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Chris Bumstead's shoulder workout isn’t achievable overnight. The intensity and volume used in his workout is something his muscles have got used to over years of rigorous training. However, it’s good to know Bumstead's shoulder workout and understand the way current bodybuilders train.
Before going into his workout, let’s learn a bit about Chris Bumstead. The bodybuilder is the reigning three-time Mr. Olympia champion. Currently, Bumstead is looking for a four-peat at the 2022 Olympia scheduled for December 15 to 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During Christmas last year, Bumstead contracted COVID-19 and lost a considerable amount of weight. However, after a full recovery, he upped his workout and focused on bulking to add mass before having to cut during prep 2022.
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Chris Bumstead's Shoulder Workout
The reigning Mr. Olympia in the Classic Physique division has often said that he doesn’t do multiple exercises during a workout session. Instead, he prefers doing a couple of compound movements using a higher number of sets and reps.
Bumstead's shoulder workout starts with a light dumbbell exercise for his posture. He puts his chest against an incline bench and raises his arms in a 'Y' position. This exercise allows him to squeeze his shoulder blades together and work on his posture.
1) Smith Machine Shoulder Press
CBum kicks off his shoulder workout using the Smith Machine, which allow him to maintain stability, as the barbell is attached to the machine.
He focuses on heavy reps, which allows him to pump his shoulder muscles. Considering the weights he uses, he is reaching the peak of his strength during his prep 2022.
2) Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Chris Bumstead's shoulder workout focuses on all shoulder heads. After working on his anterior delts, he moves to lateral delts.
Dumbbell lateral raises are a common choice for shoulder workouts for bodybuilders. CBum focuses on controlled reps while using the full range of motion.
He finishes off the workout with heavier weights, even though the last reps he puts in are almost half reps. However, he pushes his muscles till failure for most sets while using droplets.
You can find a guide for doing lateral raises here.
3) Rope Front Raise
The third shoulder exercise of his routine is the rope front raise. It's another isolation exercise he uses in his workout before moving to a compound movement.
4) Plate Loaded Machine Press
As his delts were pumped by this point, Chris Bumstead uses a compound movement to push his shoulders beyond their limit. Keeping a steady posture, he goes up to four plates per side for the exercise.
Not all fitness establishments have this machine. If you do not have access to one, you can try the barbell shoulder press or dumbbell shoulder press.
5) Reverse Pec Dec
Bumstead ends his shoulder workout routine with a reverse pec dec for his rear delts. He pushes the sets till extreme failure, where he cannot even do a half rep.
He ends the workout with a few working sets of machine preacher curls and straight bar spider curls for his biceps.
Bottom Line
Chris Bumstead's shoulder workout is extremely difficult, but you can definitely try it after lowering the intensity. However, it’s best to ease into such intense workouts if your shoulders aren’t used to it. If you rush, there’s a possibility you may injure yourself.
