Francisco Barrios Vlk is an IFBB Pro in the 212 division. 💪 He has won three professional shows — every one of them by a perfect score — and finished seventh at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, his best finish yet.
The rise took three seasons: a pro debut seventh at FitPira in Brazil in 2022, a first win at the Texas Pro in 2024, an Olympia debut the same year, then a breakthrough 2025 with two more wins and a first Olympia top-ten finish.
He is known online as @franbarriosvlk. One fact this biography does not settle is his country — most scorecards list Brazil, while the IFBB’s qualification list and his sponsor give Argentina. What follows is his early life, his amateur career, and every professional contest he has entered.
Francisco Barrios Vlk Quick Facts
| Full name | Francisco Barrios Vlk |
| Born | Not published |
| Nationality | Brazil or Argentina — sources disagree (see below) |
| Division | Men’s 212 Bodybuilding |
| Height | Not published |
| Professional debut | MuscleContest FitPira Pro, Piracicaba, 4–5 November 2022 (7th) |
| Best Olympia finish | 7th, 212, 2025 Mr. Olympia |
| Pro wins | 3 |
| @franbarriosvlk |
Early Life and Background
Francisco Barrios Vlk’s date of birth, birthplace and height have not been published in any source we could read. His nationality is also unsettled: most official scorecards list Brazil, while the IFBB’s 2026 qualification list, his sponsor GASP and Essentially Sports give Argentina. This biography prints both and picks neither.
What is known is where he started: he played rugby growing up, and fell in love with training there. That is his own account, from his sponsor GASP’s athlete poster.
Turning Professional
In March 2021 he was photographed checking his form about a week and a half before the Sudamericano Pro Qualifier in Buenos Aires, where he was entered in the up-to-90 kg class and overall winners earned an IFBB Pro League pro card.
The report does not state the outcome, and no source found confirms where he earned his pro card.
What is certain is that he was a professional by November 2022. His professional debut came at the MuscleContest FitPira Pro in Piracicaba, Brazil, on 4–5 November 2022, where he finished seventh in the 212 division behind winner Eduardo Correa.
The same show gave Vitor Porto third place — the man Barrios would beat for his third pro title three years later, at the Sur Pro Cup in Buenos Aires.
The Early Pro Years: 2022–2023
Photo: NPC News Online / J.M. Manion
His next show came in August 2023. At the Texas Pro in Arlington on 18–19 August, he finished third in a 19-man 212 field, behind winner Keone Pearson and Noel Adame.
It was his only contest of 2023, and his first podium finish as a professional. Pearson went on to win the 212 Olympia that October; Barrios would have to wait another year for his first title.
The 2024 Season
Photo: NPC News Online / J.M. Manion
Barrios opened 2024 at the New York Pro in Teaneck on 18 May, finishing third behind winner Oleh Kryvyi and defending champion Kerrith Bajjo, with Giuseppe Zagarella fourth.
That August he broke through. At the Texas Pro in Irving on 9–10 August, he won his first IFBB Pro League title with a perfect score of 3, ahead of Joe Janowitz and Valentin Alfonsi — and with it, qualification for the Mr. Olympia.
Photo: NPC News Online / Jeff Binns
He made his Olympia debut in Las Vegas that October. In the 212 finals on Friday 11 October, he finished eighth with 41 points, wearing tag 16, in a division won by Keone Pearson.
The Breakthrough: 2025
Photo: NPC News Online / FITXNPC.com
Barrios opened 2025 the way he had closed 2024 — winning. At the New York Pro in Teaneck on 17 May, he took his second professional title with another perfect score of 3, ahead of Angel Calderon and Cody Drobot.
Photo: NPC News Online / Zoom Image Pros
On 8 June he was in Toronto for the Toronto Pro Supershow, where he finished third behind winner Courage Opara and Cody Drobot, with 17 points and wearing tag 141.
At the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas that October, he finally cracked the top ten. In the 212 finals on Friday 10 October, he finished seventh with 36 points, wearing tag 19 — his best finish yet, in a division won again by Keone Pearson.
Two months later he won again. At the Sur Pro Cup in Buenos Aires on 13 December, he took his third professional title with a third perfect score of 3, ahead of Vitor Porto and Andrey Pereira.
