Top 7 Hungarian Bodybuilders of All Time

Bodybuilding today is a global sport with athletes from all over the world pumping iron — even in third world countries, where people cannot afford to go to the gym or spend the hundreds of dollars on fancy supplements. 

Over the last 100 years bodybuilding has evolved greatly and so too have bodybuilders — in regards to their training methodologies and eating habits. 

Read on to find out which 7 Hungarian bodybuilders we listed as the best of all time. 

Mickey Hargitay

It’s safe to say that being athletic was in Mickey’s genes, with his father also being proactive in sports. Mickey was born on January 6, 1926, and brought up in Budapest, Hungary. In his early years, he was involved with acrobatic acts. Then he was introduced to the wondrous world of sports by his brother, later participating in speed skating competitions.

In skating he won multiple medals at the Middle European Championship in 1946. Mickey was also a talented football player. 

Before entering bodybuilding, he worked as a carpenter and plumber. At that time, he performed a few acrobatic acts with his wife in the states.

One day, he came across a picture of Steve Reeves in a magazine, which inspired him to start bodybuilding. In 1955, he was accoladed with the title of NABBA Mr. Universe. A fun fact about Mickey is that he was the first person to receive the Joe Weider Lifetime Achievement Award. Later on, he ventured into show business along with his second wife.

Kálmán Szkalak

Kalman had to face a bumpy road when he was just a baby. He was born during the time of the Hungarian revolution and was forced to leave his native country. His family sought asylum in a refugee camp located in New Jersey, USA.

Kalman was considered the rising star in the golden era of bodybuilding; a time which gave birth to legends still remembered today, such as Arnold Schwarenegger, Franco Colombu, Frank Zane and more. You can see pictures of the classic physiques from this era here. 

Szkalak’s career rocketed when he bagged the first place in the AAU Mr. Delaware competition in 1975. After that, he worked hard to keep growing and making himself better. His tremendous and widely envied physique helped him get first place in the AAU Mr. America (1976) and AAU Mr. USA (1977).

In 1977 he also competed in the Mr Universe (heavyweight division) in the USA. In that competition, he had a showdown with the famous Mike Mentzer during the posedown round. Kalman edged out Mike and was declared the winner, with his giant frame giving him the edge over ‘Mr Heavy Duty’. This was no mean feat, slaying one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever grace the sport. 

The following year, Kalman participated in the IFBB Mr. Olympia and placed 5th. It was then he decided to shift his career to being a professional cyclist. He participates in numerous nationwide competitions. 

Jenő Kiss

Jenő’s main goal was massthetics, rather than aesthetics — looking to build as much size as possible and outmuscle his competition. Jenő was born on February 10, 1972, and originally belongs to Budapest in Hungary. According to sources, he still resides in the capital.

From 1989 till 2013, Jenő won multiple amateur as well as professional bodybuilding titles. For three consecutive years, he didn’t allow anyone to dethrone him, being a dominant champion in the Hungarian Championships.

In 1995, he placed second in what used to be called the Mr. Universe. This shortcoming didn’t break his spirits, with Jenő coming back stronger the following year, and successfully placing first. The title was later changed from Mr. Universe to World Amateur Bodybuilding Championship. 

Currently, he is employed at the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB), as a personal trainer.

Krisztina Sereny

Unfortunately, women in this industry are subject to body shaming and bullying. They are ridiculed for having a more masculine physique rather than a delicate feminine body structure. 

Despite enduring many body-shaming comments, Krisztina made her mark in the world. She was born on August 6, 1976, in Budapest, Hungary. 

Since 1998, she has competed in many championships organized by IFBB, NABBA, and WABBA.

Owing to her awards and much-envied physique, she was showcased on many prestigious magazines’ glossy pages. She is also the first fitness competitor that made it to the cover of Playboy’s Hungarian edition.

Csaba Szigeti

Csaba’s a bodybuilder, model, and fitness ambassador, all neatly packed in one person. He’s a former porn star as well. Csaba was born in Nagyatad, Hungary, but was brought up in Budapest.

Currently, he’s a social media influencer who urges people to eat clean and stop using steroids. He’s pretty famous for his apparent “natural” physique, however he’s attracted many controversies with hashtags on instagram, such as #naturalbodybuilding #zerosteroid . 

Robin Balogh

Robin’s a professional bodybuilder with a great height of 190.5 cm. As a child, he was a keen cyclist, which made him interested in building up his body structure. When he was just 19 years old, he debuted in the Hungary World Junior Championships in 2012.

He was seemingly destined for bodybuilding stardom, winning first place in his first competition. He later placed in many other competitions, however, he wasn’t able to maintain his winning streak.

Robin has also competed in Mr. Olympia Men’s Physique, alongside social media stars, including Jeff Seid. 

Regina Zsigmond

Regina is always honing her skills and trying to make her name in the industry. When she was 21 years old, she won a gold medal in the 7th Championships for World’s Bodybuilding and Physique Federation. This took place in 2015, Thailand.

Being a personal trainer and nutritional adviser, this has enabled her to chase her dreams in this sport, enabling her to devote all her time to being a bodybuilder. In an interview, she revealed it typically takes her 16 weeks to prepare for a competition; leaving nothing left in the tank. 

Moreover, Regina urges people to pay attention to their diet and to live a healthy lifestyle, with bodybuilding often being destructive to some individuals. She also showed gratitude towards her coach and mentor, Dorottya Németh, who guided her and had faith in her bodybuilding potential.