26/02/2021

Ryan Terry’s Road to Success: Training, Recovery, and Life as a Mr Olympia Athlete

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I’ve shot Olympia athlete Ryan Terry a few times in both the UK and the US. He’s got an unmistakable ‘presence’ that goes beyond his enviable muscle mass, and he always brings his a-game to a shoot. 

In fact, the former Arnold Classic Pro Champion brings this impressive ethos to everything he does – as I found out during our (virtual) chat.

As I’m sure you’re all here to find out, I was keen to learn what life as Ryan actually looks like. How often does he train? What does he eat? What does recovery look like for him? 

I actually put together a free photoshoot prep guide a couple years back with an absolute powerhouse of fitness professionals, and Ryan Terry was one of them. There’s a huge wealth of information in there already that can help you look sharp on a photoshoot, from water loading to carb depletion and so much more. 

How Does Ryan Terry Prepare for a Competition or Photoshoot?

As you’ll learn in the photoshoot prep guide, Ryan is usually only a few weeks off peak physique anyway. The type of preparation a photoshoot or competition by fitness professionals like Ryan Terry is largely based on what type of end look is desired, so is it a softer and more full muscle look needed for a lifestyle shoot or is looking shredded required. The rule of thumb for Ryan is that he usually does around a 16-week preparation for a competition of photoshoot.

So what does that entail?

Ryan Terry trains for around two hours a day, six days a week. Like many athletes I know, Ryan does a split session throughout the day as that’s better suited to his body and goals. So, Ryan starts the day with an hour of fasted, low-intensity cardio first thing in the morning. Loading up on calories throughout the day then means Ryan is ready for his heavy carb-fuelled lifting session in the evening. 

The latter is normally quite heavy-weighted, with plenty of variety to keep the stimulus interesting. I was curious as to how Ryan does actually shake up the sessions and found out that he does a mix of triple drop sets, time under tension, minimal rest periods, and long rest periods.

What’s important for clients of mine to pay attention to is that pro athletes know to look after their bodies on the lead up to a show or shoot, as opposed to lesser experienced clients of mine that have hammered their bodies too much before shooting and wind up looking flat or too filled out. 

Making sure that you avoid injury and inflammation is key to ensuring that all your hard work pays off in the final images. Ryan Terry in particular decreases the weight on the immediate build up to a show to focus less on muscle building and more on fat burning. The aim is to keep muscle mass high and bodily stress low. There’s nothing worse than clients coming in the day after an intense heavy lifting session and being disappointed with their physique.

So, if you’re someone who thinks that smashing weights the night before a shoot is a good idea, you should definitely rethink that approach! It’s not quite like an exam that you can cram the night before for.

How Does Athlete Ryan Terry Focus on Rest and Recovery?

Just like the rest of us humans, every professional athlete and competitor out their battles with injury and the decreased recovery rate as they age. Ryan Terry was actually injury free until age 30, but since then he’s had two hip surgeries, a hernia and also has trouble with his back giving way.

Ryan Terry divulged a little more on the topic of his past and present injuries:

“Back then, nothing was going to stop me training like a machine.

It’s been quite difficult both mentally and physically. In my head I’m still a young lad who wants to be the best in the world, but my body’s now fighting it. 

I suppose 18 years of hammering my body twice a day, six days a week was always going to catch up with me. But I’m doing everything I can to rehab.”

I’m not a big fan of foam rolling myself, but it’s something that features heavily in Ryan Terry’s workouts (both before and after the session), along with a lot of stretching and sessions with physio Jonny Hands.

What is the Life of a Physique Competitor Like After a Competition?

As you’d expect, Ryan Terry’s routine naturally transitions into a rest and reload period following a competition. I can’t stress the importance of rest and recovery enough, so if an Olympia athlete like Ryan Terry can take a week off of training after a competition, you can too!

When you’ve stepped off stage or are coming away from a photoshoot with me, your body is likely dehydrated and ready for some refuelling. The likely reduced sodium levels in your system mean that your muscles don’t have the basic fuel it needs to actually generate the movement needed to happen within your muscles to allow the correct contraction you need for your lifts. 

That means after a competition or photoshoot, it’s time to decrease the weight whilst increasing your calories to take your body composition back up steadily. One thing to note though is that Ryan Terry tends to avoid consuming a huge junk meal after a competition; instead he relaxes his diet and lets himself relax in general. 

How Does a Fitness Competitor Decompress After a Show?

A show or a photoshoot is obviously a very hectic time and competitors often lose their personal life completely when they’re in preparation phase. It’s important to schedule in some downtime with your close support network to unwind mentally and physically. Ryan Terry tends to go on holiday with his wife Amy for a good solid rest period whilst he’s off his training regime too. Unfortunately for most competitors though, you can’t escape that infamous stage tan no matter where you go…

What is Being a Dedicated Athlete and Dad Like? 

I’ve always openly said that I didn’t realise how special the bond with my son, Tripp, was going to be before he came into the world, but now nothing comes before him. I can’t fathom how athletes like Ryan Terry manage to cope with that whilst still training for a very demanding sport like bodybuilding. 

Ryan Terry knew that becoming a dad was going to be hold but says he “didn’t realise how challenging it was going to be to prep for a show with a new-born in the house.” 

Any form of stress on the body can be catabolic, which is obviously the complete opposite of what situation you want to be in when bodybuilding. Being an athlete and having a newborn means becoming a little bit sleep deprived with feeding and changing times, and Ryan found he was only about managing two hours of sleep a night. Juggling family life meant that it wasn’t as easy to stick to structured training times and Ryan ended up often training at 10pm just to get his session in. Now that’s dedication!

When you become a parent, you often forget self-care in general. Optimal nutrition is obviously of the utmost importance when prepping for a show or photoshoot but your mind as a new dad is instead on feeding your child. Ryan admits that it was difficult to eat well and at healthy times - and this was whilst preparing for Olympia! 

One of the benefits of being a regular fitness competitor, like Ryan Terry, is that preparation can often feel like riding a bike. Four weeks out from Olympia, Ryan travelled over to Dubai - along with his physiotherapist - and says “everything just fell into place.” That’s why consistency is so key because athletes like Ryan Terry are like a machine! 

Is Athlete Ryan Terry Competing in 2021?

Obviously for every athlete around the world, confirmation of competitions is up in the air. We’ve only just had confirmation that the Arnolds are for sure going to be taking place in October but even that can change. 

Ryan Terry told me when we were chatting that he hasn’t got anything set in stone yet for competitions in 2021, but his wardrobe is certainly ready for it… Ryan has created his own line of board shorts! After finding that physique competitor board shorts were somewhat lacking, Ryan decided to use his experience to create the perfect competition look - focusing specifically on the look and how they actually sit against your muscles when you’re on stage. 

Despite being a new dad and wanting to focus on family time, Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to give something back to the world. He’s actually launching his own online coaching app covering both fitness and nutrition, so now’s your time to get support from an athlete who’s trained for over 18 years and competed for 10.

You can follow Ryan Terry’s journey over on Instagram @ryanterry and you can find out more about his coaching over at ryanterry.co.uk.

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