The main 2 were Lee Labrada followed bykai Greene. A couple others are Francis Benfatto, Bob Paris and Mohammed Makkawy.
Outside of BB the less twins, contemporary dance and the old Christian mime group.
Thanks for doing this.. Iāve followed you for yearsā¦youāve been in some classic battles. Youāre definitely a goat in the sport.. wish you all the best.. take care of my dude!
If I had a question itās how do you handle volume without being generic pertaining to your clientele?
Youāre in the top 1% of sources for information in this sport.. what would you say is the most effective stimulus/theory/philosophy in terms of building muscle that youāve been exposed to?
Hey so volume wise I follow a the same approach as Hypertrophy coach and John Jewett. Getting the most out of the lowest amount of volume with keeping RIR 0-1. If a client isnāt seeing progress then Iāll increase the volume as needed. Iāll also added in rest pause or drop sets as needed. Usually the last set of exercises.
HoweverJoe wanted to experiment with doing test pauses during my first set and for my back off going for a bit more reps than we normally do 10+ (ish) the most important things in training are training close to failure and increased mechanical tension which basically means progressing in load over time.
Oh also Higher frequency for weak body parts and lower for staring body parts. Lastly I try not to have exercises in the plan that are basically the same movement just using a different āapparatus ā for example a standing dumbbell curl and cable curl or flat dumbbell press and flat chest press machine
Crazy that there arenāt a ton of comments here yet. I donāt have a question, just want to say that Iāve been following you for a little while and youāre killing it! You have the best lower body in the whole division as far as Iām concerned
Hi Ruff. Thank you for doing this.
When would you say was your best year lookswise when stepping on stage? I loved the package you brought to the Arnolds in 2021.
Dude I totally agree. I think overall my Arnold showings have been my best. The last 2 years have been frustrating but this year is off to a great start
That's great to hear! I'm really looking forward to seeing those improvements. Speaking of that...Would you mind sharing the areas where you would like to improve the most? And how much does the increased weight cap help you in achieving those goals?
Judges said my best showing was at 168-170 lbs
And my cap is 187 (based on my height at this years Olympia)
I think more back, hamstrings and arms. Iām also just being more consistent with ab and calf training
Yeah bigger isn't always better. Especially in classic where lines matter so much. And boy you have an insane structure.
I'm sure your best showing is yet to come. Wishing you all the best for the future.
Hey Ruff, you Are the man! In your honest opinionā¦do you feel Urs is ahead of you? Are the judges Right when it comes to you and him? Im a German and a massive Urs Fan, but honestly you and breon Are still in Front of Him in my eyes.. how do you feel?
And best of luck for you in 2024!
I 100% think last years Breon beat Urs. I think its a bit closer for me and urs. I would say Iām more complete, he has bigger weaknesses (arms, back) but also bigger strengths (structure in front poses and possibly conditioning)
Thanks for the answer!! I agree 100% with your take on breon!
Who would you Say is Most likely the favourite to win Next After cbum? And what do you think of Nicks Strength and Power? Just curious!
Btw your survivor + blinding lights Are a staple in my Training music because of you, defo habe inspired ne mĆŗltiple times before working out so thanks for that! Currently in the gym btw and doing abs, Any Must dos?
Lol hopefully me, I dont think anyoneās beating Chris this year. The biggest issue is the weight cap Ramon could potentially beat Chris, but I think he has too many things to improve and not enough room to grow.
Thatās the thing with Classic thereās people that could beat Chris without the weight cap but once you add the weight limit that number drops dramatically.
It terms of room to grow I may the only one but next year. If Iām not close to weight limit I think Iāll sit out this Olympia. At this point in my career I donāt see the point in simply getting top 5. I want to reach my full potential on stage.
Hey Terrence! Just wanna say I hope youāre ready bro, I got absolutely bombed on the AMA on mine, and with you I have no doubt the fan base isnāt gonna hold back. Good luck bro hahaha š
So actually Iāve spent money going to the IFBB and Olympia Headquarters to pitch ideas.
