What does professional bodybuilder Chris Bumstead eat?

What to eat to look like Chris Bumstead? Let’s find out with a nutritionist.

At first glance, it seems that Chris Bumstead’s diet is a direct path to a perfect body, of course, with increased training. Looking into details, you can see that this is a false impression and such a diet can become dangerous for you.

Chris Bumstead is the reigning champion of the Mister Olympia Classic Physique. He first competed at the age of 19. And when he turned 21, he got a professional card after winning the bodybuilding championship in 2016. In 2017 and 2018, Bumstead placed second at Mr. Olympia, and already in 2019, he won the Super Bowl after undergoing surgery days before the competition. The bodybuilder won again in 2020 and is now preparing for another competition.

In a recent video released on his YouTube channel, the athlete revealed what he eats in preparation for the Olympia. Chris noted that his diet consists of simple foods that anyone can buy. Together with a nutritionist we found out if what Bumstead eats is so useful and what would happen if an ordinary person started eating the same way.

Nutriciologist

In an average day, an athlete eats 2200 kcal with a predominance of carbohydrates, followed by protein content and a small amount of fats. According to WHO recommendations for athletes daily consumption per 10 kg of body weight: protein – about 10-25 g, fats – 1-2 g, carbohydrates – from 5 to 10 g. Of course, the diet is always selected individually, but it can already be seen that there is a discrepancy in Bumstead’s diet.

By the way, Chris Bumstead indicated that the diet of this day contains 3700-3800 kcal.

Chris Bumstead’s diet

The bodybuilder starts his day with breakfast:

• 120g of oatmeal;
• 80 g of frozen blueberries or blueberries;
• 40 g of chocolate-flavored whey isolate.

Bumstead cooks the porridge on the stove, as this is the only way to make a large portion.

Nutriciologist

Very high in simple carbs, little protein and fiber and a complete lack of fat. I would recommend offsetting this with the addition of ghee or coconut oil, nuts and lots of protein and fiber. For example, toast with chicken breast, lettuce leaf, avocado and a poached egg.

Bumstead’s second meal consists of:

• 250g white rice;
• 160 g chicken breast;
• 80 g broccoli.

All this the athlete fries with coconut amino acids and gets a kind of roast. Chris emphasizes that he usually drinks a smoothie and eats rice cakes after his workout, but today is his rest day.

Third meal:

• 240g sweet potatoes;
• a little sriracha sauce.

Siracha, or sriracha, is a type of chili sauce.
It consists of garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt and the pepper itself.

Fourth meal:

• 200 g white fish;
• 280 g white rice;
• asparagus and red cabbage.

Nutriciologist

We must balance each protein intake with a fiber intake, so we must also add either a green salad or a green vegetable smoothie. It is good to see fish and vegetables in the diet, but again fast carbohydrates predominate. You can replace white rice with buckwheat, millet or amaranth.

The fifth and last meal, which the athlete grills:

• 200 g salmon;
• 200 g rice;
• red cabbage and broccoli.

Nutriciologist

If no training is planned after this meal, only the salmon and vegetables can be left out.
After 17.00 enzymatic activity decreases, and digestion of raw vegetables can cause discomfort, so vegetables should be heat-treated. Still, even for athletes, I would not recommend eating complex carbohydrates after 14.00. White rice is better to eat uncooked and not steamed. There is one more nuance in its use: it is more useful to eat it cold, because then there is a resistant starch, which is necessary to maintain a healthy environment of intestinal microflora.

The last thing a bodybuilder eats every day is chocolate-flavored isolate. One measuring cup pours a small amount of water and mixes it. Then adds 30g of nut butter, and you get a paste that you can eat when you’re really hungry.

Is it possible for a normal person to eat like this?

At the beginning of the video, the bodybuilder notes that this is the diet of his usual day in preparation for competitions. But the question arises: what purpose does he pursue by consuming such foods in such quantities?

It can be assumed that the large amount of carbohydrates in the diet is due to the formation of glycogen from them in the body, which is necessary as a source of energy during physical training. However, such a diet can cause certain harm to the body.

أخصائي تغذية

The average person should by no means follow such a diet. First of all, five meals a day is not shown to everyone, but only to people with GI disorders. For a healthy person, I would recommend three main meals without snacks, in extreme cases, one snack. For breakfast it is better to leave proteins, fats and fiber. For lunch – to proteins and fats add complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals or legumes. For dinner, leave proteins, fats and processed vegetables. With five meals a day, it is easy to get insulin resistance, the consequences of which will be overweight, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Some of you have probably wondered if they could become as strong and tough if they trained and ate the same way as a professional bodybuilder. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple and his diet can become dangerous for you.