Chris Bumstead has significantly reduced the caloric intake in the last phase of his competition prep. One week out of the 2023 Olympia, CBum shared the 2700–calorie diet that’s helping him cut down the weight within the Classic Physique division’s limit.
Chris Bumstead is the most accomplished active bodybuilder in the world today. He has won the Classic Physique Olympia title four consecutive times from 2019 to 2022. But more importantly, the Canadian bodybuilder has played a crucial role in making Classic Physique a marquee division of the sport.
IFBB Pro League’s Classic Physique division is known for some of the finest, aesthetically appealing and proportionate bodies. Chris Bumstead’s physique stands out among the elite of the division for being a notch above. His competitive success has translated well into stardom as Bumstead is one of the most recognized bodybuilders with a passionate global fan base.
With all the momentum on his side, CBum is favored to repeat as the Classic Physique Olympia champion in 2023 as well. However, it will not be long before he bids adieu to the competitive side of the sport. Bumstead is looking forward to retiring after getting a few more Olympia wins under the belt. While there is a huge interest in his prospects in the Men’s Open division, the Canadian has not given concrete answers about the plan to test himself against the big guys at the moment.
Right now, the sole focus of Chris Bumstead’s life lies in bringing home the fifth Classic Physique Olympia title. Bumstead is feeling the pressure of being a dominant champion as he is getting closer to the competition date. However, he has been working relentlessly under famed coach Hany Rambod’s guidance to elevate his game to the next level.
Chris Bumstead shares full day of eating
At the time of recording this video, Chris Bumstead weighed 250 lbs and had to cut 8 lbs more to weigh within the Classic Physique division’s limit. However, he felt comfortable to get down to that weight. The champion took measures to maintain a healthy weight loss rate. He explained:
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“I’ve had a few high carb days recently. Nothing crazy, right around 300 grams of carbs just to not allow my body to drop too fast and consume itself, which is something I’ve never done in the past. So it’s allowed me to be a little fuller, have better workouts and hopefully have a more full dense look on stage.”
Bumstead is eating pretty much the same foods that he consumed for the rest of the prep. However, quantities and macronutrient ratios have changed significantly. He does not count the calories in his diet and prefers to make adjustments based on the instinct and progress achieved. So let’s check out how Bumstead is fueling his body one week out of 2023 Olympia.
Meal 1
Chris Bumstead is doing two cardio sessions of cardio everyday at this stage of his competition prep. He starts the day with 45 mins of fasted cardio and consumes the first meal immediately after. The amount of fat in CBum’s diet is reduced significantly and he is cautious about including fat-rich foods in his meals. One whole egg in the breakfast and the salmon are the only sources of fat in his diet at the moment.
The first meal of the day consists of:
Pancakes made from:
- Whole Egg – 1 no.s
- Egg Whites – 250 grams
- Oats – 70 grams
- Fiber Supplement – 1 scoop
- Probiotic, Prebiotic and Digestive Enzyme Supplement – 1 scoop
- Pumpkin – 50 grams
- Whey Protein Isolate – 1.25 scoops
- Cinnamon Powder
- Salt
- Water
(Energy – 653 Kcal; Protein – 65 grams; Carbohydrates – 60 grams; Fats – 10 grams)
(NOTE: Nutritional values mentioned are approximate numbers based on standard data. Actual values and the overall tally may vary)
Meal 2 – Pre-workout meal
Bumstead has introduced a lot of digestive enzymes and fiber supplements in his diet this year to solve digestive issues. Having good gut health has helped him ease the overall stress of the competition prep and he feels that it may even enable him to bring a narrower waist to the 2023 Olympia stage.
The second meal of the day is a pre-workout meal that includes Atlantic Cod and rice. CBum’s protein intake has gone up over the last few days and he explained the reason for making this change:
“I’ve upped my protein from all my meals from 200 grams of fish typically and 180 grams of chicken – weight, not protein. Now I’ve upped the meat just 20 grams because Hany was like, ‘your weight’s coming down. Let’s put in a little more calories and making more protein. You can handle more protein because it’s not that high.’ So this is the highest that my protein’s ever been.”
