Ali Bilal wasn’t happy with how the 2025 Arnold Classic unfolded despite picking up the big win. On March 10, 2025, he responded to Arnold Schwarzenegger calling the division bogus and revealed that he will never compete in an Arnold Classic again.
For years, Schwarzenegger has called out the Men’s Physique category for their board shorts. He believes it hides the lower body and prevents fans from seeing leg definition. During the event’s live stream, Schwarzenegger went as far as to label the division bogus for this reason.
As a result of Schwarzenegger’s controversial opinion, the Men’s Physique bodybuilding community has spoken up. Bilal, who took second place at the 2024 Olympia to Ryan Terry, captained the movement, calling attention to why Schwarzenegger’s comments weren’t just unfair but also disrespectful.
Ali Bilal Protests Future Arnold Classic Events After Arnold Schwarzenegger Calls Men’s Physique ‘Bogus’
In a recent Instagram post, Ali Bilal aired his dissatisfaction with Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s comments about the Men’s Physique class.
“This was my last Arnold Classic. I will never do a show again, where i don’t feel welcome or valued. I have worked so hard to reach my physique & it does not feel right to compete at a show where Arnold himself makes fun of the Men’s physique division, calling it “bogus”.”
He argued that if Schwarzenegger wanted to see leg definition, he should have invited the Men’s 212 Bodybuilding category instead of Men’s Physique to his event.
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“If they really wanted to see legs, they should have invited the division 212 instead of Men’s physique. I wasn’t even planning to do the show in the first place, but the team reached out to me asking me to compete. In return we get disrespected for 25000$”
“I felt like I needed to come out and highlight this, since I won the show & no one else would speak their mind.”
He added that Schwarzenegger’s comments took some of the satisfaction away from his victory.
“It gave me a bit of mixed feelings this show because everything I see on social media, everything I see that’s going on, Arnold saying on show day that Men’s Physique was a stupid division and he don’t know why IFBB created it. It just killed the whole happy vibes for me,” shared Bilal.
In addition, Bilal took issue with the $10,000 prize money considering the Open winner received $500,000 and Classic Physique raked in $60,000.
“I’ve decided this was my last ever Arnold Classic. I’m not going to do a show where my division, I get treated with disrespect. I don’t think it’s fair the Open division gets $500,000, Classic gets $60K, and Men’s Physique division only gets $10,000.”
Bilal wasn’t the only Men’s Physique competitor feeling disrespected. Erin Banks also spoke up on the matter.
“But it’s time to stop the disrespect just because we chose a division that prioritizes aesthetics, health, and looking damn good on the beach. Men’s Physique is bodybuilding,” he shared.
With Men’s Physique serving as one of the most popular divisions for newcomers in the IFBB Pro League, athletes believe they deserve more respect for their contributions to the sport. What do you make of Schwarzenegger’s ‘bogus’ comments? Agree or disagree?
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