Bodybuilding: who is Chris Bumstead, 5-time Mr Olympia?

Five-time winner of the Classic Physique category of the famous Mr. Olympia contest, Chris Bumstead represents the present and thefuture of bodybuilding. At 28, the Canadian is also a veritable phenomenon on social networks. From his beginnings in bodybuilding as a teenager to his victories in the most prestigious bodybuilding competitions, let's discover this exceptional athlete.

Chris Bumstead's beginnings in weight training

An early arrival in the bodybuilding world

Chris Bumstead was born on February 2, 1995 in Ottawa, Canada's administrative capital. He grew up in this city in the province of Ontario and has practiced many numerous sports activitiesfrom American soccer to baseball to basketball to ice hockey, the king of sports in the land of the maple leaf.

Passionate about sports from an early age, Chris Bumstead discovered the strength training when he was only 14 years old. He became passionate about this physical activity and quickly took up the sport. muscle mass.

In just three years, he has earned nearly 25 kilos of muscleHe went from 77 to 102 kilograms on the scale. He develops his legs (quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves) through intense exercises.

Satisfied with his physical appearance, he then meets someone who will change his life. Then companion (and today husband) of his sister Melissa, the professional bodybuilder Iain Valliere takes him under his wing to coach him. He also introduced him to thebodybuilding universe and allows him to participate in his first competition in 2014, at just 19 years old.

A star on social networks

Today, the Canadian bodybuilder is 1.85 meters tall and weighs between 107 and 118 kilograms, depending on whether he is competing or resting. As for his measurements, his chest size measures 130 centimeters, his waist 76 centimeters and his arm's length 51 centimeters.

It counts 20.8 million followers on his Instagram account and 3.5 million subscribers on its YouTube channel. He shares his daily life with his community, whether it be his training sessions in bodybuilding, his diet or the backstage of the contests in which he participates.

In parallel to his career as a professional bodybuilder and his activity as afitness influencerChris Bumstead also appeared in a documentary film about another famous bodybuilder, Calum Von Moger. Calum Von Moger: Unbroken looks back at the Australian athlete's journey to recover from a serious injury following a terrible climbing accident.

Chris Bumstead, a busy bodybuilder career

After competing in his very first competition in 2014, he stood atop the podium at the 2015 Canadian Championships in the junior category. Chris Bumstead went on to win the prestigious IFBB North American Championships in 2016. He was only 21 years old at the time. This first professional victory allowed him to obtain his IFBB card.

That same year, the Canadian finished on the third step of the podium of the IFBB Dayana Cadeau Classic. He continued his strong performance in 2017 by winning the IFBB Pittsburgh Pro and the IFBB Toronto Pro in the category Classic Physics.

For its first participation in the prestigious Mister Olympia in 2017, Chris Bumstead finished second in the Classic Physique category, just 3 points behind his American rival Breon Ansley, 15 years his senior. The Canadian got back to work and showed up again in 2018, more motivated than ever. He once again finished in second place, this time only 1 small point behind Breon Ansley.

2018 also marks a turning point in the Canadian's personal life. Following a hospital stay, he was diagnosed with a autoimmune disease. Since then, he has to be even more vigilant and take even better care of his health.

With the gap to Ansley closing, many observers believe that Chris Bumstead will win the 2019 edition. They are not mistaken and 2019 is the year for theCanadian athlete. He in turn beats the American bodybuilder Breon Ansley by one point and becomes at the same time Mr Olympia. This performance is all the more impressive since the Canadian was operated on a herniated disc a few months before.

Chris Bumstead repeated his feat in the 2020 edition. In 2021, in Orlando, the Canadian won for the third consecutive yearThe latter, at 41 years of age, is still in the running.

He continued his domination in 2022, this time ahead of Brazil's Ramon Rocha Queiroz and Germany's Urs Kalecinski. At the 2023 in OrlandoCbum" has once again been awarded the gold medal in a competition dominated from start to finish.

At just 28 years of age, with 5 titles to his name, Chris Bumstead looks set to dominate his category for a long time to come. Today, he is one of bodybuilding stars and should continue to win numerous competitions over the coming years.

Chris Bumstead's training

Chris Bumstead is a complete athlete with a harmonious physique. To achieve such a result, the Canadian bodybuilder achieves on average 5 weight training sessions per week. These 5 workouts are organized by muscle groups. He regularly uses drop sets and supersets to build muscle mass more efficiently.

Discover the 5 typical workouts of Chris Bumstead.

Session 1 (back):

• Deadlift: 4 sets (the last one until failure) ;
• Torso bend: 4 sets (2 sets in supine grip and 2 sets in pronated grip);
• Vertical pull-ups: 4 sets;
• Vertical pull-up with high pulley: 4 series;
• Dumbbell Rowing with 1 arm: 4 sets;
• Horizontal pull: 3 sets;
• Lumbar extensions: 2 sets until failure.

Session 2 (pectorals and biceps):

• Inclined bench press: 5 sets;
• Bench press: 4 sets;
• Dumbbell lunges: 3 sets;
• Push-ups: 3 sets until failure;
• Spread at the high screw pulley: 3 sets ;
• Biceps curls at the bar: 3 sets;
• Dumbbell biceps curls in hammer grip: 3 sets;
• Biceps curls on the machine: 3 sets.

Session 3 (hamstrings and glutes):

• Leg curl: 4 sets;
• Straight legged deadlift: 4 sets;
• Single leg standing leg curl on machine: 2 sets;
• Hack squat: 4 sets;
• Standing pulley kickback: 3 sets.

Session 4 (shoulders and triceps):

• Lateral raises: 3 sets;
• Military Developed: 3 sets;
• Frontal lifts: 3 sets;
• Chin-up: 3 sets;
• Face pull: 3 sets;
• Dips: 4 sets;
• Front bar: 3 sets;
• High pulley extensions: 3 sets.

Session 5 (quadriceps):

• Leg extension: 3 sets;
• Squats: 8 sets (2 sets with heavy loads, 6 sets with less weight) ;
• Thigh press: 4 sets;
• Front lunges with dumbbells: 4 sets.

Chris Bumstead's diet

The food plan Chris Bumstead's diet is perfectly calibrated to help him achieve his goals. Of course, his meals differ depending on whether he's competing or not.

Like the vast majority of athletes, Chris Bumstead's diet is based on :

• eggs,
• oats,
• white meat (chicken and turkey),
• white fish,
• rice,
• sweet potato,
• vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, spinach, etc.).

Here is 5 examples of meals that a Canadian can consume in a day:

• Meal 1: 4 whole eggs + 2 bagels with almond butter + 1 glass of orange juice;
• Meal 2: 180 grams of chicken + 280 grams of rice + 15 grams of macadamia nut oil + 2 waffles;
• Meal 3: 220 grams of brown rice (brown rice) + 180 grams of turkey + marinara sauce ;
• Meal 4: 180 grams of chicken + 300 grams of rice + spinach;
• Meal 5: 500 grams of potatoes + 180 grams of turkey.

In addition to his meals, Chris Bumstead of course consumes food supplements such as whey protein, BCAA, glutamine, creatine and vitamins.

His preparation for Olympia 2022

To prepare for Olympia 2022 in Las Vegas, the Canadian bodybuilder followed a demanding physical preparation.

For this edition, Chris Bumstead has changed some of his eating habits. If you're interested in this aspect of an athlete's preparation, I've tested his new diet and training in a video available on my YouTube channel.

In his quest to gain mass, the athlete consumes 5,000 calories per daywhich is less than what it used to do.

For breakfast (1,000 calories), he chose to replace pancakes with cinnamon raisin bagels and whey protein. In fact, he used eggs to prepare his pancakes, which caused him digestive problems. He adds almond puree or ghee butter, an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine that does not contain lactose, to his meal.

For his second meal of the day (900 calories), the Canadian eats 180 grams of ground turkey and 300 grams of rice. In his previous preparations, he could go up to 400 grams of rice. This time, he prefers to compensate for the lack of calories by using olive oil.

Sound pre-workout meal is made up of 200 grams of lean steak and 400 grams of sweet potato, for a total of about 700 calories.

After training, Chris Bumstead eats his biggest meal of the day with 1,450 calories. He eats 250 grams of ground meat (5 % of fat) and 400 grams of brown rice pasta, which he accompanies with tomato sauce. He punctuates his menu with a peanut butter protein bar.

Before bedtime, he finishes his day with a final 950-calorie meal that includes 300 grams of rice and 120 grams of ground turkey.

Chris Bumstead therefore opted for a mass gain diet classic, but effective. It's a recipe that has once again won him the Grail at the world's biggest bodybuilding competition.

Conclusion

Chris Bumstead is an extremely well-rounded athlete, and a firm favourite with the general public. With 5 consecutive victories in the Classic Physique of Mr. Olympia, the Canadian should dominate the competition for many years to come.