Women’s bodybuilding has never been a side show. 🏋️♀️
It has its own dynasties, its own unbeaten runs, and champions who held the sport’s biggest title for the best part of a decade.
This list has been honestly re-picked for 2026, not just re-dated. The Andrea Shaw era changed everything, and one glaring omission from the old list has been corrected.
How this list was picked: it is ranked first and foremost on Ms. Olympia titles, the sport’s biggest prize. Longevity, unbeaten runs and influence on the sport are used as context, not as a way to override the title count. That keeps the ranking honest, even if it is not the only way to judge greatness.
For comparison with the men’s side of the sport, see our top 10 bodybuilders list.
| Rank | Bodybuilder | Ms. Olympia titles | Title years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iris Kyle | 10 | 2004, 2006–2014 |
| 2 | Lenda Murray | 8 | 1990–1995, 2002–2003 |
| 3 | Andrea Shaw | 7 | 2020–2026 |
| 4 | Cory Everson | 6 | 1984–1989 |
| 5 | Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls | 4 | 1996–1999 |
1. Iris Kyle 🏆
Iris Kyle is the most decorated bodybuilder in Olympia history, man or woman. Ten Ms. Olympia titles is a number no one else has touched.
Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 1974, Kyle earned her pro card by winning the heavyweight and overall titles at the 1998 NPC USA Championships.
Her reign ran from 2004 and then unbroken from 2006 to 2014. Nine straight titles in that second stretch is the longest unbroken run in the division’s history.
She was not only an Olympia champion either. Kyle also won the Ms. International, the Arnold Sports Festival’s women’s bodybuilding contest, a record seven times before that contest was dropped after 2013.
Her blend of size, shape and conditioning made her the standard every other competitor was measured against, much like the great male champions profiled in our Charles Griffen biography era of the sport’s history.
2. Lenda Murray 💪
Lenda Murray won eight Ms. Olympia titles across two separate reigns, and she did it in two very different eras of the sport.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1962, Murray turned professional in 1989 and won the Ms. Olympia at her first attempt in 1990.
She then held the title for six straight years, from 1990 to 1995. After losing it to Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls and stepping away, she came back to win it again in 2002 and 2003.
Very few champions ever return to the top after years away. Murray did it twice over, which is why she sits second here despite Kyle’s bigger total.
3. Andrea Shaw 🌟
Andrea Shaw is the champion of the modern era, and the reason this list had to be rewritten.
When the Ms. Olympia women’s division returned in 2020 after a five-year break, Shaw won it at her first attempt. She has not given it up since.
As of 2026 she holds seven straight Ms. Olympia titles, from 2020 to 2026, including her latest win at the 2026 Olympia, where Ashley Lynnette Jones finished second.
Shaw has also won the Rising Phoenix World Championships, the division’s other major title, in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026.
Her reign is still active, so her final place in history is not settled yet. On titles alone, though, she already belongs at number three.
Image note: no portrait of Andrea Shaw exists in this post’s own media-library attachments, so this section has no image in the package. No outside image has been substituted.
4. Cory Everson 🎬
Cory Everson is the biggest correction in this refresh. Somehow, the old list left out a six-time champion entirely.
Born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1958, Everson won the Ms. Olympia six years in a row, from 1984 to 1989, and retired undefeated as a professional.
She was the sport’s first true superstar, the champion who carried women’s bodybuilding into the mainstream in the 1980s.
After retiring, she moved into acting, appearing in films including Double Impact and Natural Born Killers. Few bodybuilders, male or female, have crossed over like that.
An unbeaten six-title run plus that wider impact makes her a certain top-five pick, whatever criteria you prefer.
Image note: no portrait of Cory Everson exists in this post’s own media-library attachments, so this section has no image in the package. No outside image has been substituted.
5. Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls 🥇
Kim Chizevsky-Nicholls won four straight Ms. Olympia titles, from 1996 to 1999, and she did it by ending Lenda Murray’s first reign.
Born in Illinois in 1968, Chizevsky-Nicholls finished second to Murray in 1995, then beat her in 1996 and again in 1997.
At her best she combined rare size with balance and shape, and for four years no one could touch her on the Olympia stage.
She retired as champion after her 1999 win, which means her reign, like Everson’s, ended on her own terms.
Who just missed out? 🤔
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia won the Ms. Olympia once, in 2005, and the Ms. International five times. That is a fine career, but one Olympia title cannot match four, six or seven.
Nataliya Kuznetsova, who held fifth place in the old list, drops out altogether. She is a strength athlete and powerlifter, not a Ms. Olympia title winner, and this is a bodybuilding list ranked on bodybuilding’s biggest title.
That is the honest trade: two popular names out, two champions with far stronger records in.
What changed since 2021? 🔄
The old list was Murray, Chizevsky-Nicholls, Kyle, Oriquen and Kuznetsova. It was already missing Everson, a six-time champion.
Since then, Andrea Shaw has gone from a new champion to a seven-time champion, winning every Ms. Olympia from 2020 to 2026.
The 2026 list is therefore ranked purely on the title record: Kyle 10, Murray 8, Shaw 7, Everson 6, Chizevsky-Nicholls 4.
Fuel for that kind of training is covered in our guide to the best protein powders for strength athletes.
FAQs ❓
Who is the greatest women’s bodybuilder of all time?
On titles, it is Iris Kyle. Her ten Ms. Olympia wins are more than any other bodybuilder, male or female, has ever managed at the Olympia.
Who is the current Ms. Olympia?
As of 2026, Andrea Shaw holds the title. She has won it every year since the division returned in 2020, seven times in total.
Why is Cory Everson in the list now?
Because she won six straight Ms. Olympia titles from 1984 to 1989 and retired undefeated. Leaving her out, as the old list did, was simply an error.
Why did Nataliya Kuznetsova drop out?
She is known for strength sports rather than for winning bodybuilding’s biggest title. On a ranking led by Ms. Olympia titles, she does not make the top five.
Could Andrea Shaw reach number one?
She would need three more titles to match Kyle’s ten, and four more to pass her. Her reign is still active, so it is possible, but it is far from certain.