Spain has produced bigger bodybuilders, but it has never produced a Classic Physique star quite like Josema Muñoz. Known to fans as “Josema Beast,” the young pro from Yecla stormed to 6th place on his Mr. Olympia debut in 2024 — then went one better with 4th place in 2025. 🇪🇸
Then, in the summer of 2026, he shocked the division: despite holding a qualification for the 2026 Classic Physique Olympia, Muñoz announced he was leaving Classic behind to move up to the Men’s Open. This is his full, verified story.
⚡ Josema Muñoz Quick Facts
| Full Name | José Manuel Muñoz Quiles |
| Nickname | Josema Beast |
| Date of Birth | 20 October 2001 |
| Age | 25 years old (2026) |
| Birthplace | Yecla, Murcia, Spain |
| Height | 1.79 m (5’10”) |
| Stage Weight | Around 100 kg (220 lb) in Classic Physique |
| Division | Classic Physique (2024–2025) — moving to Men’s Open in 2026 |
| Pro Status | IFBB Pro since 2023 |
| Pro Wins | 4 (California Supplements Pro & Empro Classic 2024, Nutriyummy Pro Cup 2024, Romania Muscle Fest Pro 2025) |
| Best Olympia Finish | 4th — Classic Physique, 2025 |
| Coach | Raúl Carrasco |
| @josema__beast |
🌱 Early Life in Yecla
José Manuel Muñoz was born on 20 October 2001 in Yecla, a town in Spain’s Murcia region better known for wine and furniture than for bodybuilding.
He took up training as a teenager and rose through the Spanish amateur ranks with unusual speed.
By his early twenties, his combination of huge legs, a tiny waist and wide clavicles was already marking him out as a future professional.
🏆 The Pro Card — and an Open Beginning (2023)
Muñoz turned professional in the spring of 2023, at just 21 years old.
At the NPC Worldwide Ben Weider Classic in Spain, he won the super-heavyweight class and the Men’s Bodybuilding overall title — and with it, his IFBB Pro card, per the official NPC News Online record.
He wasted no time. Weeks later he made his pro debut in the Men’s Open at the 2023 Empro Classic in Alicante, finishing 4th against far more experienced opposition.
He closed his rookie year with another Open podium, taking 3rd at the 2023 Bigman Spain Pro behind Roman Fritz and Emir Omeragic.
Strong results — but Muñoz and his coach Raúl Carrasco had a different plan. His structure, they believed, was built for Classic Physique.
🔄 The Switch to Classic Physique — a Dream 2024
The switch came in May 2024, and it paid off instantly. At the California Supplements Pro in Alicante on 12 May 2024, Muñoz won his Classic Physique debut — and with it, a ticket to the Mr. Olympia.
Five weeks later he won again, taking the Empro Classic Pro Classic title in Alicante, ahead of Germany’s Luca Reger.
Division switches can redefine a career — American pro Rickey Moten famously rebuilt himself moving from Men’s Physique to Classic — but few athletes have adapted as fast as Muñoz did.
At the 2024 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, the 22-year-old Spaniard placed 6th in a first callout that included Chris Bumstead, Ramon Dino and Mike Sommerfeld — a sensational debut on bodybuilding’s biggest stage.
Two weeks after the Olympia, he won the Nutriyummy Pro Cup in Alicante, his third pro title of 2024, securing his place at the 2025 Olympia as well.
📈 2025: Into the Olympia Top Four
Muñoz opened 2025 in the United States — and nearly stole two of the sport’s most historic shows.
At the Pittsburgh Pro in May 2025, he finished 2nd in Classic Physique, beaten only by Terrence Ruffin. A week later, at the New York Pro, the same story: Ruffin first, Muñoz second.
At the 2025 Mr. Olympia, he improved to 4th place — behind champion Ramon Dino, Mike Sommerfeld and Terrence Ruffin — the best Classic Physique Olympia result ever achieved by a Spanish athlete.
He finished the year in style on 9 November 2025, winning the Romania Muscle Fest Pro ahead of Tomislav Strmecki and Richard Nagy — a victory that qualified him for the 2026 Olympia.
