Chris Bumstead has an ace up his sleeve. The five-time champ of the Classic Physique division is gearing up to defend his title at the 2024 Olympia on Oct. 10-13. After so many years at the top of his game, Bumstead has accrued more than a few bumps and bruises.
To get in fighting shape in time for the big show, Bumstead’s turned to performance specialist and strength coach Justin King.
If you follow “CBum” on YouTube, you’ve probably seen King pop up here and there — he’s the magician who can turn one of the strongest bodybuilders alive into a pool of soup with just a resistance band or a pair of five-pound dumbbells.
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BarBend sat down with King to find out how he came to work with Bumstead and what their plans are for the precious seven-or-so weeks until the biggest night in physique sports. As it turns out, it takes a village to raise a bodybuilder — here’s how King is helping Bumstead get fixed-for-win-six at the Olympia.
Justin King on Chris Bumstead & the 2024 Olympia
Below, you’ll find a play-by-play of our conversation with King roughly two months from the commencement of the 2024 Olympia. We discussed King’s background, how he came to work with Bumstead, and some of Bumstead’s top priorities before the big show.
BarBend (BB): Tell us about your professional background. How’d you get going in your industry?
Justin King (JK): “I’ve been coaching for a decade and have been blessed to learn from some of the best minds in the industry; Charles Poliquin, Dr. James Lavalle, and Ben Prentiss, to name a few. I’ve since worked with NFL athletes from 27 different teams, as well as those in the NHL, MLB, and UFC.”
BB: How long have you worked with Chris Bumstead, and why did he seek your assistance?
JK: “8-10 months ago, I helped Chris’ former coach and brother-in-law, Iain Valliere, transition from Open bodybuilding to sprinting. Valliere mentioned me to Chris. Since then, it’s evolved into me helping with his workouts, injuries, and improving his general health as well — all in the wheelhouse of what we do at Built Better.”
BB: How do you balance your work with Bumstead alongside the bodybuilding programming from Hany Rambod?
JK: “Working alongside Hany is a blessing — truly, I have to pinch myself sometimes. Collaborating with the greatest bodybuilding coach in history to help Chris bring his best package ever is an honor and a privilege.
On the rehab side of things, I took the same approach with Chris as I would for an NFL athlete or a mother looking to get active postpartum; with a custom, individualized approach. We conducted an extensive assessment to identify Chris’ limitations regarding his goals, then we tailored our approach based on his timeline and priorities.”
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BB: What are some of the unique challenges of working with an Olympia-winning bodybuilder?
JK: “Athletes in different sports have their own goals, needs, and challenges. An athlete’s risk of injury is also sport-specific — for a wrestler, the external rotators of the shoulder are incredibly important because they grapple with high forces and velocities, and often in very compromising positions.
For a bodybuilder like Chris, we might pay attention to some of his weak points. If, say, he had trouble with his chest hypertrophy, I might focus on those external rotators to reduce neurological inhibition, make the tissues around his shoulder capsule more resilient, and help him access a larger range of motion.
This would lead to better muscle fiber recruitment in his pecs, fewer injuries, more neural drive to the weakened tissues, and so on.”
BB: What techniques or tools have you had success with so far? What hasn’t worked?
JK: “Chris’ sport is, in my opinion, sometimes resistant to change or the idea of a different approach due to fear of losing what has already been achieved. Bodybuilders tend to have an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mentality. That said, with Chris we’ve had success from conducting a structural balance assessment; something rare for a bodybuilder.
In the pursuit of fixing some structural issues, we are utilizing exercises such as trap 3 raises and variations of external rotations. We’ve also added isometrics, both early in his rehab and deeper into his hypertrophy training. We treat these movements with the same importance as any traditional bodybuilder’s exercise.”
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BB: What has Bumstead taught you as a provider and coach?
JK: “Thanks to Chris, I’ve learned a lot about the significance of mentality and individuality. I stand by providing the best care for the athlete — even if they don’t always want to do a specific exercise — but giving them a mental win by allowing for some collaboration isn’t the end of the world.
I’d argue that accommodating the athlete’s comfort level creates positive change. Some people might say you don’t need to adjust your program to suit the athlete’s likes or dislikes. That idea makes me cringe.”
Built; Better
King, Rambod, and Bumstead are hard at work preparing for the 2024 Olympia. To help the world’s best bodybuilder get back in fighting shape is no small feat, but King has the resources and expertise to get the job done.
- If you’d like to connect with King on social media, you can find him @justinkingpro on Instagram, or check out the Built Better website if you’re an Arizonan.
Bumstead will appear at the 2024 Olympia from Oct. 10 to 13 in Las Vegas, NV.
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Featured Image: @justinkingpro / Instagram
