The Masters Olympia is a very prestigious stage for bodybuilders older than 40 years old. Competitors who have not been in this competition before must be eligible by winning a show before they can compete. The Masters Olympia from 2025 took place in August in Tokyo, Japan and contained 10 pro-divisions, including Classic Physique, including the fourth-year Pro Kenyon Leno, who appeared his second career. He did not win the title, but validated that he heard on that stage with his show.
“I’m not extra great yet. I’m just great,” he said laughing. Although the Olympia stage on the Masters is an honor, Leno is no stranger to and performs based on elite standards. It has been a way of life for the recently retired US Army Green Beret.
Service runs in the family
Leno’s father served when Leno was a child. After his father retired, the family settled in Kirby, Texas. Leno’s parents both worked, but he acknowledged that everything they had come to them in the old -fashioned way. Leno has credited that upbringing as a reason that he is so proud of his first car.
“It was a Red Honda Excel from 1987. I had to earn every cent to get that.”
Growing up in Texas meant football, which Leno did completely through the university like a walk-on in the state of Texas. He said he wanted to play when he was a child, was a factor that led him to start training.
“My father said I couldn’t play because I was too small. That put a fire in me,” he remembered. The dedication he made himself to play was what stayed with him the most, and he feels that since then it has been part of his life.
“I worked hard for everything I have. I just finish.”
His accession came to service when he and his girlfriend – now woman – expected their first child. His bustle and grinding of his youth led him to acquire different skills, so that he took care of his new family. Once he graduated, he opted for a career that was more stable, which led him to join the army.
“I came to the army, went to the Candidate School (OCD) officer and the rest is history.”
Leno eventually found his way to special troops and considered himself ‘blessed’ as a special troop officer. Being a green beret meant that he had to keep himself at the highest possible standards, but he saw that as an opportunity more than a challenge.
Leno said: “I learned other languages, went to other countries and made the best to involve myself in that culture. It has been a highlight of my life.”
His resilience was tested and he passed
Leno’s career has seen a considerable part of adversity. When a mission in Afghanistan returned in 2019, Leno did physical training when he felt a doll in his left knee that resulted in severe swelling. He thought the swelling would separate, but was still there after two weeks, which led him to get an MRI.
“I had a partial ACL, partial meniscus tear and during the operation the doctors discovered that I had no cartilage in my knee and bone fragments. It was actually a disaster.”
This was the first operation of Leno and the recovery lasted longer than expected. It also led him to have an operation. All in all it was a total of three years with limited physical activity.
Leno explained: “I was so used to being active, and then I was suddenly not.”
The inactivity led him to have been used and changing his physique. When he saw a photo of himself from a Sunday meeting, he did not recognize himself.
“That day I decided that, although I couldn’t run, I would do something.”
That something turned out to be bodybuilding. He had done it in the past, but had to be fully committed to changing what he saw in that photo.
“I looked back on my first show I did, what I won, and decided to do it again,” said Leno. “I discovered the physique of gentlemen because the legs didn’t have to be that big.”
By 2021, he earned his IFBB Pro League card as a body athlete for men at the NPC Nationals of that year, only his second show since he has recommended the sport. He started to compete in the pro -level the following year and by 2023 he closed the stage on the Olympia of that year. In 2024 he shifted his focus to the classic physique. The meaning of that decision was that his new category requires more visibility of leg. However, he had done the work that was needed not only to recover, but also to make his lower body a strong part of his physique.
“My legs started to grow again and people wanted to see me do it. Now I am in classic and winning shows like an athlete of more than 40.”
Leno has credited his time at the Ranger school because he had helped him to fulfill his potential as a Bodybuilder of World Class and push himself further than observed restrictions.
“That experience showed me the differences between what you think you do or what your mind tells you that you can do and what you can actually do. Tell your mind less and go more.”
Pension and return to school
2025 has turned out to be a crucial year for Leno, both professionally and personally. With the 2025 Indy Superershow Pro and 2025 Tampa Pro, wins as a Masters Classic Physique -Athlete earned him a second Masters Olympia qualification.
The year also marked the end of his military career, retired during his bodybuilding season. In his first interview as a veteran, the father of three shared that he has many plans, including celebrating his 21st wedding anniversary with his wife in December and going back to school to promote his education. Leno looks ahead, but will use the skills and his gifts from the past to help.
“Resilience, teamwork and really applying the best of yourself has really brought me to this point and will continue to help me to do even more in the future. I am enthusiastic about what awaits us.”
You can follow Leno on Instagram.
M&F senior military editor Rob Wilkins has contributed to this article.
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