📋 Josema Muñoz Contest Record
| Year | Contest | Division | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | NPC Worldwide Ben Weider Classic (Spain) | Men’s Bodybuilding (amateur) | 1st + Overall — IFBB Pro card won |
| 2023 | Empro Classic Pro | Men’s Open | 4th |
| 2023 | Bigman Spain Pro | Men’s Open | 3rd |
| 2024 | California Supplements Pro | Classic Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2024 | Empro Classic Pro | Classic Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2024 | Mr. Olympia | Classic Physique | 6th |
| 2024 | Nutriyummy Pro Cup | Classic Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh Pro | Classic Physique | 2nd |
| 2025 | New York Pro | Classic Physique | 2nd |
| 2025 | Mr. Olympia | Classic Physique | 4th |
| 2025 | Romania Muscle Fest Pro | Classic Physique | 1st 🏆 |
💪 Training and the Weight-Cap Battle
Muñoz has been coached throughout his pro career by Spanish coach Raúl Carrasco, whose meticulous, science-based approach is well known in European bodybuilding.
His legs are his signature — some of the most developed quads in the division — built on years of heavy squats and presses trained close to failure.
But the same genetics that made him a Classic star also made the division’s weight cap a constant fight. Muñoz routinely grows to around 113–115 kg in the off-season, then has to suffer down to roughly 100 kg to make the Classic limit for his height.
Spanish coverage has long debated whether a frame like his belongs in the Open. In 2026, Muñoz answered the question himself.
🔮 2026: The Shock Move to the Open
Muñoz held a qualification for the 2026 Classic Physique Olympia thanks to his Romania win — and was widely tipped for another top-five finish. At the 2026 Olympia in Las Vegas, Niall Darwen took the Classic crown, with Wesley Vissers finishing 4th.
But Muñoz was not in the line-up. In mid-2026, Spanish sports daily Superdeporte reported that he had made his decision official: he was leaving Classic Physique to compete in the Men’s Open, where no weight cap can hold him back.
His coach was blunt about what rivals should expect, telling Superdeporte in July 2026: “Josema in the Open at 110 kilos, with that condition, is going to be scary.” 😤
He is not the only Classic star making the jump — Matt Greggo announced his own move from Classic to the Open in October 2026.
As of October 2026, Muñoz has not yet made his Open debut, and no comeback date has been announced. What is certain is that one of the most gifted young physiques in Europe is now growing without a limit — and the Open division has been warned.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Josema Muñoz?
Josema Muñoz was born on 20 October 2001 in Yecla, Spain. He turned 25 in October 2026 — remarkably young for an athlete with two Olympia top-six finishes.
How tall is Josema Muñoz and how much does he weigh?
He is listed at 1.79 m (5’10”). In Classic Physique he competed at around 100 kg (220 lb), the weight cap for his height, while his off-season weight has been reported around 113–115 kg.
When did Josema Muñoz turn pro?
He earned his IFBB Pro card in 2023, at 21 years old, by winning the Men’s Bodybuilding overall title at the NPC Worldwide Ben Weider Classic in Spain. He began his pro career in the Men’s Open before switching to Classic Physique in 2024.
What is Josema Muñoz’s best Mr. Olympia result?
4th place in Classic Physique at the 2025 Mr. Olympia — the best result by a Spanish athlete in the division’s history. He had placed 6th on his Olympia debut in 2024.
Why did Josema Muñoz not compete at the 2026 Mr. Olympia?
Although he qualified by winning the 2025 Romania Muscle Fest Pro, Muñoz announced in mid-2026 that he was leaving Classic Physique to move up to the Men’s Open, where he no longer has to cut down to the Classic weight cap. He therefore skipped the 2026 Classic Physique Olympia.
Has Josema Muñoz won any pro shows?
Yes — four Classic Physique titles: the California Supplements Pro and Empro Classic in 2024, the Nutriyummy Pro Cup in 2024, and the Romania Muscle Fest Pro in 2025.
🏁 The Bottom Line
In three short pro seasons, Josema Muñoz has gone from amateur overall winner, to Open rookie, to Classic Physique Olympia top-four — collecting four pro titles along the way.
Now he is betting that his future is even bigger: literally. If his Open debut lands anywhere near his Classic form, “Josema Beast” could become Spain’s next Open headline act. 🐂