The meal consists of:
- White Rice – 180 grams
- Atlantic Cod – 220 grams
- Asparagus
(Energy – 425 Kcal; Protein – 43 grams; Carbohydrates – 54 grams; Fats – 3 grams)
Post-workout shake
Cbum heads over to the workout after consuming the meal and drinks protein shake immediately after the workout. The method of preparing the post-workout shake also had a huge impact on CBum’s digestion. He explained:
“I used to make the post-workout shake creamy at the beginning of the prep and in previous preps, I used to blend it with as much ice and water and protein that I could. It would fluff up and I drink it and get super bloated and make me full.”
While this way of making the shake curbed CBum’s appetite, it did interfere with his digestion and impacted the appearance as well.
“I didn’t like the concept of my waist feeling full. I’m really trying to vacuum a lot, train my abs to shrink my waist this year.”
To achieve this goal, Bumstead has changed the way he makes his post-workout shake.
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It now consists of:
- Water – 8 ounces
- Whey Protein Isolate – 2 scoops
- Fiber Supplement – 1 scoop
(Energy – 220 Kcal; Protein – 55 grams; Carbohydrates – 5 grams; Fats – 1 grams)
Meal 3 – Post-workout meal
The Classic Physique Olympia champion spends three hours in the gym every single day and has the post-workout meal at approximately 4:30 PM in the evening. This meal is a standard bodybuilder’s meal with chicken, rice and green vegetables. It consists of:
- Chicken Breast – 200 grams
- White Rice – 150 grams
- Asparagus – no fixed quantity
- HImalayan Pink Salt and Honey Mustard for seasoning
(Energy – 410 Kcal; Protein – 70 grams; Carbohydrates – 47 grams; Fats – 7 grams)
After the post-workout meal, Bumstead usually eats approximately once every two hours for the rest of the day. This helps him regulate hunger and manage the energy level better.
Meal 4
The next meal of Chris Bumstead’s day consists of:
- White Rice – 100 grams
- Fish – 100 grams
- Coconut Amino seasoning
- Lemon
- Zucchini
(Energy – 326 Kcal; Protein – 45 grams; Carbohydrates – 42 grams; Fats – 14 grams)
Meal 5
CBum typically included fish (salmon) in this meal. However, he has switched to lean chicken breast as the goal is to reduce the fat intake and get shredded for the show.
The humble meal is composed of:
- Chicken Breast – 200 grams
- Asparagus – no fixed quantity
(Energy – 315 Kcal; Protein – 62 grams; Carbohydrates – 4 grams; Fats – 7 grams)
Meal 6
CBum finishes the day with a humble meal consisting of:
- Salmon – 200 grams
- Jasmine Rice – quantity not mentioned
(Energy – 419 Kcal; Protein – 50 grams; Carbohydrates – 40 grams; Fats – 28 grams)
Total Caloric intake for the day
The overall macronutrient and caloric intake for the day is as follows:
- Energy – 2700 Kcal
- Protein – 351 grams
- Carbohydrates – 200 grams
- Fats – grams 42 grams
2023 Olympia prep is the first time Chris Bumstead has been consuming more than 2000 calories this close from the show. While he is happy to be eating a lot more than the previous preps, CBum still has some more weight to cut down and explained:
“We are getting close and we still have to make a little bit of weight that I’ve got to cut off. So we’re going to start suffering a little bit more but only for like five or six days. Nothing too bad and the carb load will begin.”
Chris Bumstead takes on the Classic Physique division once again in less than a week’s time. 2023 Olympia weekend will kick off on November 3, 2023. Looking at the progress as narrated by the Canadian, it seems likely that he will be several times better than his own 2022 Olympia version.
Watch the full video below, courtesy of Chris Bumstead’s personal YouTube channel:
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