Ryan Terry reflects on the evolution of Men’s Physique since its inception and whether or not athletes are becoming too big.
Ryan Terry is a Men’s Physique competitor who has been competing for quite some time. So he’s been able to witness the evolution of physiques within the division throughout the past decade. If you were to look at Men’s Physique in 2013 and compare it today – the muscle mass on the athletes has grown significantly. It almost looks like a different division. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Ryan Terry weighs in on whether or not Men’s Physique muscle mass has gotten too big.
Whenever a new division is added into pro bodybuilding, there is a transition stage as the athletes and judges determine what the “perfect champion” looks like for the category. During this time, the sport evolves, the physiques change, and eventually the division settles into its own very unique look. During our recent interview with Ryan Terry, we asked him to look back at the inception of Men’s Physique and compare it to how physiques look today.
Ryan Terry admitted that the physiques are much larger than they used to be. He attributes this to athletes trying to continually push the envelope and one up each other. With each year, athletes will try to improve. How do they do that? By becoming more conditioned and building more mass to get a slight edge. It’s small – but over many years it slowly changed the division.
Ryan Terry actually thinks that the size has become so much larger – that it would be possible for a Classic Physique competitor to drop down into Men’s Physique if they don’t meet the height to weight requirements in Classic. This might not have happened, Terry admits, but the fact that it may be possible is worrying to him for the Men’s Physique division. Where is the line drawn? How much bigger will these athletes get?
Ultimately, Ryan Terry doesn’t have an answer. But he’s keenly aware of what is taking place and constantly trying to reevaluate his physique for success. He doesn’t want to become too large – but he wants to win. This is part of his challenge when going up against athletes like the current Olympia champion Brandon Hendrickson. Terry and Hendrickson’s physique are very structurally different. This poses a challenge for Terry – but he’s not worried. He keeps his eye on how the division is changing, how Hendrickson is changing, and is putting in steps to upgrade and become a champion himself.
You can watch Ryan Terry go into full detail about the growth of Men’s Physique and his tactic for taking on Brandon Hendrickson in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
