Classic Physique Olympia champ Chris Bumstead has been working to improve his back over the last few years. As he enters the offseason, he is putting down the foundation to make even more gains this year.
There is something to be said about the direction the Classic Physique Division is heading in bodybuilding. While the division is still fairly new, it has been blossoming into one of the most exciting in the entire sport.
At the helm of this excitement is two-time reigning and defending Olympia champ Chris Bumstead. He won the title in 2019, after a closely contested decision, but removed all doubts with his impressive package at the 2020 Olympia.
If you ask Chris, he feels that he embodies what it means to have a Classic Physique. He has said as much himself when explaining why he felt that he won the title in the first place.
However the biggest knock on the champ has been, without a doubt, his back. That being said, 2020 saw Bumstead really pick things up with that part of his physique and show massive improvements.
Chris Bumstead Shares His Back Workout
With that in mind, he still has some work to do on that area. So during the offseason this year, he is putting some serious focus into rounding out his back even more, so that he can further separate himself from the pack.
Related: Chris Bumstead Shares Training Split, Vows To Be ‘F—king Peeled’ At 2020 Mr. Olympia
Taking to Instagram, Chris Bumstead shared a bit of the workouts he is doing to make those gains. While he says that he is not actively working on bulking up just yet, he is building a strong foundation to start on when that does happen.
“Made some decent improvements in my back last year, but it could still be better👀
Keeping things super basic tight now. Since I’m not pushing to grow at this point in the year I’m just focusing on getting some tight ass contractions and perfecting my form so when I do start pushing again my foundation is where it needs to be👌🏼”
The videos that Bumstead share in the post see him doing a variety of workouts. Nothing is too intense or heavy, which further shows that his focus on proper contractions in this training session.
This was Chris’s back workout, in his own words:
- Lat Pulldowns: 3 sets 12-15 reps (quick pause at the bottom the first ~6 reps)
- One Arm Cable Row: 2 sets 15+ reps (get a deep stretch after every rep)
- Chest Supported Dumbbell Row: 3 sets ~12 reps (focus on full extension and scapular retraction)
- Underhand Barbell Rows: 2 sets 12-15 reps (row bar/elbows backs up while keeping your trunk stable)
- Seated Dumbbells Curl: 3 sets 10-12 reps (deep stretch at the bottom and squeeze with your pinkies)
- Barbell Curls: 4 sets 10-12 reps (just curl that s–t bruh)
Chris Bumstead has some big plans for this offseason training time, and it seems that he is off to a good start. It will be interesting to watch how the rest of this downtime goes.
Will you be giving this back workout a try?
