Lil Jon Gets Ripped Placing 3rd In Bodybuilding Debut

Lil Jon shows fans he’s a lot more than turning up. The Grammy award-winning producer and rapper, 53, made his bodybuilding debut at Venice Beach’s iconic Muscle Beach Championship and placed in third. Lil Jon’s wellness journey is inspiring fans around the world. Read more inside.

On Labor Day, Lil Jon competed in the Venice Beach Muscle Beach Championship for the first time and he walked away with a third-place medal in the Men’s Physique Masters Over-45 category.

Walking out in custom shorts reading his brand, Soul Chakra, Jon looked stage-ready and shredded. He flexed in front of an excited crowd that cheered the hip-hop legend on. According to People, Jon’s trainer Jay Galvin hyped him up on Instagram, writing, “My bro @liljon came straight off a plane to his first show ever @musclebeachvenice and took 3rd place!!!!”

For Jon, the win was about way more than just medals.

“It’s been a lot physically, just in the gym, dedication, eating, focus,” he shared with reporters. “I’m winning just by being here and changing my lifestyle, mentally and physically,” he told reporters. “If I can do it, then you can do it too.”

That lifestyle shift has been years in the making. After a close friend’s triple bypass surgery, Jon admitted to Men’s Health that he got serious about his health. He swapped late-night bottles for barbells, leaned into juicing, meditation, saunas, and even ginger-and-turmeric “shots” instead of Hennessy. The shift wasn’t just physical, but it was spiritual too.

In 2023, Jon surprised fans by dropping Total Meditation and Manifest Abundance: Affirmations For Personal Growth. These guided meditation albums are packed with affirmations for positivity, love, and health. The rapper told Blavity that meditation helped him reset at 50, inspiring him to share his journey with others.

“There’s no wrong way to meditate,” he shared with the publication and his fans. “It’s all about tuning into yourself and finding your inner peace.”

Now, between bodybuilding competitions and sound baths, Lil Jon is embodying his own mantra: balance. Fans online are praising his glow-up, with comments like “He aged backwards!” and “This is the inspiration I needed today.”

From “Turn Down for What?” to turning up the treadmill incline, Lil Jon’s transformation is showing fans that it’s possible to achieve at any age. And judging by his third-place debut, the King of Crunk might just be the King of Wellness too.