Having tested the waters of bodybuilding, influencer Jesse James West has come to appreciate the sport in a new way. In a recent The Truth Podcast with Hany Rambod on October 12, 2023, West discussed Chris Bumstead‘s impact on the fitness community, highlighting that he single-handedly made competing more mainstream.
“I can only assume his life is complete chaos, maybe it’s not I don’t know but it seems like a lot. He’s definitely a role model to myself and a lot of people,” West shared.
Boasting one million Instagram followers and over three million on YouTube, Jesse James West has captured lightning in a bottle en route to becoming one of the most popular names in fitness and bodybuilding.
JJW is known for taking on engaging videos and projects to the delight of his fans. From impersonating the reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead to lifting weights with bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman, West’s charisma, charm and determination are constantly on display.
West tried his hand at a bodybuilding show in July and won first place sporting a natural physique. While he would like to take all of the credit, JJW admits the ‘Cbum effect’ helped him carry out his dreams of competing.
Jesse James West Speaks on Chris Bumstead’s Influence & Sucess: “Whatever He Does Is Golden”
According to West, ‘Cbum’ made competing more mainstream in today’s fitness landscape.
“I definitely look up to Chris. You know, like for what he’s done and I think everyone looks at him and they’re like ‘Damn, he looks fucking sick.’ Especially during the preps and stuff. I think he brought competing to a very mainstream audience.
To be honest, I knew of competing but he was the only person, him and Christian Guzman were the only ones I ever watched compete. Outside of that I probably wouldn’t even know what the difference of Open and Classic was, I learned that.”
Next, JJW discussed the “Cbum effect” and how he used it to find his own success.
I think like seeing his series how he posts so much when he’s leading up to the Olympia and all these different things. It gave me an idea, like hey why don’t I do a prep series. Normally, I would just make the one video about competing but you know, it’s like I think you said this, there’s like a Cbum effect.”
“It’s like whatever he does is golden because he has such notoriety and brand loyalty. He could sell socks and I’m sure he does and it bangs. He could sell energy drinks… bangs. He’s doing these things with business that no one else is really doing and he’s competing.
So if I can emulate that to a smaller degree, I’m not in the Olympia but if I can treat this competition like the Olympia and have my audience as bought in as much as they’re going to be bought into his… that’s going to hopefully maybe there’s a little bit of a Jesse James effect on whatever I do.”
As for staying relevant, West underlined that if Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler possessed the popularity of Bumstead, he would impersonate them as well.
“If Ronnie Coleman was in the position of where Chris is right now or Jay Cutler or something, I would have been sneaking in as Jay Cutler or something. It’s just he’s popping. It’s a simple, hey we add the fake Cbum thing, it’s going to get three more million views and people loved it. People really enjoyed that video.”
“To sum up, I’m not some psycho Cbum fan. I thought that was just an intelligent idea and a funny thing,” added Jesse James West.
With Classic Physique and Chris Bumstead’s fame at an all-time high, some have argued the Men’s Open division could be in decline. Last year, the Boston Pro saw the Classic Physique division showcased last, which many assumed was a hint that the Open class was losing its grip on the sport.
Fans and Jesse James West included look forward to seeing Chris Bumstead attempt to win his fifth Classic Physique title in under three weeks at the 2023 Mr. Olympia contest in Orlando, Florida.
Watch the full video from Hany Rambod’s YouTube channel:
Published: 13 October, 2023 | 1:53 PM EDT
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