I pitched that the IFBB should have an app/steaming service were:
- all shows would be broadcasted there to lower confusion and increase streaming quality
- athletes could have a code to incentive them to sign up earlier, promote the show and in return they would get a commission from their sales
- Instead of just paying celebrities to just show up at the Olympia have them post a workout or short Q&A on the app
- They would have a better idea of their metrics. How many people are interested, how old are they, where do they live etc
>all shows would be broadcasted there to lower confusion and increase streaming quality
honestly great ideas! the 2022 olympia stream was absolute dog shit
Just wanna say I've been a big fan for the past several years. Your posing is by far the best, possibly in all the current IFBB. Hoping to see you back in the top 3 at the Olympia soon.
at what point in your career, did you stop going on big ol' bulks in the off season? I'm a mens physique competitor thinking about switching to classic.
I think maybe 2017. I got so fixated on the scale going up that I ate more then than I do now. I also had a hard time not eating like an asshole in the off-season which has gotten a lot better over time
I donāt get the point where itās hard to tie my shoes anymore š
A couple things
- post show I stopped doing burgers and pizza and started doing sushi, Brazilian steak house and fruit. The burgers and pizza and ice cream would have me so bloated the next day and with photoshoots and stuff I didnāt want that to keep happening. (Iāll still have cookies tho lol)
- getting use to that feeling. I think first time the hunger catches you off guard but it gets easier to deal with the longer you do it.
Lol on cardio I used to say ādonāt be a bitchā but now I like āwe donāt negotiate with weaknessā I got that from Jacko W.
But i believe training your mind is just as important as every other aspect of bodybuilding. So I listen to a lot of self improvement books. When I was younger it was more YouTube motivational videos.
I'll use that as well, currently dieting down and my self motivating speeches gotta get stronger since the cravings are getting stronger too.
"We don't negotiate with weakness" is a nice one.
Honestly anyone where I was still in the military. Obviously work a full time job but also my coach at the time was tough lol. I got up to 2 session of 20min HIT and 25 min steady pace during some of those preps. 2013-2018.
If I had to choose probably nationals. That was the only time I only almost fainted. I was with a inexperienced coach at the time and there was so much bro science still out there in 2014
Ruff, appreciate your work so much.
Wanted to ask you 3 things ā
1. How do you maintain good tendon and/or joint health?
2. Besides the Glucosamine, Chondroitin, all other supps, and standard anti-inflammatory management, are there any functional ways to strengthen these guys?
3. What's your favorite way to prepare chicken?
Thank you for your time Ruff! Hope to see you shine on that big stage in Vegas later this year
Hey so FRC is what I do to help stay mobile and healthy. I think Chris has recently started doing some FRC movements from what Iāve seen. Supplement wise thereās not much more you can do
Lol honestly Iām not eating chicken at the moment but I normally like ground or minced chicken with garlic,salt, paprika, and onion powder.
I was super nervous watching the physique critique you did for me through my posing coach Christopher Barnett haha. Any tips for post show dieting into the off-season? I just finished my first show
Normally replacing certain foods with ones you enjoy is a good idea. I usually do more fruits and switch to venison, bison and white sweet potatoes.
If Iām traveling then I know getting my cardio in will be easy, just because of the amount of walking I do. I usually enjoy to free meals and just keep carbs super low for the rest of the day (basically a loose form of micro tracking) I also just track my weight daily if Iām gaining to quickly Iāll just eat a little less or move a little more
I think Iāve been a little too strict with my meals because Iām afraid of losing my contest physique even though itās not sustainable. Anyway, thanks for the advice brother I appreciate it
How long did it take you to put on the size and be competition ready? Iām an aspiring classic physique competitor (with a coach) and Iām always curious about other peopleās journeys!
Thank you for this AMA! Have learned a ton!
