Tag: CLASSIC PHYSIQUE

Chris Bumstead: “I Brought My PEDs Down & It Allowed Me to Have to Train Harder”

Classic Physique star Chris Bumstead revealed some surprising details about his 2023 Olympia preparations. In a recent The Raw U. Podcast, Bumstead shared that he decreased his performance-enhancing drug (PED) use, which has allowed him to train harder in the current off-season. 

“I just enjoy training hard when I’m in it and getting strong, so luckily that hasn’t changed,” shared Bumstead. 

Bumstead first claimed the Classic Physique Olympia title in 2019 and has continued to display improvements to his physique year after year. Last December, it was revealed that Bumstead would no longer be working alongside Open class standout Iain Valliere. With 12 weeks until the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition, the 28-year-old joined forces with Hany Rambod, who is known for his innovative FST-7 training program. 
Cbum shared his shredding diet weeks before taking to the stage last year. Ultimately, his efforts paid off as he handily won another Classic Physique Olympia title. After taking a victory lap, Bumstead explained that he overcame adversity after posing on stage with a torn bicep. 

In a recent Don’t Be Sour Podcast, the four-time champ took an honest look at his future in the sport. He said his fear of losing is what motivates him to stay on top. While there have been talks of his eventual retirement, Bumstead made it clear that he won’t consider the possibility until after winning another Olympia. To shed some light on his PED use and diet plan for his next title defense, he joined Brett Wilkin for an interview.
Chris Bumstead Says ‘He’s Lowered PED Usage’ And Still ‘Pushes Really Hard’ 

In a show of transparency, Bumstead said he’s ‘brought his PEDs down’ and it’s enabled him to push harder during training sessions. 
“It’s honestly been the exact same to be completely transparent, I brought my PEDs down and it allowed me to have to train harder. When I do, if anything, it now gives me that three months after a show to really just relax and let my body recover because I’m not anxiously being like, ‘I need to be huge.’ So, I need every second I have, I’m like, I can take the time off, relax, get into it.”
“I’ve been able to lower my PED usage from when I was younger even and still push really hard and it just keeps me under my weight cap; I still have a few pounds to play with I’m not dying to make weight like some people.”
Bumstead believes his muscle density has improved and shared that his trainer Hany Rambod doesn’t want him to bulk to 265 pounds in the off-season anymore. 
“But when I got my pro card as a heavyweight bodybuilder I weighed 219 pounds or something and now I’m on stage at 240, 239 – so it’s taken me that long to put on like 20 pounds of muscle and it doesn’t really show too much on my frame, because I have a big frame but when you see comparison shots my density has gotten a lot better. But this is the first year, and I am looking forward to this and I was speaking with Hany [Rambod] and he was like, ‘We are not getting you up to 265 anymore this year.’

Bumstead Reveals 2023 Olympia Plan, Says Hany Rambod Wants Him to Compete ‘Much Leaner’ 
Given Bumstead’s muscle maturity and size, Rambod believes it would be best to exit the off-season at around 255-258 pounds. 
“That’s only 25 pounds over my weight cap at what I typically compete at but I still want to be less than that. You have the muscle maturity and the size, we’ll keep you at 255, 258 – like much leaner, but hopefully try and get the same amount of mass on and when you diet down it will be really easy for you to get really lean because you’re not coming from such a high body fat point. My body can put on body fat pretty easily. That’s the goal this year. I’m not happy about that because I don’t like eating,” Chris Bumstead said. 
“I’m already just beginning my off-season now barely eating like over 4,000 calories and I’m like, ‘Oh man, fu** I got to eat again?’ You know, it’s already there. So that’s definitely a benefit of Classic Physique this year and it will be interesting to see how it goes, hopefully, it makes me come in the best condition I’ve ever come to because I can get there earlier and slowly lean into it instead of crushing myself at the end of a prep like I’ve had to in the past just to make that weight but it’s not really a big difference. My training has definitely gotten better. Something I’ve at least gotten better with at least YouTube and this is I can just turn it on and off in like seconds.” 
With off-season preparations underway, Cbum has opened up about his nutrition in detail. Earlier this month, Bumstead checked in with fans at 253 pounds and showed off a 3,500-calorie meal plan. Additionally, he’s offered glimpses into his training with a recent back-building workout. 
RELATED: Larry Wheels on Chris Bumstead & Move to Classic Physique: ‘My Coach Said I Can Be Competitive With Just TRT’
Bumstead will aim to make it five Classic Physique titles later this year at 2023 Olympia, where he’ll rematch the newly minted Arnold Classic champion Ramon Queiroz. 

Published: 24 April, 2023 | 6:30 PM EDT

Chris Bumstead Opens Up on Pressures of Being Dominant: “I’m Afraid That I’m Going to Lose”

Chris Bumstead continues to tease his exit from the sport following his latest title defense. In a recent Don’t Be Sour podcast, Bumstead discussed the pressures of remaining champion and touched on his eventual retirement from bodybuilding. 

