A 57-year-old bodybuilding record held by Arnold Schwarzenegger has fallen. The new heir is a 19-year-old sensation, Anton Ratushnyi. His four-year transformation has the fitness world buzzing about his future.

On December 19, 2023, Inside History posted this news on its Instagram.

According to the post: “as Arnold made history when he became the youngest ever to win the Mr Universe title and earn a “Pro card” at just 20 years old in 1970, 19-year-old Anton Ratushnyi from Texas, has outdone him by winning the Classic Physique pro after an astonishing four-year transformation”.

The young bodybuilder earned the Classic Physique Pro card by winning the NPC National Championships in 2023.

Ratushnyi won the competition, standing 5’11” and weighing around 245 lbs.

He has put in intense work early in his life.

On January 26, 2023, the bodybuilder shared the transformation he achieved over the years by posting before-and-after pictures.

He captioned the post, “15 to 18 yo transformation”.

Before coming to Texas for the NPC, he won three consecutive victories. According to The Irish Sun, Ratushnyi said his motivation came from doing extreme pull-ups every time he faced rejection during the transformation period.

After winning the competition in one Instagram post, he said, “With overcoming lots of adversity over the last year, I can’t stress enough how important it is to believe in yourself and stay true to yourself no matter what others think of you”.

I took the risk to prep again and challenge myself mentally, physically, and emotionally to not just succeed in bodybuilding but grow as a person that would be worthy of inspiring this new generation”.

While Ratushnyi made history at 19, his biggest challenge is ahead in 2026.

Anton Ratushnyi Is Preparing for His Biggest Challenge

On October 4, 2025, Ratushnyi participated in the 2025 Southern Muscle showdown in Dalton, Georgia.

The competition was intense, with the youngest Pro cardholder facing Momar Bah and Damien Patrick.

After many callouts, Ratushnyi outshone everyone on stage with his balance, conditioning, and power, winning the competition and securing his spot for the 2026 Mr. Olympia.

Since then, he has been seen working out and posting updates about Mr. Olympia on his Instagram.

For instance, on a January 4 post, he wrote, “37 weeks out @mrolympiallc. 9 weeks into offseason push and holding a respectable 241 lbs. Competed last season around 205 lbs”.

So, it will be interesting to see how the young bodybuilder performs at Mr. Olympia.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil