The four-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead has entered his prep for a fourth title defense at the 2023 Olympia, scheduled for Nov. 2-5 in Orlando, FL. Bumstead weighed 268 pounds in the final week of his bulking phase and must shed 34 pounds in 10 weeks to make weight for the Olympia.
On Aug. 16, 2023, Bumstead published a video on his YouTube channel wherein he trained back for the final time during his bulk with coach Hany Rambod. Check out the video below:
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Chris Bumstead’s 2023 Olympia Back Workout
Here is a snapshot of Bumstead’s back workout:
- Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
- Pull-Ups
- Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row
- Incline Bench Dumbbell Rows
- Panatta Pulldown Machine
- Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
- Hyperextension
- Seated Calf Raise
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Close-Grip Lat Pulldown
Bumstead focused on contracting his back throughout the range of motion via a slow rep cadence. Decreasing the speed of the reps allows him time to establish a mind-muscle connection to ensure that the target muscles are moving the weight.
Bumstead paused and contracted his lats for five seconds in the shortened position. Then he performed controlled negatives for increased time under tension (TUT), which promotes hypertrophy.
Pull-Ups & Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row
Bumstead performed the first eight pull-ups with a shoulder-wide overhand grip. He switched to a neutral shoulder-wide grip for the second set and scored nine reps with some help from Rambod on the final three reps.
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The reigning Olympia champs paired pull-ups with reverse-grip bent-over rows to bias his lower lats. Training the lower lats will offer the aesthetic of a denser back on stage during a lat spread. He pulled his scapula together and his elbows behind midline on concentrics. He switched to an overhand grip on the final set to take tension off his biceps.
Incline Bench Dumbbell Row
Bumstead grabbed the dumbbells with an overhand grip and pulled with flared elbows bias the upper back, including the traps, rhomboids, and rear deltoids. He took his sets to failure before continuing sets with partial reps.
Panatta Pulldown Machine
Bumstead continued his upper-back training with the Panatta convergent super-high lat pulldown. This machine’s angle of pull biases lat development. Bumstead grabbed the handles with a neutral grip, maintained an upright torso, and drove through his elbows which remained tight to his torso to keep tension on his lats.
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown & Hyperextension
Bumstead grabbed a triceps rope attachment with an overhand shoulder-wide grip, maintained his torso at 45 degrees, and arched his back. He trained to failure using drop sets.
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[Read More: Best Lower Back Exercises for Strength and Reduced Pain]
Bumstead finished with three sets of hyperextensions to target his lower back. He descended until his torso was at 45 degrees and arched his back at the top to load his erector spinae. After completing two bodyweight sets, he held a 50-pound kettlebell against his chest for the final set.
Road to the 2023 Olympia
“I am a lot bigger and stronger than I was last year going into prep at this exact point,” Bumstead said at the end of his workout. Bumstead is the favorite to win a fifth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title at the 2023 Olympia.
However, to do so, he will have to fend off 2022 Olympia runner-up Ramon Rocha Queiroz and 2022 Olympia bronze medalist Urs Kalecinski, both of whom have packed on significant size to try and bump Bumstead from his throne.
Featured image: @cbum on Instagram
