Cbum, whose real name is Chris Bumstead, is one of the top bodybuilders in the world. He is a 3-time Mr. Olympia champion, winning the coveted title in 2019, 2020, and 2021. His physique is admired by bodybuilding fans and aspiring competitors everywhere.
If you want to train like Cbum and build a body like his, it will take hard work and dedication. Cbum follows an intense training program and strict diet to maintain his massive 280 pound frame at competition shape. In this post, I'll break down his approach for major muscle groups so you can follow his training style.
Chest Workouts
Cbum's chest workouts focus on heavy weights in the 6-12 rep range to failure. He trains chest twice a week, emphasizing basic compound lifts like barbell bench press, incline bench press, and dumbbell chest flyes. Here's an example chest day:
- Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets of 6-10 reps, ramping up in weight
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Pec Deck Flys: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Dips: 3 sets to failure
Cbum squeezes each rep and focuses on feeling the deep contraction in his pecs. He prefers free weight presses to isolate each side of the chest over machines. The heavy weights and high volume lead to significant muscle damage, forcing the chest to adapt and grow.
Back Workouts
Cbum's lats are some of his best body parts. He trains back twice a week, prioritizing width with exercises like pull ups and rows. His back days look like:
- Weighted Pull Ups: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with added weight
- T-Bar Rows: 5 sets of 8-12 reps, gradually increasing weight
- Seated Cable Rows: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Straight Arm Pushdowns: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
He performs each exercise with full range of motion, squeezing at the peak contraction. For building upper back thickness, he focuses on deadlifts and rack pulls on his leg days. The combination of heavy compound lifts with isolation exercises builds a complete, balanced back.
Shoulder Workouts
Broad, capped delts are signature to Cbum's physique. He trains shoulders twice a week for maximum development. His shoulder workouts focus on lateral and front delt exercises for width and thickness:
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Lateral Raises: 5 sets of 12-15 reps
- Front Raises: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Face Pulls: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
Cbum performs lateral raises with a slight bend in his elbows to better isolate the delts. He emphasizes time under tension, taking 1-2 seconds to raise the weight and 4-5 seconds to lower it. Slow, controlled reps with excellent form are key to growing his cannonball delts.
Arm Workouts
In addition to indirect arm work on chest and back days, Cbum trains arms once or twice a week to bring up any lagging areas. His arm workouts focus on biceps, triceps, and forearms:
- Barbell Curls: 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Preacher Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Hammer Curls: 3 sets 12-15 reps
- Triceps Pushdowns: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Overhead Triceps Extensions: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Wrist Curls: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
He performs curls with a supinated grip, focusing on squeezing at the top. For triceps he emphasizes full elbow extension and flexing the triceps hard. His disciplined arm workouts build impressive peak and hang to his biceps.
Leg Workouts
Cbum could easily skip leg day and still be a successful bodybuilder, thanks to his genetically-gifted quads and hamstrings. But he still trains legs with high volume and intensity. His leg workouts focus on basic strength lifts like squats and leg press:
- Barbell Squats: 5 sets of 8-12 reps
- Leg Press: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Lying Leg Curls: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Stiff Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets of 12 reps
He goes heavy on squats and leg press, using weight that brings him close to failure on the last reps. He emphasizes squeezing and contracting the quads and hamstrings on isolation exercises. Cbum's dedicated leg workouts help maintain equal lower body development.
Nutrition
To fuel his workouts and build his physique, Cbum follows a meticulous high-protein diet with calculated macros. In the offseason, he eats around 450g of protein each day to build muscle. As competitions approach, he significantly reduces carbs and fats for contest prep. He eats clean foods like chicken, fish, rice, veggies and healthy fats like nuts.
Cbum recommends eating a protein-dense meal every 2-3 hours to feed muscles. He avoids junk food, especially in contest prep. Soda and alcohol are also off limits. For carb sources, he sticks to rice, oats and sweet potatoes. His nutrition provides the ideal muscle-building fuel.
Recovery
Rest and recovery are just as important as training for muscle growth. Cbum aims for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to allow his body to repair and synthesize new muscle tissue. He also emphasizes mobility work like stretching to increase flexibility and prevent injury between workouts.
Massages are part of his routine to speed muscle recovery. He avoids overtraining any muscle groups, allowing at least 48 hours between working the same muscles. Proper rest makes sure he is primed to train at his maximum each session.
Cardio and Conditioning
Most of Cbum's training is focused on building muscle size and strength in the offseason. But as competitions get closer, he adds in cardio to start leaning out and conditioning. He performs low to moderate intensity cardio like incline walking several times a week leading up to shows. The cardio creates a calorie deficit, allowing him to strip off body fat while preserving muscle.
Cbum also practices posing, flexing, and holding poses. Mastering the mandatory bodybuilding poses requires tremendous strength and control. His posing routine is essentially another training stimulus targeting the muscles in new ways. The cardio and conditioning is key in shaping his competition-ready physique.
Mindset
Behind his rigorous training program, Cbum has the mindset of a champion. He pushes his body to complete each brutal workout, fueled by an unstoppable work ethic and mental toughness. He trains through pain and fatigue that would make everyday gym goers quit.
Cbum visualizes success and his goals to stay motivated. He focuses on progressive overload, setting new rep or weight PRs each session. Training is methodical - he sticks to his program with laser focus and discipline. Fans can learn that work ethic and intensity will take their physiques far.
The Bottom Line
Cbum's meticulously planned workouts, diet, and recovery allow him to sculpt one of the greatest physiques in bodybuilding history. While not everyone has his freakish genetics, fans can still learn from his champion mindset and exercise techniques. He builds a complete, proportional physique by training each muscle group with focused intensity.
To train like Cbum, be prepared to work hard. Lift heavy weights close to failure with excellent form. Focus on basic compound lifts combined with isolation exercises for complete development. Follow a calculated bodybuilding diet with adequate protein to fuel growth. Get plenty of rest between workouts. Bring desire, consistency and progressive overload over time. With the right plan and mindset, you can start to build a physique like the 3x Mr. Olympia Cbum.
