We ask Chris Bumstead if he believes that Classic Physique can one day become the most popular division in the sport.
With the Mr. Olympia 2020 weekend just wrapped up, we decided to dive into yet another vault interview from Generation Iron 3. With the continued rise of the Classic Physique division, is it possible for it to become more popular the Men’s Open? Will the culture one day switch to preferring more tapered physiques as opposed to mass monsters? In our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview, Chris Bumstead believes Classic Physique will continue to rise as a popular division – but not necessarily overtake Men’s Open.
Over the past two decades, there have been a lot of changes to the sport of bodybuilding. What once only had one or two divisions now has over 10 under its belt. One of the most recent additions was the Classic Physique division.
The Classic Physique division was an answer to fan outcry that Men’s Open bodybuilding had changed too much from its roots. It’s now filled with bigger mass monsters and less X-frame aesthetics. The Classic Physique division puts a weight limit based on height and a different standard for judging criteria. It was a huge success.
Now in 2020, the division has five years of history. It’s also come into its own finally discovering the exact kind of physique should be standard. After a few years of discovery, the athletes and the division as a whole now has its own unique identity.
More importantly, the division has been a smash hit. Top athletes in the category have become household names in the sport and continues to be a highlight at the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia weekends. The recent title win by Chris Bumstead was one of the standouts of this past weekend.
So with this kind of popularity, is it possible for the division to rise up and become more popular than Men’s Open? With fans wanting a more classic aesthetic, will the tides eventually turn to this kind of physique? We asked that exact question to Chris Bumstead, years before he was an Olympia champion during the filming of Generation Iron 3.
Chris Bumstead has faith in Classic Physique becoming more and more popular (so far he’s been right). But he also doesn’t see the Men’s Open division falling anytime soon. Bumstead envisions a future where Classic Physique is similar to Men’s 212. Both divisions sharing a huge amount of popularity. At the end of the day though, Men’s Open started it all. It’s essentially grandfathered in. It’s unlikely we’ll see a fall similar to Women’s Bodybuilding anytime in the future.
You can watch Chris Bumstead’s comments in our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview segment above. You can also watch Generation Iron 3 on digital today. Click here or the banner below to stream or download!
