Bodybuilding veteran Rich Gaspari is back to discuss the career of reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead. In a recent Fitness Fame & Fortune podcast with John Romano, Gaspari critiqued Bumstead’s physique and shared what it would take to win the Open title at Mr. Olympia.
Since Bumstead’s 2019 Olympia takeover, contenders have yet to catch up to his physique. His full muscle bellies, x-frame, and conditioning have made for an overwhelming combination on stage. Before taking his talents to Las Vegas in December, Bumstead and his brother-in-law Iain Valliere decided to stop working together. With 12 weeks until the big show, Bumstead joined forces with bodybuilding coach Hany Rambod.
When the dust settled after 2022 Mr. Olympia many fans were shocked to find out Bumstead thwarted his competition successfully with a torn bicep. He has been open about his career as of late and mentioned that he’s on the hunt for a fifth title.
In addition to his growing popularity on social media, talks of Cbum moving to the Open have percolated for some time. Earlier this year, the 28-year-old said he would consider competing in the Open at the Arnold Classic if the contest was scheduled two weeks after Olympia. The latest to discuss his career was Rich Gaspari, who made a solid case for Bumstead winning Open Mr. Olympia with an added 40 pounds.
Rich Gaspari Assesses Cbum’s Physique, Believes He Needs 40 Lbs to Be a Mr. Olympia
According to Gaspari, competitors of Classic Physique lack muscle density and that ‘crazy look.’ When critiquing Bumstead’s physique, Rich said his arms were a weak point.
“Even in Classic, I don’t want to toot my own horn, you look at my physique when I won the 86 Pro Worlds, the density in that muscle, first of all, it was never seen those striations. Then, you look at guys that are winning now in Classic, they don’t even have that look, that crazy look. They have great symmetry, small waist.
You got Chris Bumstead, a really small waist. The one thing about Chris he doesn’t have huge arms, kind of weak in the arm size but a really good front double biceps. You see how he looks with the vacuum, good legs, but he doesn’t have big arms. That class is very very hard.”
“I saw him at the Pittsburgh Pro, they asked him if he’s considering going to the Open, he goes, ‘Are you crazy? How can I go to the Open? I’m grateful that I came into this sport at a time when Classic was big and I just fit the mold of what a Classic bodybuilder should look like and because of height and because of my weight, I can look a certain size that’s still impressive at my height and weight in the Classic category. And this is why I’m winning that category,’” shared Rich Gaspari.
Given his current build and genetics, Rich Gaspari laid out what it would take for Bumstead to make a play for Open Mr. Olympia gold.
“At least 40 pounds [he’d need to win Open Mr. Olympia]. Yeah, at least 40 pounds. He said it. He was like, ‘I’ll have to be 40 pounds bigger to be competitive with these guys and how do I know I’m going to look right?’ Because, you know, when you gain that muscle it may not necessarily look the way he looks now with the streamlined look that he has. It may not look the same.
He goes, ‘Why would I put my body through that when I’m doing really well in my category? That’s my category, I was fortunate to be born at this time.’ He’s dominating. He’s dominating, I think he’s going to win again, this is his fourth win, he’ll win a fifth Classic Bodybuilding because there’s no one close to him with his small joints, wide clavicle, small waist, big muscle bellies in his legs, the only weakness I see, he doesn’t have these huge arms, these huge peaked arms, but still, they’re good.”
Gaspari says Bumstead has found success in the category because of his bone structure, small waist, and wide clavicles. When comparing the Canadian to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rich said Bumstead lacked charisma but made up for it with an authentic personality.
“He’s got 17 million followers, it’s an anomaly. Nobody has that type of following. He’s not flamboyant, charismatic, he’s actually, I hate to talk about him bad, he’s kind of boring. He’s authentic, he’s not like this charismatic, he’s not like Arnold, Arnold was very charismatic. Chris Bumstead is not charismatic, I’m not putting anything against him.”
“To really look good in Classic bodybuilding you need small bone structure, small waist, you need a wide clavicle, there’s a lot of factors that makes a good Classic bodybuilder. You can’t take a Jay Cutler and make him a Classic bodybuilder.”
Recently, event announcer Bob Cicherillo shared a similar prediction about Bumstead. However, he specified that Chris could be a threat on the Mr. Olympia stage with an added 20 pounds. If that were the case, Cicherillo argued that Cbum could push Samson Dauda, Nick Walker, or Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay.
Gaspari isn’t the only bodybuilding veteran to assess Bumstead’s physique and impact on the sport. Arnold Schwarzenegger has suggested that the Classic Physique champion should be crowned the Mr. Olympia title instead of the Open winner.
It’s evident that there’s a public interest to see Bumstead switch divisions. Though, in the meantime, he’s made it clear that his sole focus is on repeating as the Classic Physique Olympia on November 3.
RELATED: Bodybuilding Veteran Chris Cormier Breaks Down Chris Bumstead’s Chances In the Men’s Open Division
You can watch the full video from the Dragon Slayer Media YouTube channel below:
