INTRODUCTION ……………………………...…… 1
MAXIMIZING GAINS ……………………………… 2-3
PROGRAM OVERVIEW …………………………… 4-6
MINDSET AND TRAINING ………………………. 7-8
WEEK 1-12 …………………………………………. 9-14
SAMPLE DAY ………………………………………. 15
Let me introduce myself, I’m Chris Bumstead. I’m from
Ottawa, Canada and I have been competing in
bodybuilding since I was a teenager. In 2016, when I was
21 years old, I won the heavyweight bodybuilding class at
the IFBB North American Championships to earn my pro
card in the IFBB. Then, I went on to win the 2017
Toronto Pro and Pittsburgh Pro in the Classic Physique
division, before taking 2nd place at both the 2017 and
2018 Mr. Olympia Classic Physique competition.
This e-book is intended to be used alongside a proper
exercise program including higher intensity training, as
well as sufficient cardiovascular work. With the nutrition,
training, supplementation, and cardio in place, you can
expect to see a dramatic drop in body fat over the 12
weeks that this program covers. By following this
program, you will be able to steadily and continually lose body fat while minimizing
muscle loss.
The role of nutrition in fat loss is to create an overall caloric deficit. What this means
is that you should be burning more calories than you are taking in so that your body
has no choice, but to burn fat. However, this program will provide enough protein for
muscle protein synthesis and effective recovery to occur despite the caloric deficit.
The end result will be maximal muscle with minimal body fat so that you are ready to
showcase your own physique for competition, photo shoot, a special event, or simply
to build confidence.
In this e-book, I will provide you with the dieting protocols and principals that I use
myself, in obtaining my own classic physique.
POST-COMPETITION/DIET:
REHYDRATION is the most important first step to a successful post-show rebound.
Right after your competition or event, the first goal is to rehydrate your muscles and
replete electrolytes you’ve lost. With a successful rehydration, your mental clarity will
return, you’ll feel livelier, and your muscles will be ready to work as opposed to
cramping or feeling stringy.
PROTEIN after depleting water and electrolytes will help your metabolism to get the
fire burning again. Initiating muscle protein synthesis will kick-start your muscles to
begin growing as soon as possible.
CARBOHYDRATES role in a post-show rebound is to provide a short and long term
energy source. During a depleted state, there is almost no stored glycogen available
and little blood sugar available. After returning and increasing those levels,
carbohydrates can work their magic of initiating insulin’s anabolic effects on the
muscle.
DIETARY FAT has a diminished importance immediately post-show because of its
slow absorption, but over the course of the 12 weeks following the competition,
dietary fat provides essential fatty acids to aid in increasing metabolism and
minimizing stored fat.
RESISTANCE TRAINING in the post-show period will provide the stimulus for your
muscles to respond to by adapting and growing. The key for resistance training is to
provide enough stimulus to elicit a continuous stimulus over time to maximize the
adaptation. This will mostly consist of high intensity compound movements designed
to provide that stimulus.
CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING in the post-show period will keep your metabolism
burning at a high rate and your aerobic capacity to stay elevated, which will result in
virtually 0 fat gain. The amount of cardiovascular training as compared to leading up
into the show will be lower of course, but keeping it in as part of your routine is
absolutely necessary to a successful rebound. Including both high intensity interval
training and low intensity steady state training at a minimal frequency will work
perfectly for your goals.
After months and months of dieting, you are faced with one very important choice:
fall victim to an overindulgence of food or take full advantage of the rebound effect
and transform your physique in a way you never thought you could. I prefer the
latter. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made the mistake of eating everything in sight after
a competition, but that left me feeling lethargic, bloated, watery and honestly demotivated. I went from having a contest-ready, beach worthy physique to the
Pillsbury Doughboy – it’s not fun! I’m here to help you guys avoid that mistake. I
mean we worked so hard on achieving this amazing physique, why let it go to waste?
The goal here is to maximize lean mass gain, minimize fat gain, and take advantage
of the hormonal rebound associated with a lengthy diet or bodybuilding competition.
That means that you have to be eating enough to grow lean mass while maintaining
and encouraging a high metabolic rate.
Contest prep or dieting is not easy. It’s very taxing on the body, often leaving you in
a constant catabolic state, where you lose some degree of muscle or struggle to
maintain it. However, after dieting, your body is primed for major growth and we
need to take use this to our own personal progression. When you diet, especially to
extreme levels, testosterone levels will decrease. However, when you start increasing
your food intake, your testosterone will rebound rather quickly, resulting in
substantial muscle mass.
For nutrition, I understand all of you are very
different bodyweights and require different calories
and cardio amounts to achieve your current
physiques. For example, one of you may require
an extremely low carb diet to cut up, but another
one of you may need a moderately low carb diet.
Therefore, I’m not going to lay out specific macro
recommendations, but what I will do is give macro
and calorie recommendations based on your final
dieting calories, this way, this program can be
tailored to each of you to get the most benefit out
of your post-show period.
For training, the prescribed sets and reps are your
working sets. That means not including warm up
sets and that they should be at a weight where
you can barely finish (but not fail) that set. Notice
as the weeks go on, the prescribed reps will go down. That means that the weight
should be increasing week to week accordingly.
