Ryan Terry’s 2026 Olympia Prep Secret: How a Positive Mindset Is Delivering Superior Results

"I want to thank that guy, because he unleashed something in me this year, which I never thought I had," said Ryan Terry after successfully defending his Men’s Physique title at the 2025 Olympia. Terry credits a shift in his approach to bodybuilding, from a negative to a positive mindset, for yielding better results in his 2026 prep. This change in mindset is attributed to his experience with rival Ali Bilal, who cast doubt on Terry’s physique and intimated that he was past his prime. In response, Terry fired back with his own smack talk during the pre-Olympia press conference. However, instead of dwelling on negativity, Terry has chosen to focus on a more wholesome approach to bodybuilding. "If you guys followed me last year, you’ll see that my motivation was very different to years before that," he explained. "And it came from, like, a negative place. So, I let other people’s energy in, and I absorbed it, and took motivation from it, in kind of a negative way." Terry admits that ahead of the 2025 Olympia final, he had been "obsessed" and didn’t enjoy the prepping process. He was in his head for the last ten weeks of his prep, and bodybuilding has to be enjoyable, to sustain it 365 days a year, and have a long career in bodybuilding. Now 37, Terry is more appreciative than ever of the career that he’s built. "This year, I’ve vowed to go back to the love of the sport," he explained, noting that the result of this more positive mindset appears to be outstripping his strategy from last year. Terry has been making sure to include his family in the training experience, which he believes is a positive thing, rather than a negative one. "It’s a positive thing, rather than a negative thing," he said. "And my body is definitely responding a lot better than it was last year. Last year I kept failing and my body wasn’t responding in terms of losing the weight. Whereas this year it’s coming off nice and easier. I’ve got energy, I’m happy, I’m doing things with the kids, the family, so that’s all I can ask for." Terry’s positive approach to bodybuilding is yielding superior results, and he believes that this mindset will serve him well in his future competitions.