Classic Physique Olympia vs Mr Olympia: What is the difference?

Every men's open category bodybuilder fantasizes about walking onto the Mr Olympia stage. Since 1965, this competition has elevated participants like Phil Heath, Ronnie Coleman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the status of sports legends. It only takes one appearance at Mr Olympia to make a bodybuilder a household name.

However, some supporters may no longer consider Mr Olympia to be the highlight of Olympia weekend. The major difference between Classic Physique Olympia and Mr Olympia is that the latter competition is the main event and has a bigger prize pool. However, the Classic Physique Olympia is a more relatable competition for the audience in terms of bodybuilding.

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Both divisions are meant for elite-level bodybuilders. To get a clear idea of what these divisions are, let's have a look at them one by one:

Classic Physique Olympia

The men's physique and open divisions were split up in 2016 to create the Classic Physique competition. Despite being smaller than rivals in the Open category, athletes in this division are still much larger than those in the Men's Physique competition.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, promotes this division, which has quickly become one of the most popular competitions. The goal of the Classic Physique category is to recreate the aesthetics of the golden age (the 1960s to 1980s), which had broad shoulders, a tight waist, strong legs, and overall fitness, symmetry, and size.

In the finals, contestants in the Classic Physique division enter the stage wearing black boxer briefs and execute six required bodybuilding poses as well as a personal routine. However, training and symmetry are more important to judges than bulk.

There are many classifications within the Classic Physique division according to weight and height. Based on their height, athletes are limited in their weight.

Mr Olympia

The International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness (IFBB) hosts Joe Weider's Olympia Fitness and Performance Weekend. It's an annual international bodybuilding competition, where the professional men's bodybuilding event is conducted.

Every bodybuilding competition generally revolves around the men's open division. Given that there are no constraints on height or weight, the open-division competition is intended to be a freak show.

The biggest and fittest athletes are included. On stage, competitors concentrate on displaying a huge, hard, dry, vascular, and striated physique.

A three-minute individual posing performance and confirmation round are part of the finals. The grading method is used by the IFBB Pro League to evaluate a competitor's muscle size, symmetry, quality, and proportion. The scoring system equally weighs the judging and final rounds.

Mr Olympia's title, the coveted Sandow, and a sizable check are awarded to the winner of the Men's Open division at Olympia weekend. The Mr Olympia winner is also regarded as the finest bodybuilder in the entire globe.

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Mandatory poses in both division

Both Classic Physique Olympia and Mr Olympia have a set of mandatory poses to decide who is better.

Classic Physique Olympia

There are six mandatory poses, they are -

• Front double biceps
• Side chest
• Back double biceps
• Side triceps
• Abdominals and thighs
• Favorite classic pose (not most muscular)

Mr Olympia

There are eight mandatory poses for judging, they are as follows -

• Front double biceps
• Front lat spread
• Side chest
• Back double biceps
• Back lat spread
• Side triceps
• Abdominals and thighs
• Favorite most muscular

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Prize distribution in both divisions

Each year, the number of athletes competing in the Olympia competition seems to increase. The award sum has been rising over time also.

Each division's precise distribution amount is yet to be determined. These are the prize sums for the 2021 Olympia Competition winners. -

Rank	Classic Physique Olympia	Mr. Olympia
1	$50,000	$400,000
2	$15,000	$150,000
3	$10,000	$100,000
4	$3,000	$45,000
5	$2,000	$40,000