Malcolm Sherratt, 64, claimed more than Â£46,000 in disability benefits over eight years, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
He had told authorities he needed help dressing and going to the toilet.
Sherratt, from Stoke-on-Trent, was jailed for 12 months after being secretly filmed by the DWP working out at a gym.
He previously admitted two counts of false representation and three counts of making a dishonest representation.
Sherrat, of Arbourfield Drive, began making claims three weeks after taking part in Mr Universe 2007.
He told authorities he needed help cooking and washing and sometimes needed a wheelchair or sticks, the DWP said.
But officials discovered he worked out twice a day and filmed him lifting weights.
Sherratt was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday.
A former Mr Universe contestant who claimed he had a bad back has been jailed for benefit fraud.