Coleman argued that Arnold was on a completely different level when he was competing vs Cbum.
There are many matchups across all sports that fans would like to see where both athletes, or teams, are in their prime. Professional bodybuilding is no different. The matchup between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris Bumstead is one that you will always see due to the impact both competitors had on the sport and mostly due to being two of the best physiques of all-time despite division.
Bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman joined Eddie Hall where he was asked whether Chris Bumstead would have beaten Arnold on stage. The 8x Olympia champion had a clear response to the debate and sided with Arnold.
“Not a snowball’s chance. No, no, Arnold is on a totally different level than him. If Arnold had what he had, he would have smoked him easily.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to America in 1968 at 21 years old and began pursuing a career in bodybuilding. It did not take long for him to become the most famous name in bodybuilding, as well as the community outside of it. He has also led quite an eccentric life — a 4-time Mr. Universe champion, and 7-time Mr. Olympia champion, an Emmy-award winning actor, and a two-term governor of California. The Arnold Sports Festival, which has been held annually since 1989, is named after him as well, and now held in multiple countries each year.
Ronnie Coleman Answers Arnold vs. Bumstead
Chris Bumstead completely transformed the Classic Physique division and helped make it one of the best in the world. After winning his sixth Classic Physique Olympia title at the 2024 Classic Physique October, Bumstead announced that he would be retiring. He took the stage one final time during the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro in Men’s Open and finished as the runner-up. Bumstead has not competed since.
Bumstead was able to put together a dynasty in Classic similar to Coleman, Dorian Yates, and Phil Heath in Open. Coleman believes that there are not many more happening right now because the overall mindset of competitors is different.
“People are changing now. They are not so driven. It’s straight across the board. There’s nobody that’s really like dominating now. The domination is not there anymore because the guys are less competitive and less driven.”
A lot of Chris Bumstead’s inspiration comes from golden age bodybuilders. He made sure to keep his waist and core tight with lean muscle mass. He hopes to replicate their legacy one day and the path he is was on certainly lends credence to his hopes. It will be interesting to see if he follows in the footsteps of Arnold one day.
In addition to his success as a bodybuilder, Schwarzenegger also won several titles as a powerlifter, placing first in the 1966 International Powerlifting Championships and the 1969 German Powerlifting Championships. Back then, muscle mass and low body fat were not the only things that bodybuilders chased, they wanted to be as strong as possible. This is one of many ways he was able to transform the sport over the course of his career.
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