The reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion, Chris Bumstead, built his private gym in 2023 to coach for a fifth consecutive title. Bumstead says his gym provides the proper environment for laser-focused training, free from outside disruptions.
On April 17, 2024, Bumstead published a video on his YouTube channel offering a comprehensive tour of his gym and state-of-the-art training equipment.
“I wanted it to feel like an actual gym fairly than simply cramming equipment right into a storage area,” Bumstead said. The space is roughly 3,000 square feet. Although not as big as some business gyms, it may possibly still house all of the equipment needed for Bumstead’s intensive training demands. Check it out below:
Despite the high cost of constructing the private gym, Bumstead considers it one in all his smartest investments, believing it has significantly excelled his profession.
“It’s not at all times about putting your money into stocks and bonds to make more,” said Bumstead. “It’s about putting your money into crazy things that make you higher and let you enjoy life more.”
Leg Machines
Bumstead has two leg extension machines in his arsenal. One is the selectorized machine. While lighter than its modern counterparts, this old-school machine offers superior quad contractions. Bumstead performs supersets and drop sets machine at the top of his workouts. The 29-year-old uses his plate-loaded leg extension machine when lifting heavy at first or middle of a workout.
Bumstead owns a lying and a seated leg curl machine. The plate-loaded lying leg curl machine allows various the strain curve along his range of motion (ROM). The gym can be equipped with a adductor and abductor hybrid machine. Bumstead has a sled but uses it extremely infrequently.
The seated calf raise, tibia raise, and the standing calf raise machines stand together, with the latter doubling as a standing shoulder press.
Bumstead enjoys the belt squat, which loads the lower body without compressing the spine. He uses a large stance to bias the glutes, hamstrings, and quad sweeps. The reigning Classic Physique Olympia champ strategically employs his GHD machine in his lower body workouts to develop a strong and functional posterior chain.
The Canadian bodybuilder owns two Cybex leg press machines. The first is a traditional machine that moves at a 45-degree angle. The other is a squat press machine that descends at an angle, allowing greater depth during eccentrics.
Bumstead used the squat press machine in every leg workout leading as much as the 2023 Olympia. “I stacked it up and was getting as much as 20 reps, and it might destroy my legs,” said Bumstead. “This thing helped me win the [2023] Olympia, needless to say.”
The secret to getting big legs is just range of motion.
Bumstead praises his Pendulum squat machine for the way much depth it allows him to attain each rep. The hack squat machine was the last piece in Bumstead’s leg training arsenal.
Cables, Smith Machine, Power and Dumbbell Rack
Bumstead’s dumbbell rack features five-pound increments as much as 50 kilos, with larger 10-pound jumps for heavier weights. The gym has two cable machines — a functional trainer and a multi-station eight-stack machine. Bumstead favors the previous biceps curls and chest presses and uses the latter for lat pulldowns and cable rows.
Bumstead prefers vertical Smith machines over angled counterparts, so his gym includes a Cybex Smith machine. His six-post power rack is provided with landmine and dip bar extensions. Bumstead doesn’t have a bench press within the gym and uses the facility rack for many compound barbell exercises, similar to bench presses and squats.
Arm Machines
Bumstead’s arm training setup consists of a triceps dip machine, a Gymleco preacher curl machine, a plate-loaded machine, and a seated preacher curl bench.
Back Machines
Bumstead believes the chest-supported T-bar row machine is one of the crucial crucial for upper back development. Other machines in his back setup include the iso-lateral plate-loaded back row machine, the old-school pullover machine, the high-row machine, and the low-row machine.
Chest Machines
The gym’s chest section includes the decline machine, incline chest press machine, and flat machine chest press. Although Bumstead has a pec deck, he’s focused more on dedicated 10-degree and 45-degree chest flye machines for inner chest development. The pec deck is more often used to coach rear delts.
Shoulder Machines
Bumstead favors the plate-loaded shoulder press machine as its vertical line of pull maximizes anterior delt activation, unlike machines with angled trajectories, which may recruit the chest. The plate-loaded press includes a closer grip and utilizes a forward pressing motion, which helps Bumstead lift heavier.
Cardio Section
The gym’s cardio section features a recumbent bike, treadmill, and stair climber. Interestingly, Bumstead has an inversion table in his gym. “I used it three to 4 weeks out of the 2023 Olympia [prep] to try to be taller; I don’t know if it did anything,” admitted Bumstead.
Bumstead will next compete on the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV, where he’ll aim to secure his sixth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title.
