Chris Bumstead’s Gruesome Leg Workout for Olympia 2023

CBum is training for a fifth Classic Physique Olympia title. 

Since becoming the 2019 Mr. Olympia Classic Physique champion, Chris Bumstead continues to reign supreme as he sets his sights on securing his fifth title this year. Recently, he provided a physique update and shared insights on his cutting diet. Bumstead is set to compete against some pretty talented contenders such as Urs Kalecinski, Ramon Rocha Queiroz, and the esteemed two-time former champion, Breon Ansley. Let’s review Chis Bumstead’s Olympia 2023 leg workout preparation. 

Chris Bumstead, also known as “CBum”, a Canadian bodybuilder with an impressive physique, shares many of his workouts online. This includes a brutal leg workout that he did with Coach Hany Rambod at the start of the season. The leg workout we’ll follow in this post is happening just weeks to Mr. Olympia. 

Training at the start of the season differs from training to get shredded just a few weeks before a competition. Many athletes are usually in the cutting phase and have to train differently because their energy levels are not as high. In this post, we’ll share tips from Chris Bumstead on finishing strong as he trains his legs in preparation for the 2023 Olympia.

Chris Bumstead’s Leg Workout

 

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Before starting his workout, Chris Bumstead explains that he has cut his calories again and now weighs under 250 lbs. He also talks about how he has increased cardio as part of his work to get shredded, as it helps to boost metabolism and shed extra body fat. Bumstead then takes a pre-workout with his meal of chicken and rice with about 180g chicken breast and 180g rice with honey mustard sauce. 

Next, Chris Bumstead does some warmups consisting of dynamic stretches and leg extensions to move, get the blood pumping and the muscles and joints loosened up, as well as feel some energy before starting his workouts. This 2016 research supports stretching and specific warmups before training (1). 

Chris Bumstead does seven exercises for this leg workout, a mix of machine and bodyweight routines. For most, he does a warmup first before doing some working sets. CBum also does two supersets to wrap up his leg workout for the day.

Leg Extensions

Chris Bumstead did five to seven reps of leg extensions in a total of three working sets. He says he aims to build his upper quad more than the teardrop, as his lower quads tend to be more dominant. To make up for that, he uses mind-muscle connection to really feel the muscle contracting, does a squeeze for five reps, and then trains till muscular failure for the rest. Research shows that mind-muscle connection effectively induces muscle growth (2), this was also a tactic of Mr. Olympia champion Arnold Schwarzenegger, who envisioned his muscles growing.

The leg extension is actually an isolation exercise that targets your quad muscles. It works on all four heads of the quad and increases muscle mass and strength of the legs. Leg extensions are machine-based and allow for additional volume when training your quads.  

Leg Presses

The leg press is a lower-body compound exercise that targets your quads, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and hip flexors. It’s a triple extension routine involving your knee, ankle, and hip joint. To do the leg press, you use a leg press machine, which can either be vertical, horizontal, or inclined. 

Chris Bumstead does his leg press on a 45-degree plate-loaded incline machine. He did three sets with 8-12 reps and pauses between each set for 10-15 seconds. Then heads to the next exercise.

Belt Squats

Belt squats are an effective alternative to the back squat for those with lower back pain (3). This exercise targets the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core. This exercise eliminates the need for a spotter like you would with the regular back squat.

Before doing the belt squat, Chris Bumstead does a warm-up set to prepare his muscles. He then does three working sets of six to ten reps before moving to the next exercise for the day.

Smith Machine Squats

Smith machine squats target your quads, glutes, adductors, hamstring, calves, and abs. This machine removes the need for stabilization and focuses on your primary movers. Using a Smith machine to do squats also eliminates the need for a spotter.

Chris Bumstead first did a warmup set on the Smith machine. Then he hit four working sets of ten reps each for his Smith machine squats. After this, he headed for the first super set in this leg workout.

Bulgarian Split Squats & Leg Extensions

Leg extensions, as we’ve already mentioned, isolate and build your quad muscles. Chris Bumstead did a superset of leg extensions and Bulgarian split squats, talk about a brutal leg day. He says he’s just trying to get big legs, and this gives a nice stretch while working the body from different directions.   

The Bulgarian split squat is an exercise that targets your calves, glutes, quads, and hamstrings. This exercise is also a single-leg routine that forces your core to work in overdrive to maintain stability.  Bulgarian split squats benefit your core and legs while putting less stress on your lower back.

Hip Adductors & Seated Calf Raises

Seated calf raises isolate your legs and target the soleus of the calves. This is great as this muscle is often forgotten with other leg exercises. While building mass is essential, you also need to strengthen weak muscles in the leg to avoid injuries.

The hip adduction machine targets the adductor muscles, which control the thighs. Chris Bumstead does a superset of hip adduction machine and seated calf raises to round up his routine. Then he shares that his goal is to bring home the fifth title while carrying his fans along.

You can watch the full workout here:

Chris Bumstead Leg Day Wrap Up

Well, that concludes Chris Bumstead’s brutal leg day in preparation for the 2023 Mr. Olympia. Will you be giving it a try?

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References

1. Sá, M. A., Matta, T. T., Carneiro, S. P., Araujo, C. O., Novaes, J. S., & Oliveira, L. F. (2016). Acute Effects of Different Methods of Stretching and Specific Warm-ups on Muscle Architecture and Strength Performance. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 30(8), 2324–2329. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001317 
2. Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7 
3. Joseph, L., Reilly, J., Sweezey, K., Waugh, R., Carlson, L. A., & Lawrence, M. A. (2020). Activity of Trunk and Lower Extremity Musculature: Comparison Between Parallel Back Squats and Belt Squats. Journal of human kinetics, 72, 223–228. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0126