Three Men’s Physique Olympia titles, two Arnold Classic crowns a full decade apart, and a comeback season at 38 that most men ten years younger could not match — Brandon Hendrickson’s career refuses to follow the usual script. 🏆
The Chicago native ended Jeremy Buendia’s four-year reign in 2018, lost his title, won it back twice, and in 2026 was still standing in Olympia top fives.
This is his complete, verified story — 14 pro wins, 11 Olympia appearances, the year away in 2024, and the 2025–2026 return that put him back among the division’s elite.
⚡ Quick Facts
| Full Name | Brandon Hendrickson |
| Nickname | B-Henny |
| Born | June 16, 1987 — Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (172.5 cm) |
| Contest Weight | Reported 185–195 lb (84–88 kg) |
| Division | IFBB Pro League Men’s Physique |
| Pro Card | 2013 NPC National Championships — Men’s Physique Class B winner |
| Pro Wins | 14 |
| Olympia Titles | 3 (2018, 2020, 2021) |
| Arnold Classic Titles | 2 (2016, 2026) |
| Mr. Olympia Appearances | 11 (2015–2023, 2025, 2026) |
| @brandon.d.hendrickson | |
| Status | Active — won the 2026 Arnold Classic; 5th at the 2026 Olympia |
🌱 Chicago Roots: The 145-Pound Graduate
Brandon Hendrickson was born on June 16, 1987, in Chicago, Illinois, and sport came early: at school he wrestled, ran track and field, and played football. 🏈
Physique was another matter. When he graduated from high school in 2005, he weighed around 145 lb — athletic, but scrawny.
Modelling work followed, and with it more time in the gym to stay in shape. Hendrickson earned a degree in healthcare management and took a job as a hospitality manager in a hospital — while quietly falling for the training itself.
🎟️ The Fast Rise: A Pro Card in His First Season (2013)
Hendrickson did not step on a bodybuilding stage until 2013, at 26. His debut, the NPC Junior Nationals, brought a modest 7th place in his class.
Months later he won the Men’s Physique Class B at the 2013 NPC National Championships — and with it, his IFBB pro card. 💪
His pro debut came at the 2014 Mile High Pro (7th), followed by the Tampa Pro (6th) and Dallas Pro (7th). The results were ordinary. The trajectory was not.
🏆 First Wins and the Arnold Breakthrough (2015–2016)
The first professional victory arrived at the 2015 Tampa Pro, and it carried him to his first Olympia, where he placed 5th.
In 2016 he won the Arnold Classic Men’s Physique title in Columbus — the win that changed his life. After it, Hendrickson left his hospital job behind and committed to bodybuilding full-time.
He placed 4th at the 2016 Olympia and 3rd in 2017. The champion’s circle was close now.
👑 2018: Six Wins and the End of an Era
Everything peaked in 2018. Hendrickson won six pro shows in one season — Hawaii, the Governor’s Cup, the Asian Grand Prix, the Japan Pro and the Jicheng Classic Sanya — and arrived at the Olympia as the man to beat.
In Las Vegas he won the 2018 Men’s Physique Olympia, ending Jeremy Buendia’s run of four straight titles. Raymont Edmonds was 2nd, and future champion Ryan Terry placed 3rd. 🏆
At 31, the former 145-pound graduate was the best Men’s Physique athlete on the planet.
🔄 Losing the Crown — and Taking It Back Twice (2019–2021)
The reign lasted one year. At the 2019 Olympia, Edmonds took the title and Hendrickson slipped to 4th — his worst Olympia placing since his debut.
His answer defined him. After a 2nd place at the 2020 Arnold Classic, he reclaimed the Olympia title in 2020, then defended it in 2021.
Three Olympia titles (2018, 2020, 2021) put him in rare company: at that point, only Buendia had won more Men’s Physique Olympias.
🥈 The Runner-Up Years and the Season Away (2022–2024)
The division moved on without slowing down. In 2022, Erin Banks took the Olympia title with Hendrickson 2nd; in 2023, Ryan Terry began his reign, and Hendrickson was 2nd again.
Then came a quiet year. Hendrickson withdrew from the 2024 Mr. Olympia, confirming he was healthy but that his body needed a break from competition — and contest databases record no shows for him at all that year, after nine straight Olympia appearances.
Plenty of 37-year-old former champions would have called that retirement. Hendrickson treated it as a pause. ⏸️
🔥 The Comeback Season (2025)
The return began roughly: 4th at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro. One week later, Hendrickson won the New York Pro — his first title there — beating Edvan Palmeira and Andrei Deiu.
He kept winning: the Miami Pro and the Huanji China Pro followed, giving him three victories in his comeback season.
