Jeremy Buendia is an American IFBB Pro in Men’s Physique. 🏆 He won the Mr. Olympia four straight times, from 2014 to 2017, then returned after five years away to finish eighth at the 2023 Olympia.
He closed his career with a win at the 2025 Sasquatch Pro and an eighth place at the 2025 Olympia, his announced final pro contest. Across twelve professional contests he won eight, finished top three nine times, and never placed outside the top ten.
Born on 26 October 1990 in Roseville, California, he is of Filipino heritage — “I’m Filipino. I’m mostly Filipino,” he said in 2025. Hany Rambod coached him to all four Olympia titles; he coaches pros and runs his gym. What follows is his early life, his amateur career, and every professional contest he entered.
Jeremy Buendia Quick Facts
| Full name | Jeremy Buendia |
| Born | 26 October 1990 |
| Birthplace | Roseville, California, USA |
| Division | Men’s Physique |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) — some profiles list 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | 175–180 lb (79–82 kg) on stage |
| Coach | Hany Rambod (2013–2018); self-coached (2025) |
| Professional debut | Greater Gulf States Pro, New Orleans, 2013 (1st) |
| Best Olympia finish | 1st, Men’s Physique, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 |
Early Life and Background
Photo: NPC News Online / Ron Avidan
Buendia grew up in Roseville, California, watching his father train. His father, Louie Buendia, was a non-competitive bodybuilder through the 1970s and 1980s, and in his own words his father “was always my idol and I knew that I wanted ‘muscles’ like his one day.”
He played linebacker at Whitney High School, earning all-league honours despite neck and back disc injuries in his senior season. He began training consistently after that senior varsity football season, dropping his football weight and hitting the weight room at the local gym.
His interest in competition began at 17, when he started training with IFBB pro Valerie Gangi and her ex-husband Jimmy Lee. “They both motivated and encouraged me to get on stage for the first time,” he said. “Once I hit the stage, I was hooked.”
The Amateur Years: 2008–2013
His first contest was the 2008 INBF Capital City Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships, where he finished sixth — and fourth in a second class. Two years later he won his first show, the 2010 NPC Contra Costa Championships, taking the teen overall title.
He added a third place at the 2010 NPC California State Championships, then a busy 2012: a win at the NPC Sacramento Championships (Class B and overall), and second places at the Governors Cup, the Los Angeles Grand Prix and the California State.
He also finished seventh at San Francisco, then won the NPC Excalibur (Class B and overall).
In 2013 he won the NPC Amateur Grand Prix in Los Angeles in two classes, then the NPC Junior USA Championships overall — beating around 150 of the best amateurs in the country, and earning his IFBB Pro League pro card at 22.
Turning Professional
Within three months of the pro card, he won his professional debut: the 2013 Greater Gulf States Pro in New Orleans, which also earned him his first Olympia qualification at 22.
That September he stood on the Olympia stage for the first time and finished second in Men’s Physique, behind Mark Anthony Wingson and ahead of Matthew Acton. Later that year he won the 2013 Sacramento Pro, his second pro victory as a professional.
He had gone from a pro card to an Olympia runner-up finish in a single season. The next year would be better still.
The Four-Year Reign: 2014–2017
Photo: NPC News Online / J.M. Manion
In 2014 he won the San Jose Pro, then dethroned Wingson at the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas that September. Sadik Hadzovic finished second and Jason Poston third, while Wingson dropped to sixth. Buendia was 23, and the title was his.
In 2015 the podium was identical — Buendia first, Hadzovic second, Poston third — after Hadzovic had won the first Arnold Classic Men’s Physique title earlier that year and pushed him hard.
In 2016 he held off a new challenger, Ryan Terry, who finished second ahead of Jeremy Potvin. In 2017 he made it four straight, beating Andre Ferguson into second and Brandon Hendrickson into third.
Photo: NPC News Online / Jeff Binns
Four Olympia titles in four years, at 23, 24, 25 and 26. No other Men’s Physique champion had won four straight — a record Ryan Terry only matched in 2026.
He was coached through all four titles by Hany Rambod, who had taken him on in 2013. His supplement sponsor in 2017 was Evagen, in his own words.
