There is no shortage of bodybuilding documentaries for fans to pore over. From stories focusing on single competitions to in-depth looks into the culture as a whole, it’s never been easier (or more entertaining) to examine the entire sport from nearly every angle.
And with the advent of streaming, many of the best examples are quite literally at your fingertips at any given time. So whether you want to catch up on bodybuilding’s golden era or focus on more modern Mr. Olympia competitors, we’ve compiled the best documentaries available on the top streaming services right now.
10 of the Best Bodybuilding Documentaries to Stream
- Pumping Iron
- Bigger, Stronger, Faster
- Generation Iron
- Ronnie Coleman: The King
- Dorian Yates: The Original Mass Monster
- Supps: The Movie
- Killer Sally
- Kai
- Arnold
- Dream Big
Pumping Iron (1977)
Try as you might, there’s still no beating Pumping Iron. Not only was it the first major documentary on bodybuilding to break into the mainstream, it was the vehicle that propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger into Hollywood stardom and made the Mr. Olympia a household name for every gym-goer.
Centered primarily on the battle between Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, and, to a lesser extent, Franco Columbu at the 1975 Mr. Olympia, this film was many people’s first exposure to the world of bodybuilding and the colorful cast of characters that made up the golden era. Though the Schwarzenegger/Ferrigno rivalry was the main event, a plethora of anecdotes and side plots (including Mike Katz’s missing T-shirt) added to the heart and intrigue of the movie.
Sure, we now know that director George Butler and Schwarzenegger purposefully fudged the line between fact and fiction for drama’s sake, but that small nitpick doesn’t make Pumping Iron any less of a classic.
Stream it: Amazon Prime Video
Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)
With a focus on America’s fascination with muscularity, Chris Bell’s 2008 documentary, Bigger, Stronger, Faster, remains a benchmark look at steroid use within the fitness industry and pop culture as a whole.
The movie props Bell’s family’s relationship with strength and steroids against the larger backdrop of American fitness. And it’s about more than PEDs — Bigger details the use of Photoshop to make athletes look more muscular than ever and the ethics behind enhanced athletes promoting supplements.
The insight and candid remarks from the interviewees were unparalleled at the time the movie came out in 2008. Bodybuilding is one part of the story, but Bell’s documentary helps to contextualize the sport against society in a way that others simply don’t.
Stream it: Amazon Prime Video
Generation Iron (2013)
What Pumping Iron was to the ‘70s, Generation Iron was for the new millennium. This documentary focuses on the bodybuilding scene of the 2010s, telling the story of the battle between reigning Mr. Olympia champion Phil Heath and the underdog/fan-favorite Kai Greene. While that story is captivating enough, there is also a riveting side plot juxtaposing the scientifically minded Ben Pakulski against the hardcore traditionalist Branch Warren.
Though Generation Iron didn’t quite blaze a trail like Pumping Iron did decades earlier, it still captured some of the big debates in bodybuilding at this time. Was Green’s hard work enough to beat Heath’s genetics? Was science or instinct the way a bodybuilding champion needed to train? The answers, as the documentary showed, were more complex than you’d imagine.
Rent it: YouTube
Ronnie Coleman: The King (2018)
From 1998-2005, Ronnie Coleman was bodybuilding. He captured an incredible eight-time Mr. Olympia titles during his career, a feat that only Lee Haney has ever reached. So it was only fitting that he would be the subject of an in-depth documentary called The King.
This story is a raw look at Coleman’s life after bodybuilding and the trials this former champion is up against. Facing multiple injuries, partly due to his plate-rattling training style, Coleman undergoes seemingly endless surgeries that leave him on crutches, struggling to move freely. Despite the pain, his passion for bodybuilding and strength training still endures, as the documentary shows how Coleman perseveres in the face of his struggles.
Viewed in one sense, it’s a cautionary tale about the pursuit of greatness and the often unseen costs that come along with it. But the real spirit of the film lies in the passion and love of one’s pursuit regardless of circumstance.
