The world champ shared some training suggestions en path to his next contest.
In November of 2022, on the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) World Championships, Chris Elkins scored arguably the best accolade of his bodybuilding profession when he captured a world title within the Men’s Physique division.
Elkins, who turned pro as a natural bodybuilder (Men’s Open division) in 2015 before earning a Men’s Physique pro title in 2019, has been a competitor for 10 years and shows no signs of slowing down.
He’s currently prepping for 2 upcoming contests — the 2023 WNBF Pro Universe, going down on Sept. 23 in White Plains, NY and the 2023 WNBF KAGED World Championships set for Nov. 18-19 in Seattle, WA. Elkins provided some training insights with a video posted to his YouTube channel on Sept. 5, 2023, detailing a glute and hamstring-focused workout while also featuring his go-to method for training abs.
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The WNBF, the organization during which Elkins has competed for greater than eight years, prides itself on being some of the stringently drug-tested bodybuilding federations — incorporating polygraph testing in addition to in-contest and offseason drug testing. Their goal is encourage natural competition without the help of performance enhancing drugs, including anabolic steroids.
On the time of the video’s filming, Elkins was roughly three weeks out from the WNBF Pro Universe contest and stated that his current condition was already set for presentation. For context regarding his overall physique, he has previously stated that he’s 5-feet, 6-inches tall.
“This morning, I weighed in at 154.1 [pounds/69.9 kilograms], which is a bit bit surprising because last yr for the primary show [2022 WNBF Pro Universe], I got all the way down to 148 [pounds/67.1 kilograms]. A few of my friends are saying that they don’t think I’ll even must get under 150. I do know by Worlds, I’ll probably be near 148, but last yr I got all the way down to 143 … but I do feel I look one of the best I’ve ever looked and I’m really excited.”
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Before leaving for the workout, the 39-year old Elkins mixed up an intra-workout formula containing BCAAs, in addition to creatine. As a result of the time of day, he opted to avoid any pre-workout stimulants.
He then walked to the gym for his training session, where he planned to focus on his posterior chain — glutes and hamstrings — paired with some abdominal work. He was joined by his girlfriend/training partner, in addition to his 11-year old son (who was briefly shown performing a back workout of his own).
Barbell Hip Thrust
Elkins began his workout with the barbell hip thrust, an efficient glute-focused exercise. He was shown performing three sets for eight to 12 reps, but the particular weight wasn’t provided. Elkins made sure to set his feet able that allowed his thighs to be parallel to the bottom in the highest position, with a 90-degree knee angle for optimal stability and muscle recruitment.
Lying Leg Curl
Moving into the second exercise, Elkins complained of low energy and lightheadedness as a result of having eaten just one,000 calories in the course of the day, including just 68 grams of carbohydrates. Still, the champion bodybuilder progressed to training his hamstrings with lying leg curls. Elkins was shown on video performing one set of 10 reps, but didn’t make clear if that was everything of the leg curls.
Single-Leg Glute Press
Elkins proceeded to a singular leg exercise — a single-leg glute press, performing a “back kick”-style movement to recruit his glutes and hamstrings. He performed one set of 10 reps on camera, previously noting that his glutes were “already done” with the movement.
Credit: Chris Elkins / YouTube
Elkins then moved into the ab training portion of the workout. He explained that he’d been “lazy” in neglecting direct ab training throughout contest prep, counting on his strong genetics to hold him through. Still, he targeted them with an intense superset of paired exercises on a decline bench without additional resistance.
Decline Crunch
Elkins hooked his feet into the support pads and reclined his upper body fully onto the bench. He performed 12 slow and regular repetitions using a full range of motion, moving from flat on the bench to completely crunched forward, before switching immediately to the following exercise.
Reverse Crunch on Decline Bench
Elkins inverted his body position, grabbing the leg support handle with each hands and lengthening his legs straight. He again used a full range of motion for the reverse crunch, bringing his legs from floor-level to above his head, while raising his hips nearly above his shoulders. He accomplished nine repetitions before ending the set. He didn’t detail what number of total sets were performed, however the Men’s Physique champion did offer some ab training advice.
“The important thing on these decline sit-ups is a full stretch at the underside. You’re getting spinal flexion because that’s what works the rectus abdominis [ab muscle]. That is my favorite ab superset because it really works your complete abs from top to bottom. This one [decline crunch] you’re getting more focused on the highest, you’re getting each a contraction and stretch. After which on the reverse crunches, you’re getting a terrific lower ab workout and also you’re really controlling that negative [lowering or stretching phase]. All about that spinal flexion.”
With a pair on contests on the horizon, Elkins’ short-term plan seems in place — earning more pro victories to further cement his legacy. A win on the 2023 Pro Universe could be his third consecutive time capturing that Men’s Physique title, while wining the 2023 World Championships could be a repeat of his 2022 performance.
Featured Image: @chris_elkins / Instagram