Fourth at the 2018 Olympia — and the Long Break
Photo: NPC News Online / Jeff Binns
At the 2018 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, Hendrickson won the title, Raymont Edmonds finished second and Terry third. Buendia finished fourth in a 31-man field, ahead of Ferguson in fifth.
After the show he split with Rambod. Buendia said 2018 was “our last Olympia run together” — six years as coach and athlete, ending with a fourth place.
He did not compete again for almost five years. No contest is on record for him in 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022.
The Comeback: Eighth at the 2023 Olympia
Photo: NPC News Online / Jeff Binns
He announced his return in 2023, and the comeback show was the biggest one: the Mr. Olympia in Orlando, 2–5 November 2023, with 46 men in the division and three past champions in the line-up.
Terry won the title, Hendrickson finished second and Erin Banks third. Buendia finished eighth with 40 points, in the finals on Saturday night, 4 November, at the Orange County Convention Center.
Five years away, and he was still a top-ten Olympian at 33. But the comeback had only just begun.
The Final Season: Sasquatch Win and a Last Olympia
Photo: NPC News Online / Mark Mason
Then came the injury. On 18 April 2024 he ruptured his left Achilles tendon in a running accident and had surgery. Just over five weeks later, on 26 May, he re-ruptured it when his knee scooter tipped over on bark at a park with his daughter, and he had a second operation.
“The 2024 competition season looks like a wrap for me,” he said at the time. In December 2024 he confirmed he would not make his planned Arnold Classic debut in 2025, and he had also almost torn a pec in early 2025 prep.
On 1 January 2025 he appeared on Rambod’s podcast, apologised, and the two reconciled — but Rambod was retiring from hands-on coaching, so they did not resume as coach and athlete. Buendia handled his own 2025 prep, saying: “I handled my last prep a lot better.”
Three weeks before the Olympia, on 20 September 2025, he won the Sasquatch Pro in Federal Way, Washington, with a perfect score of 3. It was his first non-Olympia show since 2014, in his own words — and his eighth professional win.
At the 2025 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, in the finals on Saturday 11 October, he finished eighth with 41 points, wearing tag 9. Terry won his third straight title, ahead of Ali Bilal, Hendrickson, Banks and Edvan Palmeira.
He had announced before the show that it would be his final pro contest. At 34, with four Olympia titles behind him, he walked away on his own terms.
Coaching, Diet and Training
Rambod coached him from 2013 to 2018, through the pro debut and all four Olympia titles. In 2025 he coached himself, after the January reconciliation with Rambod, who had retired from hands-on coaching.
He trains five days a week, built around the V-taper and broad shoulders that defined his physique. His sponsors have included Evagen in 2017 and GAT Sport in 2025.
His own-words diet numbers from 2025 are a 4,616-calorie full day of eating, filmed 31 May 2025, and a 4,293-calorie off-season day, filmed 21 November 2024. He also filmed a full day of eating on 2 August 2025.
He now coaches others, including Filipino Men’s Physique pro Joe Vincangabayin, a three-time Olympian, through his app and an assistant coach. He also owns Stoik Gym, his commercial gym in Roseville, which opened in 2025.
His full diet and training are covered in our Jeremy Buendia Diet Plan and Workout Routine.
What Makes Him Stand Out
Photo: NPC News Online / Jeff Binns
Four straight Olympia titles, from 2014 to 2017, made him the first dominant champion of Men’s Physique. Ryan Terry only matched the four-straight record in 2026.
He won his pro debut within three months of his pro card, and stood second at the Olympia three months after the pro card — at 22, in his first season as a professional.
Twelve professional contests, eight wins, and never a finish outside the top ten. His worst result, eighth, came twice — on his comeback in 2023 and in his final contest in 2025.
And he closed it the way he wanted: a win at the Sasquatch Pro, then one last Olympia, announced as his final show before he stepped on stage.
Jeremy Buendia Contest History
Across twelve professional contests, Buendia has eight wins, nine top-three finishes, ten top-five finishes and twelve top-ten finishes. His worst result is eighth, at the 2023 and 2025 Mr. Olympia. He appeared at eight Olympias and won four of them.