Stream it: Amazon Prime Video
Dorian Yates: The Original Mass Monster (2019)
Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates is one of the most unique bodybuilders the sport has ever seen. Utilizing high-intensity training, Yates marked the transition point in bodybuilding to the era of “mass monsters.” He worked out in a dungeon gym at an intensity that few could match and often avoided publicity until it was time to show up bigger and better to collect another Olympia.
The Original Mass Monster documentary details Yates’ punishing training methodology and recounts his difficult life before and after his bodybuilding career. It is the first authentic insight Yates has given into his mindset, struggles, and life away from the stage.
Stream it: Amazon Prime Video
Supps: The Movie (2020)
Released in 2020, Supps: The Movie traces the evolution of fitness marketing across the 20th century and into the present day, exploring how supplements are advertised to gym-goers and, critically, how they’re regulated within the United States.
Supps doesn’t shy away from some of the biggest issues in the industry, such as the use of enhanced athletes in advertising, outrageous marketing claims, and a legislative framework that means that supplements are classed as foods, not medicines (thereby allowing them to be sold with less scrutiny.) It is a thought-provoking documentary that approaches a topic that is often discussed but rarely examined.
Rent it: Amazon Prime Video
Killer Sally (2022)
If you’re at the center of a Venn diagram of bodybuilding fans and true-crime devotees, Netflix produced a documentary series in 2022 that’ll scratch that peculiar itch.
Killer Sally focuses on the doomed relationship between two bodybuilders from the 1990s, Ray and Sally McNeil. In 1995, Sally McNeil called the police, informing them that she had just shot her husband dead in self-defense. Little did everybody know that this was just the beginning of this sordid tale.
What followed was a media frenzy that dissected the tumultuous relationship between the two, including harrowing accounts of Ray’s abuse of Sally and the seedier underbelly of bodybuilding. And while the documentary focuses on all the controversy stirred up by the case, it never loses sight of the individual pain and family trauma behind the headlines. It is a difficult but essential watch.
Stream it: Netflix
Kai (2022)
Kai Greene was — and continues to be — a fan favorite within bodybuilding. Competing during Phil Heath’s seven-year reign at the top, Greene finished second at the Mr. Olympia from 2012 to 2014 before walking away from the bodybuilding’s biggest competition for good.
Preaching messages about what the sport means to him and how one can express themselves through the art of bodybuilding, Greene has always thought deeply about his craft. While his difficult childhood was discussed in Generation Iron, Kai presents a much deeper look into his past, present, and future.
This 2022 doc shows a different side of Greene, who has come to grips with what it means to be a bodybuilder without competition. Much like The King, the universal themes of pain and overcoming the odds make it accessible for bodybuilding fans and the general public alike.
Stream it: Amazon Prime Video
Arnold (2023)
To use an oft-cliched phrase, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life is indeed stranger than fiction. In this three-part documentary series from Netflix, “The Austrian Oak” details his life in three distinct phases: bodybuilding, film, and politics. This is a revealing look at one of bodybuilding’s most charismatic characters, featuring candid reflections on his life, mistakes, and insecurities.
While not a complete “tell-all” about his life, this is a rare side of Schwarzenegger often missed in other documentaries. Its genius is in the way it both humanizes a cultural icon while simultaneously reminding us of his greatness.
Stream it: Netflix
Dream Big (2023)
Released in 2023, Dream Big might be the new kid on the block, but it delivers more than enough compelling material to place it among the classics. Centering on Gold’s Gym and the golden age of bodybuilding during the 1960s and 1970s, this documentary features many of the people alluded to in Pumping Iron but whose stories were never truly publicized.
We learn the true story of how Gold’s Gym became a bodybuilding mecca with stories from the people who ran it, while also glimpsing fascinating footage and shots from some of the most ambitious contest promotions the sport has ever seen. It is difficult to do justice to this particular documentary except to encourage fans to watch it.
Rent it: Amazon Prime Video
Featured image: Harry Chase, Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 4.0
