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Ryan Terry is just a few weeks away from treading the boards in Las Vegas as he chases a fourth Men\u2019s Physique title at the 2026 Olympia final, but while the British bodybuilder is hitting the gym with his dependable intensity, the champ says that a positive mindset is leading to a superior prep ready for the final in September. Here\u2019s why.<\/span><\/p>\n Ryan Terry is no stranger to staying positive and famously relied on his mental fortitude on a ten-plus year journey to becoming the Men\u2019s Physique kingpin, but last year saw Terry getting dragged into a series of mind games from his class of rivals, with outspoken challenger Ali Bilal topping the list. Bilal, who is a two-time Arnold Classic Men\u2019s Physique champion, and a two-time runner up at the Olympia, cast doubt on Terry\u2019s physique, and intimated that he was past his prime. In response, Terry uncharacteristically fired back his own smack talk during the pre-Olympia press conference.<\/span><\/p>\n When the smoke cleared, Terry successfully defended his crown and later thanked Bilal for the motivation. \u201cI want to thank that guy, because he unleashed something in me this year, which I never thought I had,\u201d the Brit told Bob Cicherillo<\/a>. \u201cA new level, and it really brought the best out of me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0Fortunately, those who feared that 2026 would put more pressure on Terry to get involved in the negative aspect of competitive bodybuilding can relax, because thankfully, a positive prep is yielding even better results.<\/span><\/p>\n In a new interview shared via Terry\u2019s official Instagram channel, the RT-Fit<\/a><\/span>\u00a0gym owner explained that a more wholesome approach is what really works. \u201cIf you guys, obviously followed me last year, you\u2019ll see that my motivation was very different to years before that,\u201d explained the Men\u2019s Physique mainstay. \u201cAnd it came from, like, a negative place. So, I let other people\u2019s energy in, and I absorbed it, and took motivation from it, in kind of a negative way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Terry admits that ahead of the 2025 Olympia final, he had been \u201cobsessed\u201d and didn\u2019t enjoy the prepping process. \u201cI was in my head for the last ten weeks of my prep,\u201d shared the champ. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an enjoyable place, and bodybuilding has to be enjoyable, to sustain it 365 days a year, and have a long career in bodybuilding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Now 37<\/span>, the bodybuilding icon is more appreciative than ever of the career that he\u2019s built. \u201cThis year, I\u2019ve vowed to go back to the love of the sport,\u201d he explained, noting that the result of this more positive mindset appears to be outstripping his strategy from last year. Apparently, nice guys can finish first.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m halfway through now,\u201d said Terry of his 2026 Olympia journey, \u201cPrep has been unbelievable. I\u2019m enjoying every moment of it,\u201d he added, reflecting that training for the biggest bodybuilding stage is not something that he can do forever. To that end, Terry has been making sure to include his family in the training experience. \u201cIt\u2019s a positive thing, rather than a negative thing,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd my body is definitely responding a lot better than it was last year. Last year I kept failing and my body wasn\u2019t responding in terms of losing the weight. Whereas this year it\u2019s coming of nice and easier. I\u2019ve got energy, I\u2019m happy, I\u2019m doing things with the kids, the family, so that\u2019s all I can ask for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While Terry is certainly maturing, his hard-earned wisdom and timeless physique could well see him thwarting the young upstarts for several years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n To follow Ryan Terry on Instagram, click here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhy Ryan Terry Shifted to a Positive Prep Mindset for the 2026 Olympia<\/h2>\n