What is the starting point for an elite bodybuilder’s diet? Well on Jan. 8, 2022, three-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead took to his YouTube channel to share day one of his new bulking diet in preparation for the 2022 Olympia weekend. Bumstead has to bulk back up after losing a significant amount of weight while recovering from a bout of COVID-19 during the holidays.
His first day back in the gym, where he felt more winded than usual during a back workout, was at a bodyweight 28 pounds lighter than what he normally weighs in the off-season. He found his new diet to course-correct his bulk before he cuts down and attempts to win his fourth consecutive Classic Physique title at the 2022 Olympia weekend scheduled for Dec. 16-18, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV. Check out the full video below:
[Related: Here’s the Leg Workout Brandon Curry Used to Grow for the 2021 Olympia]
The video opens on Bumstead in his kitchen calculating his caloric intake via a calculator on his Cbum Fitness app. The 26-year-old estimated his weight at 240 pounds on his six-foot, one-inch frame, tabulating his daily macronutrient breakdown to the following:
Chris Bumstead’s Daily Macros When Bulking
- Calories — 4,161
- Fats — 139 grams
- Carbohydrates — 488 grams
- Protein — 240 grams
Bumstead caveats that this is a rough estimate rather than a sharpened target, but that one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is the minimum when bulking. It’s okay if he goes over his target protein intake, but ensures that his protein and calories are met so his body is sufficiently fueled for his active training schedule. He’s at ease if his carb and fat intake are within a 20-percent range of the calculator’s estimated targets.
Daily Meals
Bumstead opts for two larger meals — one in the morning and one in the evening, with pre- and post-workout meals in the middle. He closes out the day with a smaller meal before going to sleep. His meals consist of foods that provide better nutrition and sufficient micronutrients, rather than just a load of calories like his pancakes-and-pizza-and-subs cheat day.
Breakfast — 1,037 Calories
His first task each sunrise is making a smoothie with the following ingredients:
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Half of a Banana
- Glutamine
- GI
- Greens
- Fiber
- Whey Protein — one scoop
- Oatmeal — 70 grams
Bumstead opts for water as his mixer rather than milk or milk alternative as he finds it easier to digest. He drinks that smoothie whilst preparing his actual breakfast of:
- Three Whole Eggs
- Toast — three slices
- Half of an Avocado
- Ketchup
Bumstead anticipates potentially moving up to six meals per day over the course of his off-season training. He consumes two large meals and three smaller meals per day with a focus on easy digestion.
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[Related: Check Out Regan Grimes’ First Leg Day For His 2022 Arnold Classic Prep]
Pre-Workout Meal — 623 Calories
Bumstead’s meal before his workout is a classic, fried up with coconut aminos:
- White Rice — 280 grams
- Ground Turkey — 175 grams
- Shredded Lettuce
- Broccoli Sprouts
The Classic Physique champ shares how thankful he is that his taste returned from his COVID-19 rebound. He admits that eating over 4,000 calories per day without being able to taste anything would have been difficult even if he could still “feel spice.”
Post-Workout Meal — 510 Calories
After his training session, Bumstead gets in another quick meal of 100 grams of white rice and MegaFit Keto sesame chicken for another 510 calories.
Dinner — 1,177 Calories
A new feature of Bumstead’s diet is revised glucose during higher-carb meals. It contains berberine and chromium, which Bumstead says “helps…uptake of carbs and insulin levels [to] keep…blood sugar from spiking too high.”
- Brown Rice — 160 grams
- Ground Beef — 225 grams
- Pasta Sauce
Bumstead’s preferred options for when his diet calls for higher carbs are pasta and sweet potatoes — again because he finds them both easy to eat and digest.
Final Meal — 780 Calories
Bumstead includes one of his favorite foods to round out his day of eating — chocolate chip pancakes. He uses Birch Benders pancake mix, which has more protein per serving than regular pancake mix.
- Chocolate Chip Protein Pancakes — 150 grams
Alongside his pancakes, Bumstead washes them down with one-and-a-half scoops of whey protein mixed with glutamine in water. His steady eating throughout the day lands him squarely in the range of his daily caloric target. All the above meals combined total 4,127 calories of the following:
- Fats — 118 grams
- Carbs — 500 grams
- Protein — 264 grams
Bumstead’s 264-grams of daily protein matches his goal weight. If Bumstead can maintain his diet throughout the off-season and enter the 2022 Olympia with similar progress year-over-year he made from 2020 into 2021, it will likely be challenging for anyone to knock him off his throne.
Featured image: @cbum on Instagram / photo by Calvin Youttitham (@calvinyouttitham on Instagram)
