{"id":14488,"date":"2026-02-20T14:49:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14488"},"modified":"2026-02-20T14:49:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T14:49:00","slug":"erin-banks-reveals-his-pick-to-win-the-2026-arnold-classic-in-mens-physique-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14488","title":{"rendered":"Erin Banks Reveals His Pick to Win the 2026 Arnold Classic in Men’s Physique \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The 2026 Arnold Classic will witness the world\u2019s best bodybuilding competitors battle for gold. With the contest approaching, Erin Banks took to a YouTube video on Feb. 17 to discuss who will claim the Men\u2019s Physique title.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2025, Erin Banks narrowly lost to Ali Bilal at the Arnold Classic. Shortly after Bilal\u2019s victory, there was controversy. Arnold Schwarzenegger took issue with Men\u2019s Physique board shorts and criticized the division for hiding leg definition, labeling it \u2018bogus.<\/a>\u2018 This prompted Bilal to announce that he will never compete at the Arnold Classic again<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With that in mind, a new titleholder will emerge. However, Banks, a former 2022 Mr. Olympia<\/a>, decided to sit this one out. Instead, he\u2019ll watch from the sidelines to see who might push into the final callout. The heaviest on-paper favorite is Brandon Hendrickson<\/a>. He\u2019s won the Mr. Olympia contest three times<\/a> and holds one Arnold Classic title, which he earned back in 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hendrickson led an extremely active 2025 bodybuilding season. After taking fourth place at the Pittsburgh Pro<\/a>, he went on an impressive run, winning three events back-to-back, including the New York Pro<\/a>, Miami Pro<\/a>, and the Huanji China Pro 3. While he entered the Olympia with huge momentum, he was unable to outscore runner-up Bilal or three-time reigning champ Ryan Terry<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Hendrickson will still face a deep pool of contenders in Columbus, Ohio. Vitor Chaves, Emanuel Hunter, Edvan Palmeira, Andrei Deiu, and Benquil Marigny all stand out as possible threats. The show is almost here, and Banks has an idea of who might leave the city on top.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Erin Banks Predicts Who Will Win Men\u2019s Physique Title at 2026 Arnold Classic\u00a0<\/h2>\n

In the recent video, Banks was firm about who he sees winning the Men\u2019s Physique title at the Arnold Classic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cBrandon is winning it,\u201d he shared<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When asked who could give Hendrickson a run for his money, Banks shared one name:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cVitor Chaves.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Aside from Men\u2019s Physique, Open predictions have been rolling in for the 2025 Arnold Classic. Bodybuilding veteran Branch Warren sees three names contending for the title<\/a>: Hadi Choopan, Chinedu Andrew \u2018Jacked\u2019 Obiekea, and Martin Fitzwater. Meanwhile, Shahriar Kamali, better known as King Kamali, believes Jacked will win<\/a> the competition. The stakes are high, with the Men\u2019s Open champ poised to receive a massive $750,000 prize purse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whoever emerges victorious at the 2026 Arnold Classic will be one step closer to challenging for Mr. Olympia gold. Don\u2019t miss Fitness Volt<\/em>\u2018s full coverage from March 5-8 in Columbus, Ohio!\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0Bodybuilding Veterans Chris Cormier and John Hansen Share Top 6 Men\u2019s Open Picks for the 2026 Arnold Classic<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch the full video from the Men\u2019s Physique Radio YouTube channel below:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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The 2026 Arnold Classic will witness the world\u2019s best bodybuilding competitors battle for gold. With the contest approaching, Erin Banks took to a YouTube video on Feb. 17 to discuss who will claim the Men\u2019s Physique title.\u00a0 In 2025, Erin Banks narrowly lost to Ali Bilal at the Arnold Classic. Shortly after Bilal\u2019s victory, there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[152],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14488","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ifbb-pro"},"yoast_head":"\nErin Banks Reveals His Pick to Win the 2026 Arnold Classic in Men's Physique \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=14488\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Erin Banks Reveals His Pick to Win the 2026 Arnold Classic in Men's Physique \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 2026 Arnold Classic will witness the world\u2019s best bodybuilding competitors battle for gold. 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