For the last 4 years, no Classic Physique competitor has been capable of outperform Chris Bumstead on the Mr. Olympia contest. The titleholder since 2019, he stays firmly in the motive force’s seat heading into essentially the most anticipated bodybuilding competition of the 12 months.

With Bumstead and his peers making their final preparations for the 2023 Mr. Olympia show, the pressure is squarely on the four-time champion’s shoulders to fend off a crowded field headlined by 2023 Arnold Classic winner, and last 12 months’s Olympia runner-up, Ramon Rocha Quiroz and Urs Kalecinski, who finished third on the 2022 Classic Physique Olympia. Luckily, though, Bumstead looks greater than able to delivering one other first-place performance when he hits the stage for the Nov. 3-5 weekend in Orlando, FL.

Showcasing the dimensions and symmetry needed to succeed in the highest of the Classic Physique mountain, Bumstead gave fans an intimate take a look at his intense training style in a shoulder day workout vlog posted on his YouTube channel on Oct. 26, 2023.

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Before embarking on his workout, Bumstead showed his preferred method for promoting a fantastic pump, energy, and focus. He mixed his signature blue raspberry pre-workout complement from Raw Nutrition with Pump, a stimulant-free pre-training complement designed to extend blood flow and improve muscle fullness. That formula provided Bumstead with 200 milligrams of caffeine plus 10 grams of L-citrulline and an unspecified amount of beta alanine — two non-essential aminos acid present in many bodybuilding supplements.

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Coming off a high-carb day that reinvigorated his brain and replenished his muscle glycogen stores, the determined bodybuilder hit the gym with a full tank and excellent focus. The extraordinary workout begins on the 8:55 mark of the video.

Bumstead and his training partner started off with a classic shoulder day exercise: the dumbbell lateral raise. A time-tested deltoid-building movement, Bumstead used a pair of 45-pound (20.4-kilogram) dumbbells for his first set. He dropped down by five kilos (2.2 kilograms) on each of his next two sets, completing 12 reps on every one.

Plate-Loaded Shoulder Press Machine

Next, Bumstead showed off his strength on the plate-loaded shoulder press machine by working with five 45-pound plates per side on his first set. He removed one plate for his next set of this seated overhead press variation, ensuring to regulate the burden throughout the movement.

Bumstead’s training partner provided loads of verbal motivation (and a bit of little bit of assistance) to assist the reigning Mr. Olympia squeeze out the ultimate few reps on his second and third sets. This push-based exercise directly targeted the front delts while also recruiting the triceps through the lockout phase.

Reverse Pec-Deck Machine

After hitting his shoulders from the frontal plane, Bumstead switched up his angle of attack by working on the reverse pec-deck machine. Ensuring to maintain his arms prolonged and his chest firmly against the pad, he retracted his shoulder blades and squeezed his rear delts and rhomboids at the highest of each rep.

An exercise primarily aimed toward increasing thickness and overall muscular development within the posterior shoulders, this adduction-based movement provided Bumstead with a terrific pump, bringing out the championship-level definition in his upper back.

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Rope Cable Front Raise

After giving his anterior delts a break with the last exercise, Bumstead directly targeted them via the rope cable front raise. Organising with a slight forward lean and a pronated (palms down) grip, he recruited his front delts to lift the rope from knee height to shoulder-level so his arms were parallel with the ground.

Using an unspecified amount of weight, it took every little bit of effort for Bumstead to push through sets of 12 repetitions of the isolation movement. Along with working all three deltoid heads (anterior, lateral, and posterior), this front raise variation also required his serratus anterior to act as a stabilizer through the exercise.

Standing Shoulder Press Machine

Despite having already performed an overhead press variation earlier, that didn’t stop Bumstead from going back to a different push-based movement. This time, though, he utilized a standing shoulder press machine — and a much lighter load.

Bumstead started off with 95 kilos (43 kilograms) value of plates per side, ensuring to maintain a neutral wrist position and his core engaged. After two sets that included partial reps at the tip, he performed a drop set with a single 45-pound plate per side.

Cable Lateral Raise

For his final shoulder exercise, Bumstead performed a lateral raise variation. Quite than going the single-arm route, he worked each arms concurrently by crossing the cables in front of him.

Undoubtedly feeling the consequences of his muscle-building efforts, Bumstead made sure to maintain his palms down and head neutral as he spread his arms apart and raised them to shoulder-level. The four-time Mr. Olympia only showed one set of this exercise.

Seated Calf Raise/Tibialis Raise

Despite the fact that it was labeled a shoulder workout, Bumstead worked on his lower body for a temporary time by alternating seated calf raises with a novel tibialis raise to work the muscles along the front of his lower leg.

Starting with the seated calf machine, he utilized a method by which he flexed his calves halfway up before completing a full rep, Bumstead worked with a pair of 45-pound plates. Again, he only showed one set of this exercise before moving to a specialized seated machine that provided resistance as he raised he toes upward, working one leg at a time.

Classic Bodybuilding Shoulder Workout

Bumstead’s approach to working his deltoid so near to a significant contest will not be typical of his standard muscle-building session but, as a complete, it could provide a high-intensity change of pace in your next upper body workout. In case you were tempted to follow within the footsteps of the winningest champion Classic Physique has ever seen, here’s a recap of his pre-contest session.

• Dumbbell Lateral Raise
• Plate-Loaded Shoulder Press Machine
• Reverse Pec-Deck Machine
• Rope Cable Front Raise
• Standing Shoulder Press Machine
• Cable Lateral Raise
• Seated Calf Raise

Because the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest nears, other Classic Physique competitors can look ahead to attempting to take down a champion who just keeps recovering. With a winning mindset and the body to match, Chris Bumstead couldn’t be in a greater position heading into an important weekend of the 12 months. And if he stays on the identical path he’s been on for nearly half a decade, who knows what number of more titles he’ll have a number of years from now.

Featured Image: Chris Bumstead / YouTube