Cbum and Arnold pose for the camera: Image via Instagram (@cbum / @gotintofitrn) — Cbum and Arnold pose for the camera (Images via Instagram/@cbum and @gotintofitrn)

"I’d be the leanest person they’d ever seen" - Chris Bumstead on the dream of facing Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:33 GMT

Chris Bumstead has quickly become the most famous bodybuilder today thanks to his top-notch physique and his social media presence. Bumstead, who is a celebrity athlete, rose to mainstream fame when he claimed his first Classic Physique Olympia title in 2019. Since then, he has won all the subsequent trophies in the division.

Speaking of celebrity bodybuilders, perhaps the only other bodybuilder with more fame than Bumstead is Arnold Schwarzenegger. While Cbum leads the pack of aesthetic bodybuilders today, Arnold represented the pinnacle of aesthetics throughout the '70s. In a recent episode of the Full Send podcast, Bumstead spoke of the dream match-up against Arnold.

"On stage [ Cbum's body weight] is 240 ... [Arnold on stage was] Like 240ish, 6″1′ ... It’s really hard to say [who would win] because people back then people weren’t as lean. If I went back looking – I’d be the leanest person they’d ever seen they wouldn’t even know what the fu** is going on. I don’t know if they would even want that. Maybe he would win because of that."

While CBum thinks Arnold would have won if the two faced off in the '70s, he believes he can beat Arnold if he were to make an appearance today.

"But if he were to come today and compete against me in last year’s Olympia, I think I would beat him because he’s not in shape enough, you know, he wasn’t."

The statement that a '70s Arnold would not be considered 'in shape' today is no less than a fact. Everything surrounding the sport in Arnold's era was different, including training regimens, supplements, drugs, and equipment. The progress the sport has made in the last 50 years is immense to say the least.

"I don’t want to be complaining" - Chris Bumstead on the prize money discrepancy between the Classic Physique and the Men's Open

Classic Physique is a relatively new division in the sport, with the Olympia franchise only introducing it in 2016. In many of the biggest shows in the world, the prize money for the division has been very low as compared to the men's open. Speaking about the discrepancy, Bumstead said:

"When we talk about prize money for Classic Physique and sh**, I don’t want to be complaining saying I deserve it. I want to be the guy performing on stage and off stage to bring attention to the class to make it work it."

CBum has clearly forged the foundation for a successful career on and off stage. He added that the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger did not complain about the prize money either, instead, he made it work.

"Like, Arnold never [complained] about prize money. He went out, he went to Hollywood, he did all this and made bodybuilding mainstream for a while purely because of who he was. He made bodybuilding in the 90s. That’s absolutely insane, that’s greatness."

With 16.6 million followers on Instagram and 3.05 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, Bumstead has already achieved mainstream fame. Seeing his praise of Arnold certainly begs the question of whether Bumstead would fancy a career in Hollywood too.

CBum will defend his title later this year at the 2023 Olympia. He will face worthy opponents on stage, most considerably Ramon Dino and Urs Kalecinski.