Iain Valliere continues to monitor the Men’s open class since announcing his retirement from the sport. In a recent interview with Hany Rambod, he discussed Nick Walker’s potential and whether or not Chris Bumstead will compete in an Open show before exiting the sport.
The Men’s Open class continues to excite bodybuilding connoisseurs with its stacked potential for this year’s Mr. Olympia. Among the top contenders is Nick Walker, who was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Mr. Olympia due to a hamstring and calf tear. He bounced back impressively at the 2024 New York Pro to become a two-time champion.
In addition to the Men’s Open, Classic Physique is also bringing the heat with many athletes preparing to battle it out for the title. This will prove to be a difficult task considering the five-time Classic Physique champion Chris Bumstead has no intention of relinquishing his crown without a fight. Even if his rivals are at ‘120 percent’ Bumstead is confident that no one is going to beat him.
Iain Valliere Says There’s ‘More to Be Desired’ from Nick Walker, Talks Chris Bumstead Doing an Open Show
In a recent interview with Hany Rambod, Iain Valliere opened up about his thoughts on Nick Walker’s potential in the sport.
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“I think there was definitely more to be desired from what I saw from him in New York. I think he looked great. I think he’s still one of the top bodybuilders in the world.”
Valliere feels that Walker can certainly make some improvements before taking to the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage. He specified that his midsection needed work after seeing him at the New York Pro.
“There were improvements in certain aspects but still some that I’d like to see you know, if we were just being from a critique of the physique standpoint, you’d still like to see in other spots.”
“I think his waistline… I don’t think it’s a big issue at the moment but it’s something I think he definitely needs to be mindful of. I know Tyler gave a critique of that when he did the recap of New York.”
For someone with the structure of Walker, Valliere cautions that if one body part is off, it can hinder the flow of his entire physique.
“For someone like Nick who is a little shorter and a little more compact like that, you need to be very mindful of that and how much it can throw off the balance of your physique and the shape of your physique. Even the parts that you have that are so impressive can kind of be lost when the illusions aren’t there throughout the entire physique.”
Ultimately, Valliere believes Nick Walker has room to come in crisper and a ‘little tighter.’
“I think it’s something he can control. I saw he was just guest posing the other day, this past weekend and it looked like he was starting to figure things out and get it a little better under control. The guy is still obviously big as a damn house.
At New York, I would’ve liked to see him on the crisper side, a little tighter, and have that waist in a little more controlled.”
Shifting gears, Iain Valliere talked about whether he believes Chris Bumstead will try his hand in the Open category at some point.
“Do you think Chris will ever compete in the Open?” asks Rambod.
“Fucking hope so. I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t know the answer to that. I think it would be cool for sure. I’d love to see Chris do it. It would be cool to have him do an Open show you know just see him next to some of these top dogs in the Open just to see what it looks like.”
If he had to guess, Valliere says ‘Cbum’ will compete in the Open ‘maybe once.’
“Do I think it’ll ever happen? If I had to give one, I don’t know, I don’t want to start any rumors here because if I say yes people will think I know the answer to it and I’m saying it and if I say no, I don’t want people to think it’s never going to happen.”
“Do I ever think it’s going to happen? Yes. Maybe once. Maybe one time we’ll get Chris on an Open stage. It would be a really cool thing to see.”
While he is unsure how well Bumstead would perform on the Mr. Olympia stage, he believes the reigning Classic Physique Olympia can win ‘the majority of Open shows.’
“I definitely think he could win an Open show. There’s no doubt in my mind that Chirs could win the majority of Open shows. A 245-pound Chris in good condition is going to be very hard for most bodybuilders to beat.”
“At an Olympia level, I don’t know,” adds Valliere.
It remains to be seen if Chris Bumstead will actually attempt an Open show on the horizon. It should be noted that the Classic Physique standout has set his sights on retirement. Bumstead shared that he hopes to step away from the sport by the time he’s 30 years old, leaving only two more years for him to compete.
As a top-tier Men’s Open standout, Iain Valliere’s insights into IFBB Pro bodybuilding always make for interesting conversations. He looks forward to seeing both Walker and Bumstead perform on the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage from October 10-13 later this year.
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