Four-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion Jeremy Buendia is ready to rock the stage again. The 32-year-old will make his competitive comeback at the 2023 Olympia. The event is set to take place from Nov. 2 to 5 in Orlando, FL.
Buendia is a pioneer and one of the most accomplished competitors of the IFBB Pro League Men’s Physique division. He earned his pro card in 2013, the year when the Men’s Physique division was incorporated into the Olympia competition. Buendia returned to the drawing board after a runner-up finish at the 2013 Olympia and came back stronger the following year.
He dethroned the champ Mark Anthony Wingson to secure a victory at the 2014 Olympia and went on a dominant run that saw him defend the top spot at the 2015, 2016, and 2017 Olympia. Buendia last competed at the 2018 Olympia, where he finished second.
The 32-year-old never stopped working and teased a comeback multiple times during a long hiatus. However, the prospects of him competing were put on ice on each one of those occasions.
Having got the fire back in his belly, the California native announced his return a few weeks ago. As a former Olympia champion, Buendia holds a lifetime invitation to compete at Olympia, and he will use this benefit to grace the stage again in 2023.
Buendia will routinely post his workouts on YouTube to keep his fans updated on the progress. Recently, he went through a chest, shoulders, and triceps workout and posted the video on his YouTube channel. So let’s check out how the former champ is gearing up his off-season training to make a solid comeback.
Jeremy Buendia goes through a push-day workout
Buendia shared his thoughts on what prompted him to make a comeback. He also spoke on the plan of action to ease his way into hard training.
“Took some time to mentally prepare myself to get to where I need to be to be back at this point where I can do the prep and be competitive again. I’m back there now. I like to really warm up as good as possible before I jump into heavier weights, and I really gotta check my ego during this prep. I know I’m gonna start feeling good and getting really strong again but making sure that I look smart and prevent injury. One bad rep, and it puts this whole prep to an end.”
With that, he warmed up his muscles sufficiently and jumped into his intense workout.
Incline Dumbbell Press
Buendia kicked off the workout with the incline dumbbell press. This variation of the dumbbell chest press emphasizes the upper pecs (sternal head of the pectoralis major muscles) and imparts a fuller look to the chest. Buendia pushed through several sets using incrementally heavier weights and moved on to the next exercise.
Cable Crossover
For most people, it is just another pump-inducing chest exercise that makes for a perfect finisher. However, cable crossover is a lot more than that. According to an ACE-sponsored study, cable crossover is the third most effective exercise for pectoral muscle activation (after bench press and pec deck flyes). It helps increase the adduction strength of the upper body and helps bring about hypertrophy.
The four-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion utilized this as his second training exercise. He added more stimulus to the pectoral muscles before taking up the next exercise in the routine. While speaking about how the competitive scene has evolved in his absence, Buendia said:
“The divisions have evolved a lot. I’m well aware of that. I can’t bring the same physique I had in 2017-2018 to the Olympia stage and expect to place well. The division’s gotten bigger; it’s gotten better. The guys are really good. I’m gonna give them all the respect in the world… But all I know is I am better now than I was in the past. I’m a lot bigger, I’m working harder, and I’ve got my eyes set on November. We’re going after it; no backing down. Nobody outworks me,” Buendia said about his competition after cranking out a solid set.
Smith Machine Bench Press
The bench press is the king of upper body exercises when it comes to strength and muscle gain. Very few exercises come even remotely close to the benefits this exercise offers in terms of pushing strength gain. Employing a Smith machine for the exercise eliminates the need to control the weight and enables the person to focus more on the target muscles.
Buendia cranked out some heavy sets of Smith machine bench presses and shed light on his recovery methods.
“I’m getting massage therapy, soft tissue therapy twice a week. Chiropractic work twice a month, depending on how I am feeling. Now I will probably start going to a senior physical therapist…”
Following the Smith machine bench press, Buendia took to another flying movement.
Pec Deck Fly
Buendia performed pec deck flyes next to isolate the pectoral muscles. Performing the exercises unilaterally helps remove strength imbalances and achieve complete development. He did the last few reps of every set unilaterally and went on to do a little bit of shoulder work next.
Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise
Cable machines keep the muscles under tension throughout the range of motion, bringing about muscle hypertrophy more effectively. Buendia performed the single arm cable lateral raises next to work the medial deltoids. He maintained a controlled pace and utilized a full range of motion to make the muscles work optimally.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Buendia took to this free weight variation of the previous exercise to fire up the medial delts further and cranked out solid sets.
Cable Triceps Pushdown
Triceps pushdowns work the triceps muscle from a neutral position and stimulate all three triceps heads. It is one of the most common tricep exercises in gyms around the world. Buendia pushed through a few sets of the exercise with slow and controlled movements to pump the triceps and jumped into the day’s final exercise.
Close-Grip Push-up
The good ol’ push-up is the simplest yet among the most effective upper body strength exercises. It does not require any setup and can be done anywhere. Your hands are placed close together in the close-grip push-up variation. This puts far more emphasis on the triceps and the center of the chest than most other push-up variations (Similar to the close-grip bench press).
Buendia wrapped up the training session with a few sets of close-grip push-ups executed with perfect form.
Overall, the workout consisted of the following exercises:
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Cable Crossover
- Smith Machine Bench Press
- Pec Deck Fly
- Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise
- Cable Triceps Pushdown
- Close-Grip Push-Up
The returning former champ looks stage ready in his recent physique update
It’s been four weeks since Buendia started his Olympia prep. The diet and training routine has started showing results as the four-time Men’s Physique Olympia champion now prepares to capture the title again. In a short video posted on Buendia’s Instagram account, he flaunted his sculpted physique.
Although only the upper half of his body is seen in the video, it is enough to deduce that Buendia is clearly on the way to bringing an impressive package on stage. The broad shoulder, fuller chest, and wide back tapering down into a narrow midsection appear to have the perfect aesthetic package. You can see the video below:
“4 weeks back on my diet complete 🙌🏽
Looking forward to a cheat meal tonight…any guesses what I’m gonna eat?” The caption to Jeremy Buendia’s post read.
Professional sports are evolving faster than ever due to the advent of technology, training methods, and vast stores of knowledge. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the old guard to fend off the hungry up-and-coming talent, especially after long layoffs. It will be a rare and extraordinary achievement if Buendia can turn the clock back and emerge victoriously at the 2023 Olympia.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Buendia’s YouTube channel:
Published: 1 June, 2023 | 11:08 AM EDT
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