Ade Rai & Komang Arnawa: Balinese muscle

Bali has 2 famous bodybuilders to boast about. Their names are Ade Rai and Komang Arnawa. One might wonder how and why local guys in a developing country find the the time, money and inspiration to life weights. The answer is quite simple, they’re good at it. Balinese tend to be stout and muscular, add to that a dark skin and you’ve got the foundations of a bodybuilder. Of course there is more to it that that, an individual has to have tremendous dedication.

Ade Rai won the 1996 Musclemania Natural Bodybuilding Championships in the USA and put Indonesian bodybuilding on the map.

That was a while ago and since I have been in Bali another shining star has emerged. Komang Arnawa has won titles in Australia and the USA including the prestigious 2005 Mr. Natural Olympia in Las Vegas. Both these guys are in the ‘natural bodybuilding’ part of the sport which means, more elbow grease, but more life at the end of it.

Good luck to both of them. I know Komang Arnawa is looking for sponsorship for future competitions, so please feel free to get in touch with him through his website, if you are interested.