Chris Bumstead Says He May Compete In Open Bodybuilding Before Retiring

Chris Bumstead could test the waters in the Open division

It appears that Chris Bumstead could find himself in the Open Bodybuilding division before his career is over. In a recent YouTube video Bumstead and famed trainer Hany Rambod discussed the possibility of a move up and more in an in depth interview.

Becoming dominant in your chosen field can be a bit of a double edged sword. On one hand you become the epitome of greatness in your chosen profession, the one people look to as an example of excellence. In competitive sports it means dominating the opposition. When you become number one keeping that position can be even more difficult.

But what happens when you are able to maintain your dominance? What happens when you’ve proven yourself to be the top of the food chain? You start to consider what the future holds past your own conquests already achieved. It could be the mental space Chris Bumstead finds himself in currently.

While he still has intentions of dominating the Classic Physique division, Olympia champion Chris Bumstead is considering competing in the Open Bodybuilding division before his career is over.

Chris Bumstead has the kind of physique that has set him apart as Classic Physique champion. It begs the question, could he maintain the same symmetry, balance, and musculature at a higher weight class? It appears that even Bumstead himself has wondered about it.

In a recent interview Chris Bumstead and Hany Rambod discussed just that.

“I JUST WENT RIGHT TO CLASSIC BUT THERE’S A LOT OF JOKES NOW, LIKE “IS CHRIS EVER GOING TO DO OPEN?” AND WE KIND OF HINT AT IT,” SAID CHRIS BUMSTEAD. “I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE ONE TIME BEFORE I RETIRE. I WON’T PREP FOR IT. MIGHT HAPPEN.”

When asked if he’d change his training at all for a potential move to the Open division, Chris Bumstead had this to say.

“TRAINING-WISE, NO, NOT AT ALL. I’VE TRAINED MY WHOLE LIFE WITH MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, IAIN VALLIERE AND HE IS LITERALLY 305LBS RIGHT NOW. WHILE I’M NOT AS STRONG AS HIM, HE’S A BEAST. I CAN KEEP UP WITH HIM IN ANY WORKOUT. WE DO THE SAME PLAN, THE SAME KIND OF STUFF. IT JUST COMES DOWN TO THE OTHER THINGS WE’RE DOING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. I TAKE A LOT OF TIME OFF AT SOME POINTS AND LET MY BODY KIND OF RELAX A LITTLE BIT. THEN, I GET BACK INTO IT. BUT I MAKE SURE MY VARIABLES CHANGE LIKE FOOD AND STUFF LIKE THAT AND I KEEP MY TRAINING INTENSITY THE SAME AS I WOULD IN THE OPEN.”

To see the full interview check out the video below.

Do you think Chris Bumstead could do damage in the Open Bodybuilding division?