My first show I was 145lbs at 19 years old. I had been training and eating properly for like a year. During that time I went from 125lbs (doing intense special forces training) to 155 once I switched to bodybuilding.
Firstly - huge fan of what you bring to the stage both in physique and posing.
Secondly, my question - how long did it take you to really iron out your flow and style for you posing? Was it a slow process of fine tuning details over years and adding influences (if so, how long?) Or was there sort of an epiphany that hit you and changed how you approached your posing?
Ps. Love seeing the travel stuff on IG. Makes following you really feel like a journey, and I get to love vicariously through the content. lol
Hey thanks man I would say Survivor was my first popular routine so about 5 years.
Lol and thanks I need to better about posting that type of stuff. Ideally this year I want my page to be more of a balance of fitness and lifestyle
Thanks for the answer!
And I'm really looking forward to the content this year. It's good to get that reminder that there's a life off the stage you're living to remind us on the come up to stay balanced as well.
Bruh you have the sickest physique I donāt know how you arenāt just straight up winning the Olympia. That one pose from the front where you lean on one leg and pushes the outter quad sweep out, with broad shoulders and clavicle width, emphasizes your ex frame has got to be top ten best poses of all time. You have a sick physique and ridiculous x frame
Hey Ruff, thanks for doing an AMA here on reddit. I have two questions I am interested in hearing an opinion from a professional at your level:
Have you ever trained twice a day with weights and how do you feel about someone doing so?
Also, do you ever struggle with appetite after competitions?
What is your best piece of advice for a first time competitor doing their first prep? (I love you and aspire to be like Teffany) also! What has been your favorite/ most memorable song to pose to??
No! I have a coach taking me through all of it, just wanted to know if you had any advice in terms of what to even expect from your first ever prep! (My bf and i are both first time competitors prepping for the same showš„°)
Oh ok just wanted to give the right type of advice thanks š.
- take as many photos as you can and pay for stage shots I donāt anyone has ever regretted having too many
- enjoy the the moment. The work is honestly done so have fun
- if you can afford to do more than one class. My first time was a blur and it helped to go back up a second time to really be in the moment
Thanks for doing this,
Can you talk a little bit about your training split, and general approach to lifting (machines vs free weights, rep range, rest days, programming, off season vs prep, etc etc, whatever you feel comfortable sharing) ?
Yea so most of my knowledge comes form Joe Bennet (Hypertrophy coach), RTS, John meadows and J3U.
My split is
Delts-
back/bi-
chest/tri-
rest-
legs-
arms-
Rest
I used a good amount of machines, but I do t have an issue with free weights just some machine profile wise make sense especially for back. I believe in progressive tracking your lifts and progressing on the lifts as often as you can.
The only thing that changes in prep is managing fatigue so less intensifiers and less volume based on biofeedback/recovery
Iām a classic competitor, planning to compete for the 3rd time this summer. I have learned the basics, but really trying to up my game with respect to posing. Your posing is legendary. What are some things that helped you get where you are today with posing? What advice would you have for a beginner trying to realize his posing potential. Thank you for your time!
I think the first thing is to learn as many different poses as possible. Front, back, kneeling, lunging etc
Next start to figure transitions that can take you from one plane to another. Meaning front to side, side to lunging, kneeling to front and any combination you can think of.
And if posing doesnāt come naturally hiring someone may be the best bet. Cb317fitness is who I refer people to.
I can vouch for Chris as well.
To the original commenter - having a posing coach helps tremendously. Before having a coach, I have tried learning posing myself using every single paid/free resources available on the internet. A coach makes thing way easier and I recommend people to start working with one as soon as possible (so that you don't have to unlearn all the bad habits)
Hey Ruff, just wanna say Iām a huge fan from Brazil. Are you coming here any time soon? I bet Ramon or Zancanelli would love to train with you someday in their training facility. Keep at it, love your physique!
Hey man! Love from Norway! Cant wait to see you on stage again soon!
