollywood, The Rock also has a big interest in the bodybuilding community. He even produced the Olympia 2017.