As a Classic Physique competitor, Bumstead first claimed Olympia gold in 2019 after dethroning Breon Ansley. Since taking the title from ‘The Black Swan,’ Bumstead has only improved on the Mr. Olympia stage, showcasing detailed conditioning and exceptional balance.

There have been talks of Bumstead’s retirement, but he’s assured his following that he intends to win at least one more time before calling it a career. Fans also suspected that Cbum might appear on an Open stage after teasing the possibility earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, some pros believe Bumstead’s influence on the sport is now pushing into the Men’s Open class. Retired 1990s standout Kevin Levrone recently suggested that Cbum’s dominance has ushered in a new era of aesthetics and shape in the IFBB Pro League. 
Chris Bumstead Talks Future Plans, ‘Million-Dollar’ Retirement Question, and Exploding Popularity
Bumstead admitted during the interview that he struggled with the pressures of winning and meeting the expectations of those around him when he started competing. 

“It’s been good. It’s been a very interesting journey. You know, ups and downs throughout it but it’s been fun to have enough time up there where I can learn how to handle it enough to enjoy it properly. I found the first time I won, I was a little stressed about it and more relieved that I won and it was more — literally relief. I felt relief because I was anxious there was a lot expectation and pressure on me and then there was a little bit less every single year. To the point that last year I was literally able to step in there and enjoy it win or lose.” 

“I wouldn’t have been able to experience that unless I had done it with four years in a row of that experience you know. Now, it’s something I look forward to that has less pressure and stress around it, so I can enjoy it.” 

Unsure of his future, Bumstead said he’ll hand over the Classic Physique Olympia crown when he’s ready. He added that even if he did retire, it wouldn’t stop him from pursuing business relating to the sport. 

“The next four? It’s a million-dollar question [when I’ll be done]. I’m going to hand the trophy over when I’m ready, but I literally don’t have the answer to that.”I think I’m definitely going to be someone – my goal at least I would say is to exit on top with more on me. You know, like the idea of selling a business on the rise rather than the peak before it drops. I want to exit on the rise so I have more in me but I’m making the active decision to leave because that’s my choice and I’m ready for it and I’m healthy, I’m good to go, I still have a lot of life to live and I’m excited for the next part of my life.”

“Probably not yet [won’t be slowing down if he retires],” Bumstead shared. “I mean, my life will be very different but coming into this world now of being a business owner and all this stuff — it’s a lot but I’m sure you know, it’s so rewarding and it’s fun.” 

Bumstead Addresses Social Media Popularity and the Pressures of Remaining Champion: ‘I’m Afraid to Lose’ 
Even with 17M Instagram followers, Bumstead doesn’t consider himself a celebrity and mentioned people only recognize him when he’s in Texas at a grocery store or gas station. 

“I’m definitely not Kardashian-level. I look at it like there’s fitness celebrities and then there’s real celebrities, and then there’s a little gap in between, sometimes I flow in that gap, but it’s still a niche. I go to grocery stores and nobody knows who the fu** I am. Real celebrities, the Kardashians can’t even leave their house. It depends on where I am. Maybe if I’m in Texas at a gas station or a grocery store maybe one or two people stop me but it’s usually just in gym settings.” 

Unlike NBA legend Michael Jordan’s obsessive nature to only win, Bumstead has a healthy fear of losing that drives him as a competitor. 

“A lot of people, a lot of bodybuilders at least, they have this really hardcore, even a lot of champions to be honest in the world, like Michael Jordan. People love him and he’s so fascinating but he’s so unrelatable. I can’t fathom having that killer mindset all the time of just needing to win, killing everybody, don’t even think about losing because that’s not who I am. I literally fear sometimes. I am afraid that I’m going to lose. I have fear in outcomes and stuff because I don’t know the outcome. And I’ve said things like, ‘I’m okay with losing.’ And people say that’s not a champion’s mindset,” Chris Bumstead shared. 

Bumstead stressed the importance of having a strong bond with his business partners, friends, and family.

“I’ve always had the mindset like I said, and I think it’s the reason for my success, everything takes a team, it takes an army. You can’t do it all by yourself. There’s zero chance RAW would even be here or even exist anymore if I didn’t have my team, Dom and Matt, and everybody kind of coming together. And I wouldn’t be Mr. Olympia [in Classic Physique].”

Off-season efforts are underway for the 28-year-old champion. He checked in with fans at 253 pounds recently and revealed a 3,500-calorie diet he’s using in preparation for the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest, scheduled to take place this November. 

Remaining a dominant champion is no easy task as the sport continues to grow. Bumstead is set to clash with 2023 Arnold Classic winner Ramon Queiroz at the next Olympia, who many consider his biggest threat. 

Published: 20 April, 2023 | 12:59 PM EDT