by Christian Duque
Let me start out by saying I agree wholeheartedly with “THAT INTERVIEWER GUY” from that “PODCAST IN CANADA.” I love ya bro – I’m of course speaking about Matt Tsinkorang from Muscle Discord – one of the most cutting edge bodybuilding podcasts on this rock called Earth. Matt spoke on Chris Bumstead’s very telling response to whether or not he’d do the 2025 Mr. Olympia should he win this weekend’s 2024 Prague Pro. When asked, C-Bum replied something to the effect of “we’ll see.”
Very much to Matt’s point, I would agree. Why on Earth would Chris win the contest and then not do the Olympia? I also agree with Matt and his assessment that we are talking about a six-time Classic Physique Mr Olympia, the G.O.A.T. of that division, Even though he says he’s only doing this open bodybuilding contest for fun, can you really take him at his word?
Can someone this good, this legendary, do anything at less than 100%? If he goes into the contest at 100% he has as much of a chance of winning as the next man. And probably a far better one because at the end of the day there’s also a tremendous amount of psychology involved.
That’s one of the things from Pumping Iron that was not bullshit. That’s one of the things that was hitting the nail on the head. Once you start to show your confidence your competitive level goes up. I can still remember Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman talking about posing on stage to win. When Jay looks back at 2001 he says that even though he had a better physique than Ronnie and even though he ended up placing better than him at the pre-judging, he lacked the confidence to win the show. if you don’t pose hard you’re not going to win. If you don’t show the judges everything you have and hide your flaws you’re not going to win. You mustn’t forget the judges can only score what they can see. And they can’t score down flaws they don’t.
There are other factors to consider. Competitor camaraderie is a big factor, self-confidence is a big factor, and how competitors interact with one another on stage. A guy like Chris goes into the contest knowing he’s got millions of followers, real followers, and that matters for a great deal. I will never forget the Natural Vitamins Epic Block Party in Ozone Park, New York. I physically recorded and interacted with six blocks worth of fans waiting patiently in the cold. They were literally waiting out in the cold for hours. They were not there for Nick Walker, Brandon Curry – they were there for C-Bum..
When Chris takes the stage in Prague he is going to go in there as the favorite. And that is pretty remarkable considering the fact he has never done an open bodybuilding show. And he’s going to be up against formidable competition, but if you don’t think they are even slightly intimidated by the fact that Chris is now in the lineup then you’re crazy. No one wants to lose to him but everyone knows how great he is. This is the guy that Arnold says is what bodybuilding should look like today. When the most iconic bodybuilder on the planet gives you that kind of kudos it’s tantamount to being Mr Olympia at the open level. Even though Arnold is not a federation official and even though he is not a judge, he is the biggest name of pretty much all things bodybuilding. Like Jesus and Gandhi, Arnold is known simply by his first name all around the world. And when a guy with that level of star power gives you compliments like the ones he ga e Chris, that’s enough to throw anyone off their game. I don’t care how confident these guys may be at the Prague show or even at the open Olympia, nobody gets compliments like that from The Oak. Absolutely no one. So again, psychology is a really big deal.
In Pumping Iron they tried to use psychology through scripted scenarios like that involving Mile Katz and Ken Waller or maybe involving Arnold psyching out Lou before the contest. While those scenarios were fictional they served for a very important entertainment value but also a very important aspect to competition. To simplify bodybuilding down just to muscle and posing would be very elementary. There is a great deal of mental framework involved and there is a psych-out process. It may not be an intentional one like they tried to portray in Pumping Iron but it’s very much a subconscious one.
Every competitor is subconsciously sizing up the competition. They may say it’s all about bringing the best them possible. They may say that they don’t look at the next man. They may say that it isn’t bodybuilder versus bodybuilder. They may say that it’s ultimately in the judge’s hands, They may say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, everyone is assessing the situation at all times. Is that guy bigger, is that guy over there more aesthetically pleasing, is that guy over there overly confident and why?
There’s a lot of thought that goes into a bodybuilding show. You see it in the lead up on social media, you see it and feel it backstage and at the weigh-ins, and you most definitely see it on stage. You may not be able to point at it, but it’s there. And every man (or woman in female divisions) on that stage feels it. And I can tell you that any stage Chris walks on everyone is going to feel his presence – whether they want to admit it or not.
So if Chris wins in Prague, to echo Matt’s point, why on Earth would he not do the Olympia? Why would he do an open bodybuilding show and win it, to then just retire? it doesn’t make any sense. no I don’t want to be the one to say that Chris played with us with his retirement at the Olympia the same way he played with us for that gymshark announcement but he may not have intended initially to go this route, but he has to have known this would have been the end result. for him to go into a show just for fun and not look anything but 100% would undermine his legacy as the goat of classic physique. he just cannot do that. He cannot do that for classic physique, he cannot do that for his brands, he certainly cannot do that for his legacy. It’s just not in the cards.
There is no way Chris is not going to take this prep seriously, and honestly I think he’s going to go to Prague firing on all cylinders.
The reality of the matter is the fans are going to barely be able to contain themselves when they see him. You have to also take into account the fan response. That is also very unnerving. Imagine a bodybuilder who believes himself to be popular with the fans, maybe gets a few applause and a couple of shouts, then Chris gets on stage and it’s a standing room only type situation. There’s not a single ass in a seat. Everyone is on their feet, hands in the air, and shouting. Also realize the judges hear all the commotion as well. The judges may say that fan reaction doesn’t factor into how they score a contest, but the judges are only human – last time I checked.
In the end, I think Chris is a long way from retiring. I think his retirement may have been the intention at the time, but it’s certainly not the reality of the matter. I think we are going to have at least a few more years of Bumstead competing in open body building. And here’s another bombshell for you – if he doesn’t win but takes a close 2nd in Prague, I bet you he tries again. He WANTS to be in open bodybuilding, he just probably needed a way to make that break with Classic. It was probably a lot easier said than done.
I think he’s grown bored with Classic. After his battles with Breon ended there really wasn’t anyone that was pushing him hard. It’s very much like when Ronnie retired and Jay became complacent. If these guys don’t have at least one good battle at the Olympia they’re pretty much just going through the motions. If Chris wanted to, he could have won seven, eight, he could have won 10, he could have won a dozen Sandows. It’s just more trophies and more little checks for him. And I say little checks because he probably makes that amount of money in a few hours on a good Black Friday sale or a good 4th of July or Memorial Day weekend
sale. He certainly wasn’t competing at the Olympia for the prize money, I can tell you that much.
So what say you? Do you think Chris will be competing for quite some more time in the future? Do you think he will win in Prague? As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to follow and subscribe to MuscleDiscord, StrengthAddicts, and go buy a bunch of IronMag Labs supplements!! Or I’ll be executed. LOL. Don’t forget to post a link to this article on all of your social media feeds. I guarantee you it will generate some very lively conversation.