Kai Greene
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Leslie Kai Greene (born July 12, 1975) is an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and artist. Nicknamed "The Predator" and "The People's Champ", he is known for his leg development and artistic posing routines. He came second in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 editions of the IFBB's
Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...
competition and won the
Arnold Classic The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League, IFBB Pro Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arn ...
competition in 2009, 2010, and 2016. He was known for his rivalry with
Phil Heath Phillip Jerrod Heath (born December 18, 1979) is an American IFBB Pro League professional bodybuilder. Known as 'the Gift', he is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 2011 to 2017. Heath is tied with Ar ...
. He is often regarded as one of the best bodybuilders to have never won a Mr. Olympia. He has not competed since 2016, though he never formally announced his retirement.


Early life

Leslie Kai Greene''Kai'' (2022).Pinnacle Sports Media & Entertainment, Inc. v Greene
justia.com
was born in New York City's
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
borough on July 12, 1975. From the age of six, he was raised in
foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...
and
residential treatment center A residential treatment center (RTC), sometimes called a drug rehabilitation, rehab, is a live-in health care provider#Medical nursing home, health care facility providing therapy for substance use disorders, mental illness, or other behavioral pr ...
s in Brooklyn. His online biography states that his rapid physical growth and development drew the attention of his seventh grade English teacher, and since his behavior in school was troublesome, he was inspired to enter teenage bodybuilding competitions as an outlet. He contradicted this claim in the documentary ''Kai'' (2022), in which he said that he started bodybuilding during his teenage years to appear less like a potential victim to other residents at the treatment center and that his interest was bolstered by an employee at the center giving him a copy of
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
's book ''The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding'', which he also used to learn how to read.


Bodybuilding career


National Physique Committee and New York Pro

Greene began bodybuilding full-time while working at the Johnny Lats Gym in New York, where he started training under Jakob Panotas in 1996. He competed in the
National Physique Committee The National Physique Committee (NPC) is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC. While the term "bodybuilding" is ...
(NPC) and aimed to move into the IFBB; he later perceived his success in the NPC as mixed, primarily because he won the 1999 NPC Team Universe competition but then took a five-year hiatus before re-emerging to win the 2004 NPC Team Universe, which qualified him for the IFBB. In 2011, he began working with preparation coach George Farah and won that year's New York Pro Championship.


Mr. Olympia

Greene's third place finish at the 2011
Mr. Olympia Mr. Olympia is the title awarded to the winner of the professional men's bodybuilding contest in the open division at Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend—an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually and is sanct ...
qualified him for the 2012 competition. He would go on to place second at Mr. Olympia in 2012,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, and
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, behind
Phil Heath Phillip Jerrod Heath (born December 18, 1979) is an American IFBB Pro League professional bodybuilder. Known as 'the Gift', he is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 2011 to 2017. Heath is tied with Ar ...
each time. Their rivalry was popular and the 2014 Mr. Olympia became notable for the two antagonizing each other onstage, culminating in a heated exchange during the prejudging phrase. Greene did not compete in the 2015 Mr. Olympia for undisclosed reasons, though he issued a statement to say that "there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that ecannot discuss". He also posted a
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
video, which is now private, in which he discussed how the experience made him feel like his career was being forced to end against his will before breaking down in tears. Olympia officials allegedly denied any claims that he was banned from competing, but confirmed that he did not register despite being reminded to do so several times since May of that year. Greene requested an extension on the registration period and was given an extra two months, but did not meet this deadline either. Greene won the 2016
Arnold Classic The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League, IFBB Pro Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arn ...
, which he had also won in 2009 and 2010, but has not competed in bodybuilding since. He declined a special offer to compete in the 2017 Mr. Olympia without having to re-qualify. In the documentary ''Kai'' (2022), Greene stated that he was not allowed to sign up for the 2015 Mr. Olympia because he had started his supplement company Dynamik Muscle while still under contract with Wieder Publications, which also operates Mr. Olympia. The company then sued him for breach of contract and withheld his contract, which was reported to be worth six figures, while still using his name and likeness to promote the competition.


Documentaries

Greene starred in the documentary ''Overkill'' (2010), which documented his preparation for his first appearance at the 2009 Mr. Olympia. The sequel ''Redemption'' (2010) showcased his training and philosophies for the 2010 Arnold Classic, which he won for the second year in a row. He starred in the documentary ''
Generation Iron ''Generation Iron'' is a 2013 American documentary film which follows the world's leading professional bodybuilders as they train and compete for the 2012 Mr. Olympia. Considered to be a spiritual sequel to the 1977 documentary '' Pumping Iron'', ...
'' (2013), which detailed the lead-up to and events of the 2012 Mr. Olympia competition. He was also featured in the sequels ''
Generation Iron 2 ''Generation Iron 2'' is a 2017 documentary film and sequel to ''Generation Iron''. The film follows the next generation of bodybuilders as the industry opens up to viral internet stars as well as younger bodybuilders pushing the limits of how ma ...
'' (2017) and ''Generation Iron 3'' (2018), as well as ''Kai'' (2022), his own documentary by the same team chronicling his life story.


