Chris Cormier is a retired professional bodybuilder from California, USA. Over twenty years of competition he took 13 wins from 76 recorded contests, won the Ironman Pro four years running, and finished third at the Mr. Olympia twice. The Olympia title never came.
Chris Cormier
Born: August 19, 1967
Birthplace: Palm Springs, California, USA
Residence: Venice, California, USA
Nickname: The Real Deal
Height: 5′ 10″ (178 cm)
Off Season Weight: 285 lbs (129 kg)
Competition Weight: 252 lbs (114 kg)
Arms: 22″ (56 cm)
Thighs: 33″ (84 cm)
Calves: 21″ (53 cm)
Waist: 32″ (81 cm)
Chest: 52″ (132 cm)
Chris Cormier Biography
Early Life
Chris Cormier was born in Palm Springs, California on August 19, 1967. He got involved with sports while still at school, joined the weightlifting team, and competed in several school tournaments.
Through different sports, weightlifting, and strength training, Cormier had built a lean and muscular physique and his first opportunity to compete on a bodybuilding stage came when he was only 15 years old.
But despite being blessed with the athletic gift, he was extremely shy while growing up. Cormier backed out of the competition because he was admittedly shy to go through different posing routines in front of a large crowd.
While he learned to control his emotions and kept his fears in check as he grew up, Cormier said that he was scared to step on a competitive stage until the very end of his competitive bodybuilding career.
Early Career
Cormier’s first competitive results came in school sport rather than bodybuilding. In 1984, at 17, he placed 4th in the California Interscholastic Federation State High School Wrestling Championships.
Having gained confidence in his abilities, Cormier made his NPC debut three years later, by winning the 1987 NPC California Championships while competing in the Teenage division. He returned with a winning performance at the NPC Teen National Championships in the light heavyweight division that same year.
The biggest achievement of Chris Cormier’s amateur bodybuilding career came in the year 1993 when he won the NPC USA Championships in the heavyweight division and also became the overall winner. The dominant performance earned him the IFBB Pro Card, which only marked the beginning of an illustrious professional bodybuilding career.
Professional Bodybuilding Career
Chris Cormier kicked off his professional bodybuilding debut with a busy schedule in the year 1994. He made his professional bodybuilding debut with a fourth-place finish at the 1994 Arnold Classic.
Following top ten finishes at the 1994 Grand Prix Germany and Grand Prix France, the California native came dangerously close to winning his first pro show, the 1994 Ironman Pro Invitational, to finish the 1994 competitive season.
Considered one of the most prestigious professional bodybuilding competitions, the Ironman Pro Invitational hosted some of the most talented competitors. Cormier pushed aside several top contenders and walked away with a runner-up finish at the show behind Vince Taylor.
Cormier made his Olympia debut that same year and surged into the top seven in the very first attempt, securing a sixth-place finish at the show. The successful first year as a professional bodybuilder made the veteran bodybuilder an overnight sensation in the industry.
1995 proved to be another busy year of great performances for Cormier as he finished in the top five of six Grand Prix events. The veteran bodybuilder entered his first Night of Champions (Now known as the New York Pro) competition in 1995 and achieved a fourth-place finish. He wrapped the 1995 competitive season with another sixth-place finish at the 1995 Mr. Olympia.
Becoming a top Olympia contender and winning pro shows
Cormier entered the Mr. Olympia ten times between 1994 and 2005 and finished third twice. In 1999 he stood behind Ronnie Coleman and Flex Wheeler, ahead of Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, and Nasser El Sonbaty. In 2002 he was third again, this time behind Coleman and Levrone. Third was as close as he got.
Chris Cormier’s first professional bodybuilding victory came in the year 1997, three years after making his debut. He won the 1997 Night of Champions and added several more victories to his name. Most notably, he won the Ironman Pro Invitational four consecutive times, from 1999 to 2002.
Injury and retirement
His 2005 season carried both a win at the San Francisco Pro and his worst Olympia result, a thirteenth place. A major injury then kept him off the stage through the whole of 2006. He came back in 2007 for two shows, placing 6th at the Atlantic City Pro and 4th at the Montreal Pro Championships, and never competed again.
Cormier has extensive experience in competition and training. Having amassed massive stores of bodybuilding knowledge over several decades, Cormier now helps people achieve their bodybuilding and fitness goals as one of the most renowned coaches in the industry.
Competition History
Chris Cormier Workout
At the peak of his bodybuilding career, Chris Cormier followed a four-day-on and one-day-off training routine. He trained twice every day to target different muscle groups and usually did his workouts in the morning and afternoon.
During the early years of Cormier’s training, symmetry, proportions and aesthetics were the primary goals of bodybuilding and size had not taken center stage over other attributes. As a result, Cormier’s workout routine focused on aesthetics and he was able to build a well-balanced physique.
Based on his progress, Cormier dedicated at least one training session per week to focus on the weaker parts of his physique. Although Cormier had a naturally narrow mid-section, he was careful to train in a manner that helped him maintain it without adding unnecessary mass to the mid-section.
