Chris Bumstead calls pro bodybuilding extreme and unhealthy while admitting that’s what makes it so impressive.
The core concept of bodybuilding is always a healthy one. Namely, to focus on improving your physique and body. But on the pro bodybuilding level, it’s less clear whether or not it’s a healthy sport. These athletes push their bodies to the extreme, PEDs are most likely involved, and the pure mass most divisions put on can be a strain on the body. In our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview, Chris Bumstead admits that pro bodybuilding is too extreme to be healthy… but that’s also why fans love it.
Chris Bumstead is the current Classic Physique Olympia champion. Before he landed such a distinction, he appeared in Generation Iron 3. Sadly, there just isn’t enough movie to include every talking point we discussed – which is why we’re pulling yet another vault interview from the cutting room floor. In this clip, Chris Bumstead opens up about how he believes the pro level of bodybuilding to be unhealthy.
But he doesn’t stop there. He admits that this is the case for nearly every pro sports league. The level of competition and desire for greatness pushes things to the human limit. He calls it “extreme.” While that’s not often used to describe most pro sports (except literal extreme sports like the X-Games), he applies it to all pro sports here.
Perhaps he might be right. In order to become a pro athlete, you need to operate at a level higher than most other people. This, in a sense, is extreme. It’s a level of performance that we wouldn’t expect out of an average person.
So when it comes to pro bodybuilding, Chris Bumstead thinks the same logic applies. The amount of stress they put on their body in the gym goes far beyond nearly 90% of the world population. It’s likely this isn’t healthy – but that’s a level of sacrifice pros are willing to make in order to achieve greatness.
That doesn’t mean pro athletes can’t be smart about their health. Chris Bumstead further explains that, while he’s not worried about his own health, he puts more focus on it due to his pro status. That means more doctors visits and getting specific check ups done based on the activities he performs for the sport.
You can check out Chris Bumstead’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview above. You can also watch Generation Iron 3 in full on digital. Get your copy today by clicking here or the banner below.
