You’ll often see athletes speak about tapping into the ‘champion,’ or sometimes, ‘warrior’ mindset. They also equate grueling training and competition with going to war. While that might hold for combat sports athletes, two-time Arnold Classic Physique champ Terrence Ruffin can’t relate to the mindset. The Classic Physique competitor known for immaculate posing thinks bodybuilding is not the hardest thing.

While appearing on the Grow Or Die Podcast, Ruff Diesel spoke about going into a training session with a calm mindset. While bodybuilders like 6x Mr. Olympia Dorain Yates metaphorically compared the intensity of each training session with going to war, Ruffin does the opposite. Ruffin thinks that thinking of a gym as a battlefield and training as war is “awful.”

Terrence Ruffin spoke from experience because he served in the military. “I tried out for special forces I did not make it through, but going through just that pipeline, made bodybuilding a lot easier,” confessed the champion bodybuilder. For Ruff Diesel, even at a metaphorical level, “It’s not going to war whatsoever,” and is a privilege.

The podcast host Justin Mihaly has also competed in bodybuilding and agreed with Ruffin. He said that although he loves the sport, “there are a lot harder things.” Mihaly said it’s the “ultimate luxury sport.” Although Terrence Ruffin didn’t say bodybuilding was an easy sport, he said it was easy compared to military training.

As a former member of the armed forces, military training had bestowed the discipline and mental fortitude required to excel in bodybuilding. However, sports is a competitive endeavor, and bodybuilding is no different. Victory on the stage depends on the mindset as well as the training. Dorian Yates would make the perfect example.

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The mindset of a bodybuilding legend

During an interview with Patrick Bet David, six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates spoke about his mindset. The bodybuilding legend said some of his rivals, like Flex Wheeler, might’ve possessed a greater genetic gift. However, “I had a little bit more mental tenacity,” said the former champion.

Yates said the reason no one could defeat him on the bodybuilding stage for six years was because he trained more than any of his challengers. Yates said that no one trained as intensely nor did they pay such close attention to their diet protocols. While his challenges were elite, Yates’s mindset put him above everyone else.

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Hence, while bodybuilding might not be the same as going to war, the metaphor isn’t going out of fashion any time soon.