Apart from muscle-building, Cormier focused on building physical strength and at one point, he was considered among the strongest bodybuilders of his time. Despite all the positives, Cormier learned early on that things don’t always go as planned.
The veteran bodybuilder suffered a major injury while performing barbell squats during his initial years of bodybuilding and could not rely on this exercise for lower body development. As a result, he found a great alternative in leg press to build the quads, hamstrings, and glutes without putting a lot of stress on the lower back.
His workout included isolation and compound movements to build functional strength and muscle mass. A typical training week in Chris Cormier’s training routine looked like this:
Day 1 – Quads (Morning) Hamstrings (Afternoon)
Quads
- Leg Extensions (warm-up): 2 sets of 15-20 reps
- Leg Extensions (working): 4 sets of 15 reps
- Leg Presses; 5 sets of 10-30 reps
- Hack Squats: 5 sets of 12-15 reps
- Lunges 3 sets of 15 reps
Hamstrings
- Lying leg curls
- Stiff-leg deadlifts
- Stairs 5 times up and down (bleachers)
Day 2 – Chest (Morning); abs and calves (Afternoon)
Chest
- Incline barbell presses (warm-up): 2 sets x 8-15 reps
- Incline Barbell Presses (working): 3 sets x 8-15 reps (pyramid)
- Flat Bench Presses (dumbbell or barbell): 3 sets x 8-15 reps (pyramid)
- Decline barbell presses 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Dumbbell flyes 4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Cable Crossovers 3 sets of 15 reps
Abs and Calves
- Rope Crunches 4 sets of 15 down the middle, 15 twisting, 10 down the middle again
- Knee-ups 4 sets of 25 reps on each side
- Broom Twists 4 sets of 25 reps on each side
- Donkey Calf Raises 4 sets of 15 reps
- Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-20 reps
- Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-20 reps
Day 3 – Back (Morning); weak body part focus (Afternoon)
Back
- Pullovers (warm-up) 2 sets of 15-20 reps
- Pullovers (working) 3 sets of 12-15 reps
- Pullups 4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Smith Machine Deadlifts 4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Barbell Rows 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- One-arm dumbbell rows 4 sets of 8-12 reps
- Seated pulley rows 4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Hyperextensions 3 sets of 15 reps
Rear Delts
- Reverse Cable Crossover 4 sets of 15-20 reps
- Rear Laterals On Pec Deck 4 sets of 15 reps
- One-Arm Bent Over Cable Lateral Raise 4 sets of 15 reps
Day 4 – Shoulders (Morning); arms, abs, and calves (Afternoon)
Shoulders
- Lateral Raises 4 sets of 12-15 reps
- Military Presses 4 sets of 8-15 reps
- Rear Laterals On Pec Deck 4 sets of 15 reps
- Wide-Grip Upright Rows 4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Front Dumbbell Raises 3 sets of 15 reps
- Dumbbell Shrugs 3 sets of 15 reps
Arms
- Preacher Curls 4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Barbell Curls 4 sets of 8-15 reps
- Concentration Curls 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Rope Pushdowns 4 sets of 15-25 reps
- Lying Overhead Tricep Extensions 4 sets of 10-15 reps
- Overhead Extensions 4 sets of 15 reps
- One-arm Pushdowns 4 sets of 15 reps
Abs and Calves
- Rope Crunches 4 sets of 15 down the middle, 15 twisting, 10 down the middle again
- Knee-ups 4 sets of 25 reps on each side
- Broom Twists 4 sets of 25 reps on each side
- Donkey Calf Raises 4 sets of 15 reps
- Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-20 reps
- Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-20 reps
Day 5 – Rest
Chris Cormier Diet
Chris Cormier’s diet at the peak of his bodybuilding career was high in lean meats to suffice the daily requirement of high-quality protein. He primarily used chicken breast, lean cuts of beef, fish, egg whites, and whey protein isolate to help with the muscle-building and maintenance process.
Cormier did not believe in a low-carbohydrate diet and included healthy portions of carbs as well as fats in his daily meals. A typical day of eating in Chris Cormier’s routine looked like this:
Meal 1
- 8-10 Egg whites
- 1 cup Oatmeal
Meal 2
- 10 ounces Chicken breast
- Brown rice
- Broccoli
Meal 3 – Post-workout shake
- Whey protein isolate shake
Meal 4
- 12 ounces Beef
- Baked potato
- Green salad
Meal 5
- 10 ounces Chicken breast
- 1/2 cup brown rice
Meal 6
- 10 Eggs whites
Or
- Protein shake
What Cormier Got Right
Chris Cormier followed a simple philosophy in his bodybuilding career where he did not fall prey to the idea of focusing on size. Instead, he maintained the focus of his training on building a well-proportioned and aesthetically perfect physique which makes him stand out among his peers.
Chris Cormier Gallery
would love to work with a champ
im the next one up