A few days before the 2011 Mr. Olympia, at Las Vegas
IFBB Pro MIchael Kefalianis was born and raised in the Dodecanese, Greece, on the small island of Kos. Born on August 16, 1970 into a family of 13 siblings, he finished school and started working at a young age. Stone masonry was his main job, which helped his build, especially his now massive quads. Lifting 50+kilo slabs up 4 or 5 flights of stairs every day.
After the completion of his military duties, he joined a gym to lose some weight he had gained. He noticed some of the men lifting weights. He studied their routines, and decided to try it out. He loved it! He became very addicted, not missing a workout. The following year he met Helen, a Greek Australian that was holidaying in Kos. They fell in love and got married in 1991. Soon after they moved to Adelaide Australia for 4 years where they had 2 children, and he became an Australian citizen.
Moving back to Kos, they had two more children. He became a taxi driver for living. Meeting up with an old friend and gym owner David Balasas, they discussed Michael competing in the local competitions. On his first try he was placed second. Excited and ready, he then went onto compete in WABBA Mr.Hellas, which he won numerous times. Playing as a pro in WABBA in the European competitions was challenging, but something was missing. His all time dream was to step onto the Mr.Olympia stage.
He took some time off, after leaving WABBA, to build up good quality mass on his frame. He was given the opportunity to play in Germany, where he won local and over all competitions and was offered the chance to fulfill his dream. To become an IFBB Pro. Through the Australians he started his journey of competing with other bodybuilders which he once looked up to and admired.
Since becoming a Pro in 2008, he has slowly but surely risen in ranking. He is currently ranked 17th, competing in his second Mr.Olympia, September 15, at Las Vegas. Sponsored by American supplements MHP, and placing better than ever in competitions, Michael has been given the name of «Mr. Conditioning» due to the fact he’s the most ripped, shredded and always in better condition than his previous competition.
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| IFBB Pro Michael Kefalianos |
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So, how much are you dedicated to the sport?
Micheal Kefalianos: I have been pumping iron for almost 21 years now, loving it and never miss a workout. I have been married for 19 years to Australian Helen and we have 4 wonderful children ranging in age from 10 to 18.
