Kai Greene is a true legend in the sport of bodybuilding. Despite never earning a Mr. Olympia title, he is set to go down as one of the biggest bodybuilders in the history of the sport. He’s been called The People’s Champ, he’s been called The Predator. He brought a level of personality and poetry to bodybuilding that is rarely seen. He also, of course, had a spectacular physique.
We caught up with him in 2020 about his thoughts on the current generation of the sport and its future.
Listen to the full Kai Greene interview here:
Kai Greene’s Reaction To Phil Heath’s Olympia 2020 Return
At first, surprisingly, Kai Greene seems at a loss for words. He doesn’t know how to feel about Phil Heath’s return. He admits that Phil was always a great champion and so it’s exciting to see him compete again. But Kai also has some uncertain thoughts about what the world Phil is entering into.
Kai Greene goes off on a tangent about how much bodybuilding judging has changed since he competed years ago. He thinks that Brandon Curry’s big win last year is evidence that the criteria for what is the best physique is shifting. This always happens from era to era. Phil Heath just so happens to be in between eras at the moment. Many of the competitors Phil faced off against are no longer actively competing. How will Phil hold up against the latest crop of competitors? More specifically, how will he stand up against Brandon Curry?
Kai Greene likens it to apples and oranges (plus throws in a great Grapefruit joke while he’s at it). He thinks that both Phil Heath and Brandon Curry are different kind of bodybuilders. Their physiques are hard to compare. If both should come in the best shape of their lives – Kai’s not sure which way the judges will vote. It will come down to pure preference of aesthetic. The big question is – what preference do the judges have these days? Will they favor a 7x Olympia winning champion from nearly another era? Or will they favor a larger mass monster physique like Brandon?
Kai Greene Compares His Current Workout & Diet Routine To His Competition Years
Kai Greene wakes up at 4:30am every single day. He immediately jumps into cardio followed by a workout. After that – he jumps straight into whatever projects that need his attention between his comic series, supplement company, and digital videos.
Kai Greene explains that he still trains and eats like a pro bodybuilder – fitting in at least 6 meals a day. But he also admits that the focus of the schedule has changed compared to his time competing at shows. While Kai does make sure to stay strict with his bodybuilding diet and training – the entire routine is much more flexible to accommodate his other business endeavors.
“At that time, the most important thing in my life, you know, was the thing that I was invested in. Which was distinguishing myself as an athlete in this life,” Kai Greene stated in our interview. He continued:
“AND OR THAT REASON, THE THING THAT HELPED ME BE VERY SUCCESSFUL AT THAT TIME IN MY LIFE WAS FOR ME TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT JUST THAT. SO WHEN OTHER OBJECTIONS WOULD COME, WHEN OTHER OBSTACLES WOULD START TO COME UP AND PULL WITH THEIR OWN DEMAND ON MY TIME OR MY CONCENTRATION… BECAUSE AT THAT TIME IN MY LIFE THAT WAS THE CHIEF WAY THAT I IDENTIFIED MY VALUE AND JUST WHO I SAID I WAS TO MYSELF IN THE MIRROR EVERY DAY. IT WAS THE PRIORITY.”
So what is the real key difference in Kai Greene’s workout and diet routine since retiring? It’s the flexibility. It seems for certain the hardcore effort is still put into every meal prep and every workout – but it can be shifted slightly to accommodate his other passions and business efforts.
Wrap Up
Kai Greene, as many fans know, is a very verbose man. So it goes without saying that our interview with Kai covered more topics than outlined in this article. That’s why you can watch the full hour and a half interview with Kai Greene in our latest GI Exclusive above!
