Carlos Thomas Jr. is one of the most promising contenders to emerge in the Men’s Open and has ambitious plans next year. In a recent YouTube video shared on December 6, 2024, he revealed that he intends to compete at the 2025 Arnold Classic if his application gets approved. In addition, he set his sights on the Detroit Pro and laid out how his training has changed since last stepping on stage.
Carlos Thomas Jr. earned his IFBB Pro card in 2021 but faced setbacks due to his struggles with colitis, which caused him to cancel his plans to compete at the 2023 New York Pro. However, just a few months later, he returned to the stage at the Texas Pro show, where he left a lasting impression after securing a third-place finish behind Hunter Labrada and Andrew Jacked during his pro debut.
While mostly flying under the radar, Carlos Thomas Jr. has been quietly perfecting his already lethal physique. Boasting massive legs and striking proportions, he has proved himself to be a formidable opponent in the Men’s Open, and now his sights are set on the 2025 bodybuilding season.
Carlos Thomas Jr. Lays Out Expectations for 2025 Bodybuilding Season, Makes Plans for Arnold Classic and Detroit Pro
Carlos Thomas Jr. revealed he’s already applied to compete at the 2025 Arnold Classic but is awaiting an answer from the organization.
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“The Arnold Classic will be a dream to do and compete in. I did throw my hat in the ring for it just to see what’s going on. We’re standing at December 6, so hopefully, they make the announcement very soon. I want to know if we were able to get in.”
He admits the Detroit Pro will be his ‘main show’ in 2025 but feels he can do some damage in Columbus, Ohio if he gets the invitation.
“I did start my prep around just the time for the Arnold Classic, about 20 weeks out, 24 weeks out from the Detroit Pro. The Detroit Pro is the show you guys know, it set the world on fire last year with the production and just the respect to Open Bodybuilding.”
“I’m excited I wanted to do it, so yeah, that’s my main show, and if god willing we get into the Arnold Classic, then we’ll do some damage there.”
“If not, Detroit is right at the end of the month and we’ll fall right into that, it just gives me more time,” says Thomas Jr. “
Carlos Thomas Jr. has scaled back his leg training due to fatigue, and is now operating by Lee Haney‘s famous mantra: ‘Stimulate, don’t annihilate.’
“I was insane with my leg training to the point where it would take away from my recovery from other body parts. So I still train legs heavy, but I train to the point where it’s just enough. That Lee Haney saying, stimulate, don’t annihilate.”
“I got the muscle there, so the key is just to keep it there, keep the shape, keep the density, keep the lines, and let everything else fill up,” he shared. “I’m actually focusing on a lot more glute and hamstring right now.”
Should he earn his qualification for Mr. Olympia in 2025, Thomas Jr. would like to do a ‘run of shows,’ expressing interest in FIBO and the Pittsburgh Pro.
“Even FIBO is bringing back Open I heard and that’s in April so that would fall right into the Detroit Pro. So that was on my mind actually. I would like to do that.
They are bringing it back so to be a part of the resurgence of Open Bodybuilding at FIBO would be really cool. Like you said, that rolls right into Pittsburgh and New York, and all those shows. Yeah man, I really want to be able to do a run of shows. I think it’s cool you see guys like Samson doing it.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announcement of a $500,000 cash prize for the 2025 Arnold Classic winner raises the stakes to new heights, but the competition has only grown tougher with each passing year. Last year’s event saw a showdown between the former Olympia titleholder Hadi Choopan and the now Mr. Olympia champion Samson Dauda.
It was a hard-fought battle that ended with Choopan claiming the victory, and this year is all but guaranteed to see sparks fly when the best of the best take to the stage. Carlos Thomas Jr.’s ascent to the top will be no easy feat if he does end up competing this March. However, fans look forward to seeing how Thomas Jr. has progressed since his last time on stage.
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