Contenders from the IFBB Pro League’s Classic Physique division are closing in on the most important competition in all of bodybuilding. In a recent YouTube appearance on September 27, Shawn Ray and Terrence Ruffin discussed the game plan for defeating the reigning four-time Classic Physique champ Chris Bumstead in November.
“No one that beat me at the Olympia was at this show. I still have a lot to prove to myself at least,” Terrence Ruffin says.
Ruffin, a former two-time Arnold Classic titleholder (2021, 2022), has yet to be crowned with Mr. Olympia gold, though many fans and followers of the sport believe it’s only a matter of time. Not only does “Diesel” possess shape, aesthetics, and round muscle bellies, but the Classic Physique standout’s ability to pose is among the best in the league.
Having placed as high as second place to Bumstead on the Olympia stage (2020, 2021), Ruffin is accustomed to the demands of getting shredded and competing at the highest level. He entered last year’s 2022 Mr. Olympia as a surging frontrunner due to his success in Columbus, Ohio, but missed the mark with a sixth-place finish in Las Vegas.
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Setting his sights on redemption, Ruffin targeted the upcoming Legion Sports Fest Pro but made a detour to the 2023 Dubai Pro after finding out the prize money had jumped to $20,000. His impromptu decision paid off as he walked away in first place with a qualification — earning himself another shot against the Classic Physique kingpin Chris Bumstead.
Shawn Ray Talks 2023 Olympia, Chris Bumstead, and Critiques of Terrence Ruffin
“Sometimes losing is a good opportunity for you to correct those small mistakes and step on the big stage. He definitely showed us that he’s not a one-night-wonder.”
“I mean, I was at both shows… clearly when he got runner-up to Chris Bumstead he was on another level. He missed his peak the following time but he can get back there; he’s on his way back there. He’s very very close again. Again, I’m criticizing Terrence about his color, we’re talking about color right. That’s the easiest mix you can actually fix. You need to be a little bit more golden brown.”“I’m not sure how much you colored, I’m not sure if you had color on… but the color just – it could be the lights – but definitely, I’d like to see him a little bit more bronze. It would magnify what we’re looking at. It’s almost like looking at a Ferrari that doesn’t have wax, sitting next to one that doesn’t have wax. My critique Terrence, for what it’s worth, is work on the color,” explained Shawn Ray.
“Having that waist being the focal point of Classic Physique, you cannot let up, you cannot relax. You have to breathe through your chest and through your nose and when you relax, we can see it.”
“That art of illusion is a lost art on some people, you’ve honed in on it, it’s working for you. Bumstead is 6″1′ 200-something pounds, you’re in your own little thing. It’s going to come down to if the judges want this or the judges want that. When you start changing this, you’ll never catch that. On one given day, if he misses his peak, you can step in.”
“He will [compromise his lines if he gains 10 pounds of muscle]. He cannot do it. He’s too short. Mohammed Benaziza tried that and it didn’t work, it backfired. But when he was close to his lightest weight, he was up there beating Dorian Yates. These little guys can’t put 10 more pounds on and expect to have the same lines.”
Ruffin Discusses Classic Physique Weight Cap Impact
“With them raising the weight cap… I think it could actually hurt a lot of guys. I think the reason we saw so many Classic Physique guys consistently in shape is because they had to suck down to make that weight. Some guys, even at this show, they got that increase in weight and they thought let me just come in at the top of the weight limit and not come in shredded, and I think it hurt a lot of people,” Ruffin explained.
“I knew what the issue was [at 2022 Olympia] and I knew I could fix it. I knew how to fix it. It definitely sucks. Obviously. I’m not one to dwell on bad things, I’m the one that once something bad happens I like to move forward and try to fix it as quickly as I can. This is the start of me fixing it,” Ruffin shared.
Watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
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