His amateur record adds eleven shows and five wins, from his debut in 2008 to the pro card in 2013.
| Year | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sasquatch Pro, Federal Way | 1st |
| 2025 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 8th |
| 2023 | Mr. Olympia, Orlando | 8th |
| 2018 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 4th |
| 2017 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 1st |
| 2016 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 1st |
| 2015 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 1st |
| 2014 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 1st |
| 2014 | San Jose Pro | 1st |
| 2013 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 2nd |
| 2013 | Sacramento Pro | 1st |
| 2013 | Greater Gulf States Pro, New Orleans | 1st |
| 2008 | INBF Capital City Natural Bodybuilding & Figure Championships (amateur) | 6th; 4th in a second class |
| 2010 | NPC Contra Costa Championships — Teen, overall (amateur) | 1st |
| 2010 | NPC California State Bodybuilding Championships (amateur) | 3rd |
| 2012 | NPC Sacramento Championships — Class B + overall (amateur) | 1st |
| 2012 | NPC California Governors Cup Championships (amateur) | 2nd; 4th in a second class |
| 2012 | NPC Los Angeles Grand Prix Championships (amateur) | 2nd |
| 2012 | NPC California State Championships (amateur) | 2nd |
| 2012 | NPC San Francisco Championships (amateur) | 7th |
| 2012 | NPC Excalibur Championships — Class B + overall (amateur) | 1st |
| 2013 | NPC Amateur Grand Prix, Los Angeles (amateur) | 1st (two classes) |
| 2013 | NPC Junior USA Championships — Overall (amateur) | 1st (pro card) |
Note: every pro result above was verified against the official scorecards and independent show reports.
*The 2012 Sacramento Championships win is listed on Buendia’s NPC News Online profile (May 2013) but is missing from his Wikipedia contest list. The 2008 and 2012 second-class placings (4th) are from a single detailed contest listing; the headline placings are the 6th and the 2nd.*
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jeremy Buendia?
Jeremy Buendia is an American IFBB Pro in Men’s Physique. He won the Mr. Olympia four straight times, from 2014 to 2017, and finished eighth at his final Olympia in 2025.
How many Mr. Olympia titles did Jeremy Buendia win?
Four, all in a row: 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He was also second in 2013, fourth in 2018, and eighth in 2023 and 2025.
When did Jeremy Buendia turn professional?
He earned his IFBB Pro League pro card by winning the NPC Junior USA Championships overall in June 2013, beating around 150 of the best amateurs in the country. He won his pro debut, the Greater Gulf States Pro, within three months.
Did Jeremy Buendia compete at the 2026 Mr. Olympia?
No. He did not compete at the 2026 Olympia — the 2025 Olympia was his final pro contest, as he had announced before the show. His last win was the Sasquatch Pro on 20 September 2025.
What happened to Jeremy Buendia’s Achilles tendon?
He ruptured his left Achilles in a running accident on 18 April 2024 and had surgery. Just over five weeks later, on 26 May, he re-ruptured it when his knee scooter tipped over on bark at a park with his daughter, and he had a second operation. His 2024 season was over.
What does Jeremy Buendia eat?
His own-words diet numbers from 2025 are a 4,616-calorie full day of eating, filmed 31 May 2025, and a 4,293-calorie off-season day, filmed 21 November 2024. Our separate article on his Diet Plan and Workout Routine sets out what is known about his diet and training.
Bottom Line
A first contest in 2008, a pro card in 2013, four straight Olympia titles by 26 — and then, after five years away and a twice-ruptured Achilles, a win and one last Olympia at 34. Twelve pro shows, eight wins, never outside the top ten.
He left the stage the way he entered it: on his own terms, with the announcement made before the show, not after it. The division he once ruled for four straight years is now Terry’s — but the four-straight record Buendia set is still the standard. 🏆
Related: Jeremy Buendia Diet Plan and Workout Routine, 2026 Mr. Olympia Results and 2025 Mr. Olympia Results.
This article is based on published contest results, interviews and reporting. Stats and placings are stated as published at the time of writing; where sources conflicted, the official scorecards were followed.