BODYBUILDING is all about big muscles, but a video has highlighted some of the industry’s shortest, who have won all the tournaments while being a foot shorter than the competition.
The video was shared on YouTube and shows the stories of various short bodybuilders, among them Lee Priest and Shaun Clarida.
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The clip was edited by Raid motivefeaturing interviews with some of the bodybuilders, who revealed some of the challenges they faced while competing.
“Everyone challenged me,” said Clarida, who was nicknamed the Giant Killer after winning many competitions and defeating his biggest competitors.
“They said, ‘Hey, your career is over, you’re too young. There’s no way he can get his head around that he’s never going to win a pro show, that he’s never going to be a good pro.”
He revealed that most of the people around him advised him to quit.
“I’ve always been that guy who will do anything to win and be my absolute best.”
Another pro, Lee Priest, explained that he never minded being shorter and didn’t feel intimidated by his taller and bigger competitors.
“I do not care. Just be you and be the best you can be,” Priest said.
Viewers of the video talked about Lee and how he is still one of the best bodybuilders to ever do the sport.
“Lee was crazy,” one viewer wrote. “One of the greatest figures in history.”
“It doesn’t matter that Lee was 5’4,” wrote another. “He had the best body around. His whole body, every part of him was almost perfect.
“Apparent biceps, triceps, forearms, traps, delts. The man was an awesome specimen of human muscle. He deserved more than what he got from bodybuilding.”
Professional bodybuilder Mohammed Benaziza, who is 5ft 3, said mindset is the most important thing for any bodybuilder – and why he’s been able to beat bigger competitors.
He compared himself to a lion and explained that while the animal was not the biggest animal in the jungle, it was still its king.
“When a lion sees an elephant, it thinks ‘lunch.’ When an elephant sees a lion, it thinks “run”.