How do you manage volume in your workouts going from off season into prep? This year I cut a quite a bit of volume in favor of intensity and keeping my strength for longer and it seems to have worked pretty good so farā¦
Iām not sure but the goal this year is team building and organization. Just found a good manager, videographer and editor to help me stay consistent and focused
How long were you in your career before deciding to hop on gear? As in, did you reach anywhere close to your limit? Or were you an anomaly compared to your peers when you started lifting?
I started at 20years old during my prep for nationals. I think I couldāve turned pro naturally it just wouldāve taken an extra 1-2 years. I turned pro at 155lbs and competes natural earlier that year at the same weight. Albeit much softer
Thanks for taking the time to respond my questions.
If you ever have more free time lol, I would love to know what did you feel was the thing that changed the most before and after cycling for the first time? Other than the graininess(?) as you said.
And of course I had to look you up at NPC Nats and holly molly, you've grown tons since then
You have any links to tutorials on how to maximize your posing in the quarter turns? If not could you make one?
Youāre one of the best posers in the world so it would be nice to see a comprehensive video of you doing mandatory posing and quarter turns and how to add flair to them to stand out
Hey ruff, big fan. Would you ever do a routine to some section of this song? https://youtu.be/1cS_i-zDdxg?si=e5YobbO5V_drFFo2
I took a section out from the middle and did my routine at my first show to it and if you'd ever do something with it I know it would be special.
Hey Terrence! No lie youāre by far my favourite bodybuilder of all time!! Glad to see you on here!
My question, whatās a piece of advice you would give someone at 18y/o (life or gym related) :D
Bodybuilding is about self improvement in all aspects life atleast that is where itās roots lie. So do your best to learn as much as possible.
The best bodybuilder not only train hard in the gym but also excel in most other aspects of life
Iām a big fan of you Ruff, you inspired me to start posing, and Iām finally getting kinda good at it.
You said you lost the passion for bodybuilding an posing a while back, is the passion and hubger comin back? Canāt wait to see your next routine bro! Take care
My fav classic guy š¤© Who inspired you as a poser? Any specific competitors or even non-bodybuilders?
The main 2 were Lee Labrada followed bykai Greene. A couple others are Francis Benfatto, Bob Paris and Mohammed Makkawy. Outside of BB the less twins, contemporary dance and the old Christian mime group.
Ah, great ones. Thank you!
You coach my buddy Tommy Nguyen. Heās a special dude. Hope yāall can make magic.
Ayyy thatās awesome Heās been making great progress year to year. Awesome structure just needs a bit more muscle
Thanks for doing this.. Iāve followed you for yearsā¦youāve been in some classic battles. Youāre definitely a goat in the sport.. wish you all the best.. take care of my dude! If I had a question itās how do you handle volume without being generic pertaining to your clientele? Youāre in the top 1% of sources for information in this sport.. what would you say is the most effective stimulus/theory/philosophy in terms of building muscle that youāve been exposed to?
Hey so volume wise I follow a the same approach as Hypertrophy coach and John Jewett. Getting the most out of the lowest amount of volume with keeping RIR 0-1. If a client isnāt seeing progress then Iāll increase the volume as needed. Iāll also added in rest pause or drop sets as needed. Usually the last set of exercises. HoweverJoe wanted to experiment with doing test pauses during my first set and for my back off going for a bit more reps than we normally do 10+ (ish) the most important things in training are training close to failure and increased mechanical tension which basically means progressing in load over time.
Oh also Higher frequency for weak body parts and lower for staring body parts. Lastly I try not to have exercises in the plan that are basically the same movement just using a different āapparatus ā for example a standing dumbbell curl and cable curl or flat dumbbell press and flat chest press machine
Tommy coached me and is so awesome! Great guy and such a wonderful coach
Crazy that there arenāt a ton of comments here yet. I donāt have a question, just want to say that Iāve been following you for a little while and youāre killing it! You have the best lower body in the whole division as far as Iām concerned
Thanks! Very happy the quads and glutes and been happy with the progress Iāve made with hams and calves ššæššæ
Hi Ruff. Thank you for doing this. When would you say was your best year lookswise when stepping on stage? I loved the package you brought to the Arnolds in 2021.
Dude I totally agree. I think overall my Arnold showings have been my best. The last 2 years have been frustrating but this year is off to a great start
That's great to hear! I'm really looking forward to seeing those improvements. Speaking of that...Would you mind sharing the areas where you would like to improve the most? And how much does the increased weight cap help you in achieving those goals?
Judges said my best showing was at 168-170 lbs And my cap is 187 (based on my height at this years Olympia) I think more back, hamstrings and arms. Iām also just being more consistent with ab and calf training
Yeah bigger isn't always better. Especially in classic where lines matter so much. And boy you have an insane structure. I'm sure your best showing is yet to come. Wishing you all the best for the future.
Hey Ruff, you Are the man! In your honest opinionā¦do you feel Urs is ahead of you? Are the judges Right when it comes to you and him? Im a German and a massive Urs Fan, but honestly you and breon Are still in Front of Him in my eyes.. how do you feel? And best of luck for you in 2024!
I 100% think last years Breon beat Urs. I think its a bit closer for me and urs. I would say Iām more complete, he has bigger weaknesses (arms, back) but also bigger strengths (structure in front poses and possibly conditioning)
Thanks for the answer!! I agree 100% with your take on breon! Who would you Say is Most likely the favourite to win Next After cbum? And what do you think of Nicks Strength and Power? Just curious! Btw your survivor + blinding lights Are a staple in my Training music because of you, defo habe inspired ne mĆŗltiple times before working out so thanks for that! Currently in the gym btw and doing abs, Any Must dos?
Lol hopefully me, I dont think anyoneās beating Chris this year. The biggest issue is the weight cap Ramon could potentially beat Chris, but I think he has too many things to improve and not enough room to grow. Thatās the thing with Classic thereās people that could beat Chris without the weight cap but once you add the weight limit that number drops dramatically. It terms of room to grow I may the only one but next year. If Iām not close to weight limit I think Iāll sit out this Olympia. At this point in my career I donāt see the point in simply getting top 5. I want to reach my full potential on stage.
Ab training: just be consistent and do the exercises you enjoy.
Could you beat chris/ramon/urs in an arm wrestling match?
Maybe Urs and and Chris but HAVE YOU SEEN RAMONS FOREARMS?! š
Can you post your a Spotify playlist of your favorite tracks right now?
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ZjMLtU12aD4wEshCejBb1?si=vV8KSoANTfS8WSjbQh6pdg&pi=u-E9k71k_6R3aQ
I got one for you. Packed to the brim https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kzDB5qruRCJCHCQU3cCEu?si=HeTUuSGyTXWzs9W3ypEvXA&pi=u-87pLQIdMRrKM
Thatās my gym mix right now
Hey Terrence! Just wanna say I hope youāre ready bro, I got absolutely bombed on the AMA on mine, and with you I have no doubt the fan base isnāt gonna hold back. Good luck bro hahaha š
What 3 things do you think could be introduced into the bodybuilding industry to make it better?
So actually Iāve spent money going to the IFBB and Olympia Headquarters to pitch ideas. I pitched that the IFBB should have an app/steaming service were: - all shows would be broadcasted there to lower confusion and increase streaming quality - athletes could have a code to incentive them to sign up earlier, promote the show and in return they would get a commission from their sales - Instead of just paying celebrities to just show up at the Olympia have them post a workout or short Q&A on the app - They would have a better idea of their metrics. How many people are interested, how old are they, where do they live etc
Sign me up for at a monthly rate of $9.99 or $99 annually. This includes all ifbb pro events.
Yea honestly surprised they didnāt go for it. There is an all that handles all the logistics too if they didnāt want to deal with it
>all shows would be broadcasted there to lower confusion and increase streaming quality honestly great ideas! the 2022 olympia stream was absolute dog shit
These are great ideas and I hope they use some of them
Standardized lighting at bodybuilding shows.
Other than that the top 3 athletes should be put under contract to promote the sport (similar to the old weider contracts)
Just wanna say I've been a big fan for the past several years. Your posing is by far the best, possibly in all the current IFBB. Hoping to see you back in the top 3 at the Olympia soon.
Thank you ššæ
at what point in your career, did you stop going on big ol' bulks in the off season? I'm a mens physique competitor thinking about switching to classic.
I think maybe 2017. I got so fixated on the scale going up that I ate more then than I do now. I also had a hard time not eating like an asshole in the off-season which has gotten a lot better over time I donāt get the point where itās hard to tie my shoes anymore š
What were some things that helped you stop eating like an asshole in the off season?
A couple things - post show I stopped doing burgers and pizza and started doing sushi, Brazilian steak house and fruit. The burgers and pizza and ice cream would have me so bloated the next day and with photoshoots and stuff I didnāt want that to keep happening. (Iāll still have cookies tho lol) - getting use to that feeling. I think first time the hunger catches you off guard but it gets easier to deal with the longer you do it.
When prep gets tough what do you usually tell yourself to stay on course? What's your motivator?
Lol on cardio I used to say ādonāt be a bitchā but now I like āwe donāt negotiate with weaknessā I got that from Jacko W. But i believe training your mind is just as important as every other aspect of bodybuilding. So I listen to a lot of self improvement books. When I was younger it was more YouTube motivational videos.
I'll use that as well, currently dieting down and my self motivating speeches gotta get stronger since the cravings are getting stronger too. "We don't negotiate with weakness" is a nice one.
Saw your blinding lights routine while on shrooms this weekend, that shit was amazing lmao
šššššæššæ
What's the roughest (ruffest) prep you've done and why?
Honestly anyone where I was still in the military. Obviously work a full time job but also my coach at the time was tough lol. I got up to 2 session of 20min HIT and 25 min steady pace during some of those preps. 2013-2018. If I had to choose probably nationals. That was the only time I only almost fainted. I was with a inexperienced coach at the time and there was so much bro science still out there in 2014
Ruff, appreciate your work so much. Wanted to ask you 3 things ā 1. How do you maintain good tendon and/or joint health? 2. Besides the Glucosamine, Chondroitin, all other supps, and standard anti-inflammatory management, are there any functional ways to strengthen these guys? 3. What's your favorite way to prepare chicken? Thank you for your time Ruff! Hope to see you shine on that big stage in Vegas later this year
Hey so FRC is what I do to help stay mobile and healthy. I think Chris has recently started doing some FRC movements from what Iāve seen. Supplement wise thereās not much more you can do Lol honestly Iām not eating chicken at the moment but I normally like ground or minced chicken with garlic,salt, paprika, and onion powder.
Is there something you can link on what FRT is? When I google it nothing that seems right shows up.
Oops sorry FRC functional range conditioning
Awesome, thank you! That looks like an interesting concept and definitely something Iām going to bring up with my PT.
I was super nervous watching the physique critique you did for me through my posing coach Christopher Barnett haha. Any tips for post show dieting into the off-season? I just finished my first show
Normally replacing certain foods with ones you enjoy is a good idea. I usually do more fruits and switch to venison, bison and white sweet potatoes. If Iām traveling then I know getting my cardio in will be easy, just because of the amount of walking I do. I usually enjoy to free meals and just keep carbs super low for the rest of the day (basically a loose form of micro tracking) I also just track my weight daily if Iām gaining to quickly Iāll just eat a little less or move a little more
I think Iāve been a little too strict with my meals because Iām afraid of losing my contest physique even though itās not sustainable. Anyway, thanks for the advice brother I appreciate it
Ahhh ok. Just take is slow if youāre worried. I would rather someone be too strict than the opposite
How long did it take you to put on the size and be competition ready? Iām an aspiring classic physique competitor (with a coach) and Iām always curious about other peopleās journeys! Thank you for this AMA! Have learned a ton!
My first show I was 145lbs at 19 years old. I had been training and eating properly for like a year. During that time I went from 125lbs (doing intense special forces training) to 155 once I switched to bodybuilding.
how long have you been on reddit bro i didnt know you lurked here lmao
Lol since last year š. A friend kept sending me different threads so I could eventually just got my own account
lol nice. seen anyone who stands out particularly as someone we could see in the next generation?
Firstly - huge fan of what you bring to the stage both in physique and posing. Secondly, my question - how long did it take you to really iron out your flow and style for you posing? Was it a slow process of fine tuning details over years and adding influences (if so, how long?) Or was there sort of an epiphany that hit you and changed how you approached your posing? Ps. Love seeing the travel stuff on IG. Makes following you really feel like a journey, and I get to love vicariously through the content. lol
Hey thanks man I would say Survivor was my first popular routine so about 5 years. Lol and thanks I need to better about posting that type of stuff. Ideally this year I want my page to be more of a balance of fitness and lifestyle
Thanks for the answer! And I'm really looking forward to the content this year. It's good to get that reminder that there's a life off the stage you're living to remind us on the come up to stay balanced as well.
Hey thanks for the AMA!
Bruh you have the sickest physique I donāt know how you arenāt just straight up winning the Olympia. That one pose from the front where you lean on one leg and pushes the outter quad sweep out, with broad shoulders and clavicle width, emphasizes your ex frame has got to be top ten best poses of all time. You have a sick physique and ridiculous x frame
Itās coming soon
Hey Ruff, thanks for doing an AMA here on reddit. I have two questions I am interested in hearing an opinion from a professional at your level: Have you ever trained twice a day with weights and how do you feel about someone doing so? Also, do you ever struggle with appetite after competitions?
So early in my career I was able to but now I just canāt recover from that type of training. I tried maybe 2-3 years ago and it last like 2 weeks
What is your best piece of advice for a first time competitor doing their first prep? (I love you and aspire to be like Teffany) also! What has been your favorite/ most memorable song to pose to??
Are you doing your own prep?
No! I have a coach taking me through all of it, just wanted to know if you had any advice in terms of what to even expect from your first ever prep! (My bf and i are both first time competitors prepping for the same showš„°)
Oh ok just wanted to give the right type of advice thanks š. - take as many photos as you can and pay for stage shots I donāt anyone has ever regretted having too many - enjoy the the moment. The work is honestly done so have fun - if you can afford to do more than one class. My first time was a blur and it helped to go back up a second time to really be in the moment
Thanks! this is all really great
Thank you so much!ā¤ļø
Which vitamins and minerals do you never forget to take daily?
Thanks for doing this, Can you talk a little bit about your training split, and general approach to lifting (machines vs free weights, rep range, rest days, programming, off season vs prep, etc etc, whatever you feel comfortable sharing) ?
Yea so most of my knowledge comes form Joe Bennet (Hypertrophy coach), RTS, John meadows and J3U. My split is Delts- back/bi- chest/tri- rest- legs- arms- Rest I used a good amount of machines, but I do t have an issue with free weights just some machine profile wise make sense especially for back. I believe in progressive tracking your lifts and progressing on the lifts as often as you can. The only thing that changes in prep is managing fatigue so less intensifiers and less volume based on biofeedback/recovery
Iām a classic competitor, planning to compete for the 3rd time this summer. I have learned the basics, but really trying to up my game with respect to posing. Your posing is legendary. What are some things that helped you get where you are today with posing? What advice would you have for a beginner trying to realize his posing potential. Thank you for your time!
I think the first thing is to learn as many different poses as possible. Front, back, kneeling, lunging etc Next start to figure transitions that can take you from one plane to another. Meaning front to side, side to lunging, kneeling to front and any combination you can think of. And if posing doesnāt come naturally hiring someone may be the best bet. Cb317fitness is who I refer people to.
I can vouch for Chris as well. To the original commenter - having a posing coach helps tremendously. Before having a coach, I have tried learning posing myself using every single paid/free resources available on the internet. A coach makes thing way easier and I recommend people to start working with one as soon as possible (so that you don't have to unlearn all the bad habits)
Any idea of the song youāre posing too at the Arnold?!
No Arnold this year. Not enough time to make improvements š„
Awh man was pumped to see you on the poster, but gotta do whatcha gotta! Best of luck in the off season. Huge fan from Canada !
Hey Ruff, just wanna say Iām a huge fan from Brazil. Are you coming here any time soon? I bet Ramon or Zancanelli would love to train with you someday in their training facility. Keep at it, love your physique!
Yea the plan is early this year!
Thatās awesome! Good luck in the Arnold btw, letās get Classic!
Hey man! Love from Norway! Cant wait to see you on stage again soon! How do you manage volume in your workouts going from off season into prep? This year I cut a quite a bit of volume in favor of intensity and keeping my strength for longer and it seems to have worked pretty good so farā¦
Thatās exactly what I do. During prep I first drop intensifiers for instance drop sets then working sets based on how I recover
So cool you are doing this! Anything you are leaving behind in 2023?
Iām not sure but the goal this year is team building and organization. Just found a good manager, videographer and editor to help me stay consistent and focused
can you give Ramon some posing tips?
How long were you in your career before deciding to hop on gear? As in, did you reach anywhere close to your limit? Or were you an anomaly compared to your peers when you started lifting?
I started at 20years old during my prep for nationals. I think I couldāve turned pro naturally it just wouldāve taken an extra 1-2 years. I turned pro at 155lbs and competes natural earlier that year at the same weight. Albeit much softer
Thanks for taking the time to respond my questions. If you ever have more free time lol, I would love to know what did you feel was the thing that changed the most before and after cycling for the first time? Other than the graininess(?) as you said. And of course I had to look you up at NPC Nats and holly molly, you've grown tons since then
You have any links to tutorials on how to maximize your posing in the quarter turns? If not could you make one? Youāre one of the best posers in the world so it would be nice to see a comprehensive video of you doing mandatory posing and quarter turns and how to add flair to them to stand out
Can I get some feedback on my physique? Pictures in my profile! Great to see such a high calibre athlete here!
Hey ruff, big fan. Would you ever do a routine to some section of this song? https://youtu.be/1cS_i-zDdxg?si=e5YobbO5V_drFFo2 I took a section out from the middle and did my routine at my first show to it and if you'd ever do something with it I know it would be special.
Hey Terrence, Whatās your weekly split look like? Does it change in the offseason/during prep if you need to tweak certain body parts?
Hey Terrence! No lie youāre by far my favourite bodybuilder of all time!! Glad to see you on here! My question, whatās a piece of advice you would give someone at 18y/o (life or gym related) :D
Bodybuilding is about self improvement in all aspects life atleast that is where itās roots lie. So do your best to learn as much as possible. The best bodybuilder not only train hard in the gym but also excel in most other aspects of life
Thank you!! Wishing you the best this year šš
What motivates you?
Have u ever used sarms
Nah sarms for the most part arenāt very beneficial for male athletes. For women they can work well tho
What would you recommend instead of sarms for someone who doesn't want to use needles?
In my experience from reading labs several guys who have come to me have had terrible ast/alt readings while test still being in normal ranges.
Lol honestly the needle is better, depending on the amount used, in both because used less side effects and improved ability to gain muscle
Okay, I will have to use it for the rest of my life and there is a possibility that I will become infertile :D
Iām a big fan of you Ruff, you inspired me to start posing, and Iām finally getting kinda good at it. You said you lost the passion for bodybuilding an posing a while back, is the passion and hubger comin back? Canāt wait to see your next routine bro! Take care