Chris Bumstead’s Open debut in Prague sent shockwaves through the bodybuilding community. This prompted IFBB judge Terrick El Guindy and Chris Cormier to discuss where he would have placed at the 2024 Mr. Olympia in a YouTube video shared on November 23, 2024. They also compared his physique to Brazilian star Rafael Brandao.
Shortly after winning a sixth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title, Bumstead stepped away from the sport. In a turn of events, he announced his foray into the Men’s Open, declaring his entry for the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro. After teasing the idea of moving into the Open class for years, Chris Bumstead finally fulfilled a lifelong dream.
Despite having little time for preparations, he exceeded expectations on stage in the Czech Republic. He battled with Martin Fitzwater en route to finishing second, leaving fans and spectators optimistic about his chances on the sport’s greatest stage. While ‘Cbum’ has put a stamp on his retirement once again, that hasn’t stopped discussions about his capabilities as a bodybuilder.
Terrick El Guindy & Chris Cormier Predict Chris Bumstead Would Have Placed 5th-8th at 2024 Mr. Olympia in Open
Watching the event live, Chris Cormier didn’t see significant size discrepancies between Bumstead and Fitzwater. He also stressed that Fitzwater’s posing did him no favors in Prague.
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
“He was holding his own with size. I didn’t see a big difference in the size. All I saw, even the lat spread from the back, I was like oh shit. He’s right there with him, thinking it was going to be a big discrepancy in physiques and styles, I didn’t know how he even was going to go about hitting a shot like a lat spread from the back.
But I’m telling you, Martin posing… I mean to me, I would have been, if I was somebody that was spending time to coach him, I’d be like what the hell are you doing man? You are doing some stuff that’s making you look worse than I ever saw you pose before. This is not the time to not be focused on your posing. That’s what I was thinking.”
El Guindy was impressed with Bumstead’s aura on stage but didn’t believe his back lat spread would compare with big names in the Open, like Hadi Choopan’s.
“Chris has a tremendous aura about him. He is the master of posing. He is incredible. You give him the feeling that he is Michael Jordan going on stage but this back lat spread, if you put him right next to Hadi Choopan, this back lat spread is not very overwhelming in Open Bodybuilding. He is small.”
If Cormier had to guess, he believes Bumstead would have placed fifth at the Open 2024 Mr. Olympia.
“I think he would have placed behind him [Martin Fitzwater] in fifth,” says Cormier.
According to El Guindy, Bumstead’s physique was comparable to Rafael Brandao’s. For that reason, he believes ‘Cbum’ would have finished in eighth, the same place Brandao earned on the Olympia stage.
“I agree with you guys that Chris would have been seventh, sixth, maybe eighth, which is exactly where Rafael landed even though he wasn’t at his best. Maybe if he showed up like he did in Romania he would have been sixth or seventh.”
While Bumstead boasts beautiful lines and great conditioning, El Guindy says he needs to improve his density if he resumes his career in the Men’s Open.
Chris Bumstead was going to look beautiful but it was going to miss some of the density and that he would be similar to Rafael Brandao. Beautiful lines, great conditioning, but missing a little bit of mass and he would finish at the Olympia where basically Rafael Brandao finished,” he shared.
Although Bumstead didn’t earn the victory in Prague, some, like King Kamali, believe the results were controversial, adding that ‘many people’ thought the Canadian champion pulled off the win. Jay Cutler also stated that this was the best version of Chris Bumstead fans had ever seen.
Bumstead’s performance in Prague has left the world curious about how he’d fare against the IFBB’s best Open threats. Despite that, Bumstead appears content with his decision to retire and plans to increase the Classic Physique prize money at Olympia on the horizon.
Watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
Experience the thrill of the 2024 Mr. Olympia with our complete coverage! From prejudging highlights and event recaps to expert analysis and results, find it all at our Olympia hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia. Follow our Live Blog for real-time event updates. Stay tuned for every moment of the action!
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
