“Decrease his waist by one inch” - Arnold Schwarzenegger on why Big Ramy lost at 2022 Mr. Olympia

By Kiran Rao

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:33 GMT

Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered by many to be one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever play the game. His reign as Mr. Olympia stands among the most exceptional runs in the competition. As a pioneer in the sport, he has decorated his career with many accolades and retired a legend.

The Arnold Classic, a part of the Arnold Sports Festival, is named after the Austrian-American ex-bodybuilder. Long after his retirement, Arnold remains a well-respected figure whose opinion is valued very highly in the bodybuilding scene.

Arnold Sports Festival Australia 2018

The 2022 Mr. Olympia title was snatched by Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan at the cost of the former champion, Big Ramy. Going into the competition, Ramy was the favorite and was expected to win by many. However, he finished in 5th place in what was an upsetting outcome. Arnold, during the post-event analysis of the 2022 Mr. Olympia, gave a detailed breakdown of how Ramy lost the title.

"Big Ramy could have won again. I mean all he had to do was just stay the same way he was… Decrease his waist by one inch and increase his calves by one inch. That’s all he had to do all year long and he would have won again."

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Arnold Schwarzenegger on Big Ramy's loss

Arnold Schwarzenegger shone the light on the reasons for the Egyptian's loss while refusing to believe that judging was the reason for it. He emphasized his belief that bodybuilders constantly focus on building size rather than aesthetics. He believes that not focusing on the aesthetic aspects (muscle mass, definition, symmetry, proportions) of the sport hurt Big Ramy.

"So there are the kind of things that are extremely important to create a body, to chisel away the body and mould the body to perfection and not to [only make it] bigger."

Arnold believes Ramy to be one of the best in the game today. Although his front and rear double biceps poses were flawless, Arnold believes that his upper pectoral muscles and deltoids were gigantic and overshadowed his arms.

"Better is when you create more symmetry, when you create more definition, muscle separation. Then you have a body where one body part doesn’t steal something from the other body part."

Big Ramy's fall to fifth place had everyone surprised, but Arnold believes the Egyptian giant can make a strong comeback as long as he focuses on all aspects of bodybuilding rather than just size. He took a trip down memory lane and recalled his back and forth against Sergio Oliva in 1969-70.

The first time Arnold faced off against 'The Myth', Oliva won thanks to his V-shaped aesthetic figure. However, Oliva gained 10lbs the next year and lost to Arnold, who brought better definition and conditioning. He believes Ramy can learn from this experience and make a comeback next year.

"If he just says I am gonna lose 10-15 lbs or 20, if he chisels down that waist size, get the calves and I am gonna perfect the posing and get rid of a few flaws that I have, it’s totally reversible!"

Egyptian builder Big Ramy won the competition in 2020 and 2021. His physique and sheer size seemed absolutely unreal. However, as the 2022 version of the competition proved, others are quickly catching on.

We will have to wait and see what 2023 holds for Big Ramy.