Technique

Greene has often discussed the "mind-muscle connection". In an article published by '' Flex'', he explained, "The mind-muscle connection is the number one factor in training. You develop it over time by posing your muscle, and also by paying close attention to how your muscles feel when you work them. Eventually, you get to where your mind can read the feedback your muscles are providing, and your muscles can react to the stimulus your mind is providing. Practice posing between sets or anytime. And feel your muscles working throughout your sets. Eventually, your mind and muscles will speak the same language and communicate back and forth."


Sponsors and endorsements

Greene was sponsored by '' Flex''. He launched a supplement brand called Dynamik Muscle in 2015, and a training program called The 5P in May 2016. The latter is named after the acronym for his motto, "Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance". He is sponsored by sportswear company
Ryderwear Ryderwear is an Australian fitness apparel and accessories brand, manufacturer and retailer headquartered in South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern centr ...
, who have released lines of signature clothing and footwear in his name, and he signed a deal with sports supplement and clothing company REDCON1 in 2020.


Other work


Fashion

Greene's choice of apparel has influenced trends and preferences within the fitness and lifestyle sectors. He is known for popularising the
hoodie A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that, when worn up, covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. The most common 'pullover' style hoodies often include a single large knife pocket or muff on the lower front, whil ...
during workout sessions, with the hoodie becoming a representation of Greene's brand and philosophy. A striking element of his wardrobe is the ''Kai Greene RWXKG Fleece Hoodie'', particularly in its bold red color.


Acting

Greene portrayed a male stripper in the comedy film ''College Debts'' (2015) and a villain who fights the protagonist during the opening sequence of the martial arts film ''Crazy Fist'' (2018). In January 2017, it was announced that he had signed with
The Gersh Agency Gersh (also known as The Gersh Agency) is an international entertainment and sports agency headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, New York City, and Madrid, with offices and representatives in 14 countries. Established in 1949 by Phil Gers ...
. He played Funshine in the second season of the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
sci-fi series ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
'' (2017) and appeared in the Indian action-thriller film '' Pogaru'' (2021).


Art

Greene is an avid artist who often creates self-portraits to help himself build and maintain his ideal physique. In August 2011, he exhibited some of his work to the public; at the exhibition, he stated, "As a professional bodybuilder, I'm a master sculptor. The art show made me realize that I've always been an artist: my medium the human physique. My life is what I make it, just like the art I've produced on canvas and on stage. This art show makes this statement. I'm celebrating some personal accomplishments and my own artistic expression."


Podcasting

In November 2015, Greene and fitness model Krystal Lavenne began co-hosting the weekly ''Generation Iron'' podcast, in which they discussed various topics while answering questions sent in by fans. Greene left the podcast at an unknown point in time. In October 2020, Greene began hosting his own podcast called ''Getting It Done''.


Other

In 2021, Greene became the face of a gaming
cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership record ...
called Grapefruit Supercoin.


Controversies

Before his bodybuilding career took off, Greene was often financially destitute and resorted to working as a stripper at some of New York's gay nightclubs; after one particularly bad night in which he made no money and was worried about not being able to eat, he accepted a lucrative offer from a man who hired him to appear in a video that featured him fornicating with a grapefruit. The video, which later leaked online, has often been rumoured to be a behind-the-scenes reason Greene has never won the Mr. Olympia competition. Greene addressed the video in the documentary ''Kai'' (2022), which also featured bodybuilders such as
Phil Heath Phillip Jerrod Heath (born December 18, 1979) is an American IFBB Pro League professional bodybuilder. Known as 'the Gift', he is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 2011 to 2017. Heath is tied with Ar ...
and Víctor Martínez defending Greene's decision to make the video and denouncing the criticism he received online.


Contest history

*1994 NGA American Nationals *1996 WNBF Pro Natural Worlds – 1st *1997 NPC Team Universe Championships – 2nd *1998 NPC Team Universe Championships – 3rd *1999 World Amateur Championships – 6th *1999 NPC Team Universe Championships – 1st *2005 New York Pro – 14th *2006
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
Pro – 20th *2006 Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic – 14th *2007 New York Pro – 6th *2007 Keystone Pro Classic – 3rd *2007 Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic – 1st *2008 New York Pro – 1st *2008
Arnold Classic The International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Professional League, IFBB Pro Arnold Sports Festival, also known as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, is an annual multi-sport event consisting of professional bodybuilding (''Arn ...
– 3rd *2009 Australian Pro Grand Prix – 1st *2009 Arnold Classic – 1st * 2009 Mr. Olympia – 4th *2010 Arnold Classic – 1st *2010 Australian Pro Grand Prix – 1st * 2010 Mr. Olympia – 7th *2011 New York Pro – 1st * 2011 Mr. Olympia – 3rd *2011 Sheru Classic – 3rd * 2012 Mr. Olympia – 2nd *2012 Sheru Classic – 2nd * 2013 Mr. Olympia – 2nd *2013 Arnold Classic Europe – 2nd *2013 EVL's Prague Pro – 1st * 2014 Mr. Olympia – 2nd *2016 Arnold Classic – 1st *2016 Arnold Classic Australia – 1st *2016 Arnold Classic Brazil – 1st


References


External links

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Kai Greene's possible participation in OLYMPIA’19
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Kai 1975 births Living people African-American bodybuilders American professional bodybuilders People from Brooklyn 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen