Chris Bumstead is aware of a factor or two about constructing muscle. Starting with a win on the 2019 Traditional Physique Olympia, Bumstead’s reign over the division has made him probably the most recognizable lively physique athlete on this planet.
- Bumstead has amassed a 25-million-follower military on social media and is, in some ways, the de facto cultural tastemaker for youthful generations of leisure bodybuilders.
Bumstead formally introduced his retirement from Traditional Physique on stage following his win on the 2024 Olympia (although he did resolve to play an encore within the Men’s Open class earlier than hanging up his posing trunks).
From profitable complement strains to half possession of Gymshark, we’re fairly positive Bumstead ain’t going anyplace. We’ll miss him on stage regardless, so listed here are six bits of bodybuilding recommendation that helped Chris Bumstead set the usual.
6 Bodybuilding Ideas From Chris Bumstead
Bumstead is the closest factor bodybuilding has to a thought chief — what he says, goes. Nonetheless, you’re extra prone to discover “CBum” going deep on philosophy and psychology than coaching methods more often than not.
Fortunately, Bumstead’s coaching vlogs on YouTube are packed filled with muscle-making knowledge. These six suggestions — one for every win on the Classic Physique Olympia — are a few of his finest recommendation:
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1. Coaching Frequency
It’s solely proper that we kick off with one thing from 2019 when Bumstead bagged his first victory on the Olympia. A couple of quick weeks after that win, Bumstead took to YouTube to clarify the rationale behind his coaching break up.
- “It’s develop into fashionable within the health group, even on the elite stage,” Bumstead stated concerning the now-famous push-pull-legs exercise break up. “Research are displaying that probably the most optimum technique to practice a physique half is greater than as soon as per week.”
He’s proper. Analysis performed by industry-leading clinician Dr. Brad Schoenfeld lends assist to rising your exercise frequency: “Muscle teams ought to be educated a minimum of twice every week to maximise muscle development…” (1)
Bumstead’s push-pull-legs split allowed him to cowl his bases from prime to backside. If you happen to’re nonetheless caught on a once-weekly exercise regime and your features have slowed or stalled, it could be time to dial issues up.
2. Triceps Workout routines
On stage, you may spot Bumstead by his…nicely, every part. Regardless of injuries and setbacks, Bumstead boasts among the most spectacular arms within the Traditional Physique division. On the subject of optimizing an arm exercise, train choice is every part. Right here’s Bumstead in 2023:
- “I’ve began my final three arm exercises with a superset of rope pushdowns and overhead extensions,” Bumstead remarked.
For CBum, this pairing is a good way to heat up the elbows forward of different, heavier workout routines. He additionally touched on the distinctive efficiency of the overhead triceps extension. One scientific examine even noticed nearly 40% extra triceps development from performing overhead extensions in comparison with pushdowns. (2)
Whether or not you’re trying to beef up your arms or wish to keep away from a painful day within the weight room, warming up your elbows is a sensible transfer — overhead triceps extensions assure you’ll squeeze each morsel or muscle development out alongside the way in which.
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3. Joint Well being & Restoration
Bodybuilders beat themselves to a pulp within the fitness center as their full-time job; for Bumstead, a profession within the weight room got here with a value. He’s accrued and managed various accidents through the years, and in 2022, he dropped a pearl of knowledge about joint well being:
- “Relaxation doesn’t assist your joints,” Bumstead stated. “It simply makes you tighten up much more.”
Joint ache is hard to handle and might fluctuate in pathology from individual to individual. That stated, Bumstead’s basic observations listed here are on the mark. Locomotion, or low-intensity motion, will increase blood movement, promotes joint lubrication, and may help with basic bodily resilience in comparison with mattress relaxation. (3)
Active recovery strategies resembling strolling and swimming aren’t only for fats loss phases or practical health athletes. Bodybuilders stand to profit as nicely — because the saying goes, movement is lotion.
4. Tempo
There’s a couple of technique to pores and skin a cat, and there’s a couple of pathway to the bodybuilding podium. Mass monster Dorian Yates received the Mr. Olympia six occasions in a row off the again of his heavy-duty “blood and guts” coaching type.
Bumstead, in contrast, takes issues sluggish and regular, each in contest prep and when he’s obtained a dumbbell in his fingers. For the 2024 Olympia, Bumstead recruited efficiency specialist Justin King. Right here’s King:
- “That’s the ticket, the time below rigidity throughout the eccentric,” he replied when Bumstead requested concerning the single most influential consider bodybuilding coaching. “You create extra muscle injury and eccentrics are additionally one of many quickest methods to construct energy.”
You’ll be able to see this philosophy embodied in how Bumstead hits the weights; he’s sluggish, composed, and managed from begin to end. Lifting in such a means permits CBum to get extra worth out of lighter hundreds if he needs to, whereas additionally guaranteeing he’s constructed stability and management to go heavy with out risking harm.
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5. Vary of Movement
Within the early fall of 2024, Bumstead renewed his partnership with athleticwear juggernaut Gymshark. As a part of the rollout, CBum dropped a again exercise completely for Gymshark, which contained some sage recommendation about vary of movement in bodybuilding coaching:
- “We’re going to be going for a lighter weight, large vary of movement this yr,” CBum says. “We’re elongating the muscular tissues by doing a little full vary of movement coaching.”
Elongating muscular tissues is one factor, however Bumstead’s philosophy on vary of movement is sweet recommendation it doesn’t matter what stage of your bodybuilding profession you’re in. Based on emergent analysis, muscular tissues are extra aware of hypertrophy after they’re stretched out and positioned below great quantities of mechanical rigidity. (4)
6. Squats
You received’t catch Bumstead camped out within the squat rack for a leg workout — a minimum of, not anymore. In his early years, it was a unique story. Throughout an interview when he was simply 21 years outdated, CBum touched on the efficiency of squatting for leg growth:
- “The one factor that I can say that contributed probably the most to my general leg growth must be squatting continually and squatting heavy,” Bumstead replied to a query about his quadriceps growth.
Positive, a profession of heavy squats can take its toll in some instances. This sentiment isn’t unique to Bumstead, although. All-time greats Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler each endorsed heavy squats as the last word quad-building train.
On the evidence-based facet of issues, heavy squats have been proven to activate extra muscle than Smith machine squats, leg presses, or leg extensions. (5)
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Chris Bumstead: Setting the Normal
Bumstead’s retirement on the 2024 Traditional Physique Olympia was a very long time coming. Main as much as his final dance below the lights, Bumstead stoked retirement rumors by making nods to legendary basketballer Michael Jordan and his six NBA championship rings.
Followers might have seen the writing on the wall, however his retirement from the Traditional Physique Olympia is hardly the final chapter in CBum’s ebook. He’s set to make his debut within the Males’s Open bodybuilding division on the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro.
After that? It’s anybody’s guess, however we nearly actually haven’t heard the final “What’s up, YouTube?” from CBum.
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References
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Results of Resistance Coaching Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Evaluate and Meta-Evaluation. Sports activities Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172.
- Maeo, Sumiaki & Wu, Yuhang & Huang, Meng & Sakurai, Hikaru & Kusagawa, Yuki & Sugiyama, Takashi & Kanehisa, Hiroaki & Isaka, Tadao. (2022). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is considerably higher after elbow extension coaching carried out within the overhead versus impartial arm place. European Journal of Sport Science. 1-26. 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279.
- Connolly DA, Brennan KM, Lauzon CD. Results of lively versus passive restoration on energy output throughout repeated bouts of quick time period, excessive depth train. J Sports activities Sci Med. 2003 Jun 1;2(2):47-51. PMID: 24616610; PMCID: PMC3938048.
- Pedrosa GF, Lima FV, Schoenfeld BJ, Lacerda LT, Simões MG, Pereira MR, Diniz RCR, Chagas MH. Partial vary of movement coaching elicits favorable enhancements in muscular variations when carried out at lengthy muscle lengths. Eur J Sport Sci. 2022 Aug;22(8):1250-1260. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199. Epub 2021 Might 23. PMID: 33977835.
- Clark, Dave R.; Lambert, Mike I.; Hunter, Angus M.. Muscle Activation within the Loaded Free Barbell Squat: A Temporary Evaluate. Journal of Energy and Conditioning Analysis 26(4):p 1169-1178, April 2012. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31822d533d
Featured Picture: @cbum / Instagram