Roger “Rock” Lockridge
Roger "Rock" Lockridge
Roger "Rock" Lockridge is Muscle Insider's Senior Writer and has been involved in the fitness industry in multiple roles since 2002, including as a personal trainer and supplement sales associate for multiple locations. He is best-known as a freelance writer whose work has been featured by publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Men's Health, BarBend, Bodybuilding.com, and others. As of 2022, he's had over 2,100 articles published in print and digitally in ten languages on six continents. His personal transformation and story has been featured in a variety of outlets such as Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, Huffington Post, Deseret News, Muscle & Strength, and Bodybuilding.com. Lockridge has contributed to Muscle Insider since 2021. He lives in West Virginia with his wife and son.
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Can Breon Ansley Win the 2023 Classic Physique Olympia?
By Roger “Rock” Lockridge
Two-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Breon Ansley had every intention of entering the 212 division and qualifying for the Olympia 212 contest in Orlando, FL on Nov. 2-5, 2023. Then, IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion announced that height and weight changes would be made for Ansley’s former division. Competitors would now be allowed to compete anywhere from two to seven pounds heavier than in the past, according to their height.
Ansley would be one of the competitors able to add seven pounds to their previous stage weight, and as a result, Ansley had formally announced his intention to return to the Classic Physique Olympia stage for at least one more run at winning a third title.
“I THINK I AM ONE OF THE MOST MUSCULAR GUYS. THE MOST OR ONE OF THE MOST MUSCLE-BOUND PHYSIQUES UP THERE. SO, I REALLY THINK I CAN CAPITALIZE ON THE AMOUNT OF MUSCLE THAT I HAVE WITH THIS EXTRA SEVEN POUNDS. CAPITALIZE ON HOW DETAILED I COME IN, THE DENSITY, THE CONDITIONING AND MY MUSCLE MATURITY WITHOUT A DOUBT.”
Had Ansley opted to do a 212 show at this stage of the season, then he would have been left with two shows to try to win and qualify for the Olympia. However, he’s a past Classic Physique Olympia winner, which gives him lifetime qualification for that division. It makes perfect sense for Ansley to prep for one show and have to peak once instead of at least twice if he was to enter the 212 this season.
The question now is whether Ansley’s added size can make a dent in the domination that four-time defending champion Chris Bumstead has had on the division since defeating Ansley for the title in 2019. In the three years since then, Ansley has finished no higher than third, and he was fourth in the 2022 Olympia.
If you watch the Black Swan’s video on his channel, you can see fire and excitement in his eyes. He clearly thinks this would be as good of a chance to regain the title as he will ever get. It will be interesting for the fans to see a bigger version of Ansley next to not only Bumstead, but Ramon Rocha Querioz and Urs Kalecinski, who both placed ahead of him in Las Vegas last year. The other favorites also get to come in heavier than in years’ past, but not as much as Ansley. The judges may have an even tougher decision to make at prejudging this year than they have before, and the 2023 Classic Physique Olympia may steal the show in Orlando this year.
Stay tuned to Muscle Insider for more of the latest news and updates leading up to the 2023 Olympia Weekend in Orlando, FL.
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