The Masters Olympia is a very prestigious stage for bodybuilders over 40 years old. Competitors that have not been in this contest before must qualify by winning a show before they can compete. The 2025 Masters Olympia took place in Tokyo, Japan in August and featured 10 pro divisions, including Classic Physique, which included fourth-year pro Kenyon Leno, who was making his second career appearance. He didn’t win the title but validated that he belonged on that stage with his showing.

“I’m not extra awesome yet. I’m just regular awesome,” he said with a laugh. While being on the Masters Olympia stage is an honor, Leno is no stranger to and performing at elite standards. It has been a way of life for the recently retired United States 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 anything they had came to them the old-fashioned way. Leno credited that upbringing as a reason he is so proud of his first car.

“It was a red 1987 Honda Excel. I had to earn every penny to get that.”

Growing up in Texas meant playing football, which Leno did all the way through college as a walk-on at Texas State. He said wanting to play when he was a kid was a factor that led him to start training.

“My father said I couldn’t play because I was too little. That lit a fire in me,” he recalled. The commitment he made to himself to play was what stuck with him the most, and he feels that has been a part of his life since.

“I’ve worked hard for everything I have. I just work my ass off.”

His entry into service came when he and his girlfriend – now wife – were expecting their first child. His hustle and grind of his youth led him to acquiring various skills, which helped him provide for his new family. Once he graduated college, he opted for a career that was more stable, which led to him joining the Army.

“I joined the military, went to Officer Candidate School (OCS), and the rest is history.”

Leno eventually made his way to Special Forces and considered himself “blessed” to be a Special Forces officer. Being a Green Beret meant he had to hold himself to the highest standards possible, but he saw that as an opportunity more than a challenge.

Leno said, “I learned other languages, went to other countries, and made the most of involving myself in that culture. It has been a highlight of my life.”

His Resilence Was Tested and He Passed

Leno’s career has seen its fair share of adversity. Upon returning from a mission in Afghanistan in 2019, Leno was doing physical training when he felt a pop in his left knee that resulted in severe swelling. He thought the swelling would secede but was still there after two weeks, which led to him getting an MRI.

“I had a partial ACL tear, partial meniscus tear, and during the surgery, the doctors found I had no more cartilage in my knee and bone fragments. It was basically a disaster.”

This was Leno’s first surgery, and the recovery took longer than expected. It also led to him having another surgery. All in all, it was three years with limited physical activity in total.

Leno explained, “I was so used to being active, and then all of a sudden I wasn’t.”

The inactivity led to him gaining weight and his physique changing. When he saw a photo of himself from an Easter Sunday gathering, he didn’t recognize himself.

“That day, I decided that even though I couldn’t run, I was going to do something.”

That something turned out to be bodybuilding. He had done it in the past but had to commit himself fully in order to change what he saw in that photo.

“I looked back on my first show that I did, which I won, and decided to do it again,” Leno stated. “I found out about Men’s Physique because the legs didn’t have to be that big.”

By 2021, he earned his IFBB Pro League card as a Men’s Physique athlete at that year’s NPC Nationals, just his second show since he recommitted to the sport. He started competing in the pro level the following year and by 2023, he was gracing the stage at that year’s Masters Olympia. In 2024, he shifted his focus to Classic Physique. The significance of that decision was that his new category requires more leg visibility. However, he had done the work it took to not only recover but make his lower body a strong component of his physique.

“My legs started growing again, and people wanted to see me do it. Now I am in Classic and winning shows as an over 40 athlete.”

Leno credited his time in Ranger school for helping him fulfill his potential as a world-class bodybuilder and pushing himself beyond perceived limitations.

“That experience showed me the differences between what you think you can do or what your mind is telling you that you can do and what you actually can do. Tell your mind less talking and more going.”

Retirement From Service and Returning to School

2025 has turned out to be a pivotal year for Leno both professionally and personally. Wins at the 2025 Indy Supershow Pro and 2025 Tampa Pro as a Masters Classic Physique athlete earned him a second Masters Olympia qualification.

The year also marked the end of his military career, having retired during his bodybuilding season. In his first interview as a veteran, the father of three shared that he has a lot of plans, including celebrating his 21st wedding anniversary with his wife in December and going back to school to further his education. Leno is looking ahead but will utilize the skills and his gifts from the past to move himself forward.

“Resiliency, teamwork, and really applying the best of yourself has really gotten me to this point and will continue to help me do even more in the future. I’m excited about what’s ahead.”

You can follow Leno on Instagram.

M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.