In a return to normalcy after I decided to bore you all last week with “science” and all that nonsense, it occurred to me I never gave my predictions for the classic physique category at next week’s Arnold Classic Ohio. The classic division is quickly becoming one of the most exciting in the bodybuilding world right now, and there are a number of young, hungry competitors coming up through the ranks hungry to displace the old royalty at the top of the pecking order. The current lineup is as follows:
● Breon Ansley
● Urs Kalecinski
● Michael Daboul
● Peter Molnar
● Terrence Ruffin
● Ramon Rocha Queiroz
● Darwin Uribe
● Lenny Wicks
● Divine Wilson
5th: Peter Molnar
An older competitor, it’s a real shame Molnar wasted most of his prime years outside of the IFFB Pro League. Molnar is now 39, and his physique is not quite what it once was in terms of size.
However, the beauty of the classic physique division is size is not the only thing that wins the prize. He has a beautiful V-taper with very low lat insertions that give him a very classic look, and given his veteran status I have no doubt he will bring crisp conditioning. Where I think Peter may struggle is in the lower body. As is typical in older competitors, his legs have begun to wane, leaving his physique wanting just a tad in comparison to the top competitors in the division. Still, with a physique close to 20 years in the making, Molnar has more than enough to crack the top 5.
4th: Ramon Rocha Queiroz
Ramon is one of the up-and-comers I was alluding to in my introduction. At just 26 years of age, he is very much still developing as a pro, and yet has a physique to rival the very best. He placed 5th at this year’s Classic Physique Olympia, and will be looking to build on that placing at the Arnold. Ramon’s big strength is his arms. They’re quite simply massive, and the separation between the bicep and tricep is immaculate. However, he needs to make his look more complete. His back is lacking in comparison to guys like Chris Bumstead and Breon Ansley, and his legs look small in comparison to his arms, especially from the front. Granted, he has made improvements since the O; his quads and back both look heavily improved. Still, I don’t think he’ll have enough to jump the next name on this list.
3rd: Urs Kalecinski
Urs has been very quiet since taking 4th place at the 2021 Classic Physique Olympia. There, he was compared to a smaller Chris Bumstead which, given that Chris is arguably the GOAT of that
division, is a big deal. But then, in a Dorian Yates-esk move, he went dark and has only recently shown the world his improved physique. The balance we loved at the O is still there, but with much more size. Urs has one of the most classic-looking physiques you’ll find anywhere these days. His quad sweep is impressive, he has low lat insertions that make his V-taper look crazy, and he has the chest size to match the standard Arnold set so many years ago. The only issue is his arms, which do lack in size significantly compared to Ramon. Still, overall, he ought to end up at least 3rd.
2nd: Breon Ansley
Breon is still knocking around the top of the division, but solely on experience at this point I think. He too is an older guy, in his 40s, and so has begun to slip. But, what age does bring is muscle maturity. The amount of detail Breon’s physique brings is arguably unrivaled in the classic physique division. This is what keeps him competitive, combined with his conditioning. Breon does not have a massively classic look; he doesn’t have a V-taper to rival Urs or the man who tops my list. But he brings a grainy look that the aforementioned Dorian Yates would be proud of, and that will once again be enough to get him past the younger Ramon and Urs.
1st: Terrence Ruffin
AKA Ruff Diesel, Terrence is a regular fixture at the summit of top shows. He has now placed second two years in a row at the O, and won the Arnold last time out. And this year, he is looking quite frankly scary. His prep is clearly going more according to plan than his last Arnold appearance, during which he looked as though he would be coming in off up until right before showtime. This year, however, we may be looking at the best physique Terrence has ever brought to the stage. The balance in his physique is something to behold, not to mention the conditioning he is on track to bring. The cuts in his quads, hamstrings, and arms were already at show level weeks ahead of time. And of course, his structure us arguably second best only to the champ, a certain Mr. Bumstead, in the entire division. Terrence will certainly win the O one day, and even more certainly walk the Arnold once again in 2022.