Brandon Curry Reflects on Proving Naysayers Wrong; Reveals Physique Update

2019 Mr. Olympia champion Brandon Curry is viewed today as one of bodybuilding‘s most elite athletes, but it wasn’t always like that. In a revealing Instagram post, "The Prodigy" showed off his current progress while reflecting on his quest to prove the naysayers wrong.

If you think the very best bodybuilders on stage have bulletproof levels of confidence due to their enviable physiques and adoring fans, you may be reassured to learn that even those who have earned the title of Mr. Olympia face their fair share of inner turmoil. In an Instagram post made by Curry on June 12, he said:

My goal has never been to be the biggest on stage. It’s impossible due to my structure and small joints even if I tried.

Standing at under 5 feet, 7 inches, Curry always recognized that attempting to dwarf his mass monster opponents is out of the question. Check out his full post below:

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Brandon Curry (@brandon__curry)

[Related: 2022 Monsterzym Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview]

Curry’s rise to the top has faced both physical and mental challenges. Failing to place in the top 15 at the 2016 Olympia contest, he was asked by a member of the bodybuilding press if he would ever consider moving to the 212 division. Still, "The Prodigy" stuck to his guns in the face of those suggestions.

Reflecting on that decision, he said, "I was once the guy in the Open that was publicly told to do the 212. And I could’ve competed there, but decided not to. Even when many thought I should. If I made that decision, I wouldn’t be where I am today and wouldn’t have accomplished what I’ve been able to accomplish over the last few years."

Those accomplishments are what one might expect from an all-time great bodybuilder. He won the 2019 Mr. Olympia, the 2019 and 2022 Arnold Classics, and finished as the runner-up at the Mr. Olympia contests in 2020 and 2021 (both won by reigning champion Mamdouh "Big Ramy" Elssbiay).

Even six-time Mr. Olympia champion Dorian Yates said in a video on Valuetainment’s Youtube channel that he didn’t think Curry was in shape when he won the Olympia in 2019 and that Curry wouldn’t have done well against athletes during Yates’ era:

Note: Yates discusses Curry around the 1:00-mark.

[Related: 2022 Puerto Rico Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview]

Curry won both the 2019 Arnold Classic and 2019 Mr. Olympia. Ronnie Coleman and Dexter Jackson are the only other bodybuilders who can boast the accolade of winning both contests in the same year. Having won the 2022 Arnold Classic, if Curry reclaims the Mr. Olympia title in 2022, he’d be the lone bodybuilder to ever win both of the sport’s biggest shows in the same year twice.

Me being where I’m at in my career right now is incredible to me. It required a whole lot of hard work and sacrifice to get here and to accomplish the size I have been able to achieve on my small frame. It wasn’t easy by any means.

Rather than worry about his competitors’ best qualities, Curry focused on his own progress in order to be at his best and wow the judges.

My goal is, and has always been, to be the biggest I can possibly be, given my genetic makeup coupled with hard work and consistency…while also maintaining a beautiful flow to my physique and achieving as much overall balance as I possibly can.

Curry seems to enjoy the process of training and preparation and brings that passion with him in the heat of competition.

I’m not just a bodybuilder, I’m also a fan of the sport and with the history of it all and the development of the sport over the years, and my personal experiences that I have in the sport of bodybuilding, this is what bodybuilding means and looks like to me.

As Curry revealed in the same Instagram post, he is in phenomenal shape and has the 2022 Mr. Olympia title squarely in his sights. So, next time you find yourself staring at someone in the gym wondering how you can emulate their physique, perhaps you should take the former Mr. Olympia champion’s advice: work towards being the best version of yourself instead, "Do you. Stay true to who and what you believe you are. Play your game, not somebody else’s. You’d be amazed at what you’re capable of accomplishing."

Featured image: @brandon__curry on Instagram