At the 2025 Olympia he placed 3rd, behind Terry and Ali Bilal — a podium finish eight years after his first Olympia medal, and proof the comeback was real. 🥉
📍 Brandon Hendrickson in 2026
Any doubt left about the comeback ended in March 2026, when Hendrickson won the Arnold Classic Men’s Physique title — ten years after his first Arnold win, defeating Vitor Chaves, Emanual Hunter and Andrei Deiu.
Both of his Arnold titles appear on this site’s complete list of Arnold Classic winners.
At the 2026 Olympia in Las Vegas (September 26), he placed 5th behind Terry’s fourth straight title, Bilal, Kyron Holden and Banks — his 11th Olympia appearance, at 39 years old.
Hendrickson has made his own case for history, arguing in interviews that he has set trends across every era of Men’s Physique — from his signature squeeze to the division’s new focus on legs. Whether or not fans crown him the division’s GOAT, the record keeps him in that conversation. 🎯
2026 verdict: active and winning at 39 — a three-time Olympia champion who took a year away, came back, and beat the current generation in Columbus.
📊 Contest Record
| Year | Show | Placing |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | NPC Junior Nationals (Class C, amateur) | 7th |
| 2013 | NPC National Championships (Class B, amateur) | 1st 🏆 Pro card |
| 2014 | Mile High Pro (pro debut) | 7th |
| 2014 | Tampa Pro | 6th |
| 2014 | Dallas Pro | 7th |
| 2015 | Western Cup Pro | 8th |
| 2015 | New York Pro | 7th |
| 2015 | Mile High Pro | 4th |
| 2015 | Tampa Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2015 | Mr. Olympia | 5th |
| 2016 | Arnold Classic | 1st 🏆 |
| 2016 | Mr. Olympia | 4th |
| 2017 | Arnold Classic | 3rd |
| 2017 | Mr. Olympia | 3rd |
| 2018 | Arnold Classic | 3rd |
| 2018 | Hawaii Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2018 | Governor’s Cup Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2018 | Salt City Showdown Pro | 2nd |
| 2018 | Mr. Olympia | 1st 🏆 |
| 2018 | Asian Grand Prix Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2018 | Japan Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2018 | Jicheng Classic Sanya Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2019 | Mr. Olympia | 4th |
| 2020 | Arnold Classic | 2nd |
| 2020 | Mr. Olympia | 1st 🏆 |
| 2021 | Mr. Olympia | 1st 🏆 |
| 2022 | Mr. Olympia | 2nd |
| 2023 | Mr. Olympia | 2nd |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh Pro | 4th |
| 2025 | New York Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2025 | Miami Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2025 | Huanji China Pro | 1st 🏆 |
| 2025 | Mr. Olympia | 3rd |
| 2026 | Arnold Classic | 1st 🏆 |
| 2026 | Mr. Olympia | 5th |
Count the first places: 14 professional wins — three Olympia titles, two Arnold Classic titles, and nine further pro victories spread across eleven seasons. 🏆
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How many times has Brandon Hendrickson won the Mr. Olympia?
Three times in the Men’s Physique division: 2018, 2020 and 2021. He was also runner-up in 2022 (to Erin Banks) and 2023 (to Ryan Terry), and third in 2025.
When did Brandon Hendrickson turn pro?
In 2013, when he won the Men’s Physique Class B at the NPC National Championships — in the same first season he started competing, after a 7th place at the Junior Nationals.
How tall is Brandon Hendrickson, and what does he weigh?
He is listed at 5 ft 8 in (172.5 cm), with a reported contest weight of 185–195 lb (84–88 kg). He weighed around 145 lb when he graduated from high school in 2005.
Did Brandon Hendrickson compete in 2024?
No. He withdrew from the 2024 Mr. Olympia, saying he was healthy but his body needed a break from competition, and no other 2024 contests are recorded for him. He returned in 2025 after nine straight Olympia appearances (2015–2023).
Is Brandon Hendrickson still competing in 2026?
Yes. He won the Men’s Physique title at the 2026 Arnold Classic — his second Arnold title, ten years after the first — and placed 5th at the 2026 Mr. Olympia, his 11th Olympia appearance.
What is Brandon Hendrickson’s net worth?
Not published. No verified figure exists in reliable sources; the large numbers quoted on biography sites are unsourced estimates, so this biography does not state one.
🏁 Final Word
Brandon Hendrickson’s career covers almost the whole history of Men’s Physique: he has won titles in its Buendia era, its Edmonds and Banks years, and now — a decade after his first Arnold Classic win — in the Ryan Terry era too.
Three Olympia titles, 14 pro wins, a season away and a three-win comeback: “B-Henny” built one of the longest winning records the division has ever seen. 💪