Rich Gaspari has weighed in on two-time Mr Olympia champion Big Ramy's recent underwhelming showing at the 2022 Mr Olympia, where he came in fifth. Many veterans and experts in bodybuilding commented on his off-showing on the grand stage.
Rich Gaspari discussed what went wrong for Big Ramy in the 2022 Mr Olympia last month. In his most recent YouTube video, he said:
“When you are this ripped two weeks out, when you start manipulating carbohydrates, taking diuretics, start carb-loading, sodium-loading, whatever these guys are doing it’s causing them to f**k up. That’s why he was missing what he looked like."
Rich Gaspari slams Big Ramy's off-showing at 2022 Mr Olympia
Big Ramy, a former two-time Mr Olympia champion, became well-known in the Men's Open category thanks to his extraordinary bulk and proportionate balance. He won Mr Olympia's crown in 2020, unseating Brandon Curry, the defending champion. Ramy successfully defended the championship in 2021, and he was aiming for a third victory last year.
Rich Gaspari, a seasoned bodybuilder, claimed in a recent YouTube video that Ramy was a victim of poor preparation leading up to the competition.
He slammed Big Ramy for initially going into the carb depletion cycle and then switching to the carb loading cycle with diuretics.
According to Rich Gaspari, Ramy's coach misguided him, and his water, which was meant to be held back, might have gone outside.
Many still believe Ramy could have completed a three-peat based on the physical upgrades he released weeks before the contest. Ramy, however, looked markedly different when it was time to take the stage. He slid out of the top three, taking fifth place, and ultimately lost the prized Sandow trophy to Iranian bodybuilder Hadi Choopan.
Ramy congratulated Choopan on winning the 2022 Mr Olympia and promised his supporters that he would return even stronger. His lackluster performance became a heated subject as community members tried to figure out what went wrong.
Other experts on Big Ramy's poor performance
Ramy's friend and former bodybuilder Dennis James thought he looked good even a week before the competition. Ramy lost his appearance as the exhibition drew near and seemed lifeless hours before prejudging.
Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler predicted Ramy would win the title but later admitted that he was mistaken. He emphasized that Ramy's lack of lats and poor fitness were the primary factors for his defeat against the always reliable Choopan.
In the meantime, Ramy's drop to fifth place also drew the attention of IFBB chief judge Steve Weinberger. The bodybuilder that appeared in Vegas last month, in his opinion, "was not the Ramy we know." He further stated that Ramy could have been injured.
King Kamali agreed with Rich Gaspari, claiming that Big Ramy may have missed the target because he took too many diuretics prior to the performance. He contended that the excessive usage could have caused his muscles to flatten down for roughly 48 hours.
Hany Rambod, a well-known expert in bodybuilding, recently shared his opinion on Ramy's unremarkable look. Echoing Rich Gaspari's claims, he stated that Ramy's muscles lacked definition and appeared flat, watery, and faded. He didn't go into much detail, but he thinks Ramy's crew was aware of what went wrong.
Iain Valliere, a contestant in the Men's Open, weighed in on the controversy last week by speculating that Ramy may have experienced serious nerve damage as a result of steroid injections.
Dennis James also said that Ramy was seeking medical attention for disc degeneration, which prevented his body from functioning correctly and inhibited normal blood supply to the muscles.