The 2026 Season
The Sur Pro Cup win in December 2025 earned Barrios early qualification for the 2026 Mr. Olympia. He was named on pre-show lists and predicted as high as fifth — but he did not compete.
The official 2026 Olympia 212 scorecard lists 20 athletes, from winner Keone Pearson down, and Barrios is not among them. No reason for his absence has been published.
No result for him at any other 2026 show has been published. As of November 2026, his last contest remains the Sur Pro Cup in Buenos Aires on 13 December 2025.
Coaching, Diet and Training
No coach has been named for Barrios in any source read, and no training split has been published. His one confirmed sponsor is GASP, the gym-clothing brand, which lists him on its athletes page.
No full day of eating from him has ever been published either. His full diet and training are covered in our Francisco Barrios Vlk Diet Plan and Workout Routine.
What Makes Him Stand Out
Barrios has finished in the top ten in all nine of his professional contests — and has never finished outside the top eight.
He is also a perfect-score winner: all three of his professional titles — Texas 2024, New York 2025 and the Sur Pro Cup 2025 — came with a perfect score of 3.
Off stage, he has said little: no coach on record, no diet published, no big interviews. On his sponsor’s poster he names his mother as his first role model, then James ‘Flex’ Lewis and Jay Cutler — and says he wants to explore his full potential and compete among the best in the world.
Francisco Barrios Vlk Contest History
Across nine professional contests, Barrios has three wins, six top-three finishes, six top-five finishes and nine top-ten finishes. His worst result is eighth, at the Mr. Olympia in 2024. His amateur record adds an up-to-90 kg entry at the Sudamericano Pro Qualifier in 2021, where the outcome is not on record.
| Year | Contest | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | MuscleContest FitPira Pro, Piracicaba | 7th |
| 2023 | Texas Pro, Arlington | 3rd |
| 2024 | New York Pro, Teaneck | 3rd |
| 2024 | Texas Pro, Irving | 1st |
| 2024 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 8th |
| 2025 | New York Pro, Teaneck | 1st |
| 2025 | Toronto Pro Supershow, Toronto | 3rd |
| 2025 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 7th |
| 2025 | Sur Pro Cup, Buenos Aires | 1st |
| 2021 | Sudamericano Pro Qualifier, Buenos Aires — up to 90 kg (amateur) | Outcome not published |
Note: every pro result above was verified against the official scorecards and independent show reports.
*The Sudamericano entry rests on a March 2021 report that does not state the outcome. The show where Barrios earned his pro card is not on record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Francisco Barrios Vlk?
Francisco Barrios Vlk is an IFBB Pro in the 212 division. He has won three professional shows and finished seventh at the 2025 Mr. Olympia.
Is Francisco Barrios Vlk Brazilian or Argentinian?
Sources disagree: most official scorecards list Brazil, while the IFBB’s 2026 qualification list, his sponsor GASP and Essentially Sports give Argentina. This biography prints both and picks neither.
When did Francisco Barrios Vlk turn professional?
He was a professional by November 2022, when he placed seventh at the MuscleContest FitPira Pro in Piracicaba on his debut. The show where he earned his pro card is not on record.
How many professional shows has Francisco Barrios Vlk won?
Three of his nine professional contests: the Texas Pro in 2024, the New York Pro in 2025 and the Sur Pro Cup in 2025 — all three by a perfect score of 3.
What is Francisco Barrios Vlk’s best Mr. Olympia finish?
Seventh in the 212 division at the 2025 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, with 36 points. He was eighth in 2024 with 41 points, and qualified for 2026 but did not compete.
What does Francisco Barrios Vlk eat?
No full day of eating from him has been published, so there is no verified meal plan to share. Our separate article on his Diet Plan and Workout Routine sets out what is known about his diet and training — and what is still missing.
Bottom Line
A debut seventh at FitPira, then seventh at the Mr. Olympia three seasons later — the steady climb of a 212 pro who has never finished outside the top eight.
Three wins, all by perfect scores, and nine top-ten finishes from nine shows say the rest. If 2025 was the breakthrough, 2026 was the year that never happened — and the next Olympia is where he can push higher. 🏆
Related: Francisco Barrios Vlk 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.