Olympia Champs Unite: Chris Bumstead & Ryan Terry Hit the Reverse Fly Machine Together

The reigning Olympia champs are preparing to defend their titles together. 

Chris Bumstead is a towering figure in bodybuilding. Beginning in 2020, he clinched the Olympia Classic Physique title for five consecutive years. He’s also a highlighted athlete in our documentary Generation Iron 3, which showcases his remarkable journey and achievements.

 

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Chris Bumstead recently collaborated with Ryan Terry to perform impactful shoulder workouts. Terry, the reigning champion in the Olympia Men’s Physique category, is renowned for his unwavering commitment and dedication. After competing in the Olympia eight times, he achieved his long-awaited victory last year.

 

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During the off-season, renowned professional bodybuilders hit the gym to demonstrate how to execute effective shoulder workouts while enjoying the process. Both athletes, having competed in the industry for a similar duration, shared plenty of jokes, engaged in lively conversations, and took social calls. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, these professionals accomplished their goals and looked great. Explore their routines below.

Chris Bumstead’s & Ryan Terry’s Shoulder Workout

Chris Bumstead and Ryan Terry spent this workout trading tips and discussing winning at the Olympia. Terry shares how he changed his training philosophies for better results during the 2023 off-season. Whatever he did worked because it took him from seventh place in the previous Olympia to winning. Below are their exercises.  

Warm-up: Dumbbell Lateral Raise & Single Arm Cable Row 

CBum starts the warm-up session with a pair of dumbbells, during which he does a few reps. Bumstead insists there isn’t enough time and prompts Terry to grab a set of dumbbells to run through the warm-ups. This study shows that warm-up exercises are essential for an athlete’s performance, confidence, and stability during exercises (1).

Bumstead immediately goes to the arm cable row machine for another set of warm-ups. As he does this, he discusses the feeling of winning an Olympia title with Terry. Terry’s excited and agrees that being called champ is nice.

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Ryan Terry suggests starting the working sets with dumbbell lateral raises. He also insists that CBum go first. CBum states he likes doing 8-12 reps for this routine. While doing the dumbbell lateral raises, Bumstead performed isometric holds for about 1-second and 4-second controlled negatives. 

Performing isometric holds when exercising helps increase muscle hypertrophy and improves muscular strength (2). Chris Bumstead also explains how doing these holds helps with strength training so he doesn’t hurt himself. Terry explains that he focuses on training with light weights and a lot of control, stating: 

“Training changed last year, so two things, one, obviously, I was doing my back, but I was hitting like… I was training with super heavyweight. I was hitting like a normal lat spread like, you know, upright, when I saw Steven, why are you doing it like that? I was like, I’ve done that for the last ten years. Is that what you’re meant to do, and he just like pinched my lower back, put my chest up, and he went see? Straight away, yeah, exactly that little movement.”

Terry performs some dumbbell lateral raises, adding some isometrics to his movement. They also talk about their work to win titles and how it has changed their lives. Bumstead concludes the dumbbell lateral raises, and they move to the next exercise.

Machine Shoulder Press

CBum and Terry head for the machine shoulder press next during this workout. They start using progressive weights with a couple of sets on an iso-lateral shoulder press machine. Terry spotted CBum and kept encouraging him until he finished his reps.

Terry went next and sarcastically thanked Bumstead for spotting him. They then do two drop sets to complete their sets until they hit muscle failure. This study shows that training to failure can promote, strengthen, and activate muscles, increasing athletes’ muscle growth (3).

Reverse Fly Machine 

Ryan Terry hops on the incline bench to perform the reverse fly machine for several reps. Towards the end, he changes his tempo, making movements quicker and alternating your tempo while training, which is a great way to shock your muscles. 

Next, CBum takes on the reverse fly machine and does his reps with a slower approach. Controlling your reps is an effective way to put extra tension, encouraging more muscle hypertrophy. The incline position both men adopt during this exercise also limits the possibility of momentum, ensuring that they keep to form.

Dumbbell Front Raise

Finally, Terry and Bumstead conclude their shoulder workouts with the dumbbell front raise to round out their anterior delts. Ryan Terry starts by grabbing the dumbbell for a couple of reps. He does a front raise, then switches to a complex mix of front and alternating raises. Chris Bumstead also does the same before they both close the session.

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References

1. Park, H. K., Jung, M. K., Park, E., Lee, C. Y., Jee, Y. S., Eun, D., Cha, J. Y., & Yoo, J. (2018). The effect of warm-ups with stretching on the isokinetic moments of collegiate men. Journal of exercise rehabilitation, 14(1), 78–82. https://doi.org/10.12965/jer.1835210.605
2. Oranchuk, D. J., Storey, A. G., Nelson, A. R., & Cronin, J. B. (2019). Isometric training and long-term adaptations: Effects of muscle length, intensity, and intent: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(4), 484–503. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13375
3. Santanielo, N., Nóbrega, S. R., Scarpelli, M. C., Alvarez, I. F., Otoboni, G. B., Pintanel, L., & Libardi, C. A. (2020). Effect of resistance training to muscle failure vs non-failure on strength, hypertrophy and muscle architecture in trained individuals. Biology of sport, 37(4), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2020.96317