Put simply, throughout the 12 weeks, you will lift heavy weights on compound
movements and perform minimal cardio while carbohydrates and fats will gradually
increase.
Day 1 is critical to starting off the post-show rebound period on the right foot. You
might think I’m crazy, but it literally begins immediately after you’ve stepped off the
stage after finals.
IMMEDIATE STEPS:
1. Rehydrate with 2 liters of a high electrolyte concentration drink like Gatorade or
Pedialyte followed by another 2-4 liters of water over the next 24 hours.
2. Our fist solid foods should be simple carbohydrates that you know works well
with your body such as white rice, cream of rice, fruit, or even my favorite
simple carbohydrate, cereal. Personally, my body digests cereal very well and
simply put, I like it.
3. 1-2 hours following steps 1 and 2, you should consume a higher protein meal
that you enjoy, such as a sushi, burger and fries, steak and potatoes, or your
favorite sandwich. Me personally, I’m all about IHOP. I don’t know what it is
about IHOP, but nothing fills me out more than a Colorado or Chicken Fajita
Omelette and one of their specialty stacks of pancakes – red velvet all the way!
Again, I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a post-show celebratory cheat meal or even do
another one the next morning, but you don’t want to take it too far. Keep it controlled
like I have it laid out above and start your progression season immediately. Trust me,
it’ll all pay off in the end, both physically and most important mentally. Plus, it’ll be
that much easier to diet your next time around with a metabolism that is roaring to go
and without all that unwanted fat.
By adhering to these steps, your muscles will be flushed with electrolytes, fluid and
energy. This will immediately initiate the growth phase and your body will be primed
to increase lean mass.
After an intense diet and depletion, your body is in recovery mode. You’re feeling
tired and weak – I get it. Your strength definitely isn’t going to be at an all time best
– I know mine isn’t. However, I can’t stress enough how important your training is
immediately following an intense diet coupled with the additional food you are fueling
your body with.
Taking a break from the gym to be “normal” for a little might sound appealing and it
is, but I firmly believe in picking up right where you left off. Once the wheels are
going and the fire is lit, why back off. I don’t know about you, but I’m more
motivated than ever after a show because I want to beat my previous package.
When you diet down, you can truly see what’s underneath it all. Personally, I like to
analyze my physique and determine what body parts are lagging and what I need to
bring up. For example, my arms and back are my weak points, so I put greater
emphasis on these muscles from day one. Everyone is different, so you’ll have to
access yourself here or get the opinions of others.
Our main goal for our progression season is hypertrophy, so we’ll want to incorporate
high intensity, compound movements to build that dense muscle we all desire –
incline bench press (chest), smith machine shoulder press (shoulders), barbell rows
and deadlifts/rack pulls (back), and squats (legs). I know these exercises look all too
familiar, but why fix something if it isn’t broken. These are the true mass builders.
I’ve built my foundation and have continued to build the physique I have today with
these as my staples so I know you can too.
The training split will be as follows for the 12-week program: 3 days on, 1 day off,
2 days on, 1 day off, repeat.
Monday: Chest/Triceps
Tuesday: Back/BicepsWednesday
Wednesday: Legs (Quads)
Thursday: Off
Friday: Shoulders
Saturday: Legs (Hamstrings)
Sunday: Off
As you progress throughout the weeks, you’ll increase the weight on your compound
exercises and decrease the rep count. This doesn’t mean you sacrifice your form, but
instead focus more on the contraction at the heavier weight.
Tip: If you’re looking for longevity in bodybuilding, you’ll want to train smarter. As
you will see below, I typically start off each workout with a priming exercise to get
the blood flowing and my mind-muscle connection going before moving onto my
compound exercises. These get my tendons warmed and my joints loose to prepare
myself for the heavier poundage.
NUTRITION:
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•
•
•
•
2.6g protein/kg of bodyweight
+50g carbs from final prep diet
+10g fat from final prep diet
30g fiber
1 +L/20kg bodyweight water intake
CARDIO:
•
•
4x per week, 30 min fasted at 120-140 bpm heart rate
2x per week, 20 min fasted high intensity interval cardio (HIIT)
o 1 min, work, 1 min rest
TRAINING:
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps
Legs (Quads)
Shoulders
Legs
(Hamstrings)
Cable Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Extensions
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Lying Leg Curls
2 x 20
2 x 20
3 x 20
4 x 15
3 x 20
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Row
Smith Machine Squat
SM Shoulder Press
Stiff Leg Deadlift
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 10-15
3 x 12
3 x 12
Dumbbell Bench
Rack Pulls
Leg Press
Side Laterals
High, Wide Leg Press
Press 3 x 12
4 x 12
4 x 15
4 x 12-15
3 x 12
Dumbbell Fly
1-Arm Dumbbell
Bulgarian Squat
Upright Row
Walking Lunges
Row 4 x 12
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher
V-Bar Pulldown
Walking Lunges
Cable Front Raises
Glute-Ham Raise
4 x 12
3 x 12
3x Failure
3 x 12
3 x 10
Dips
Barbell Curl
Seated Calf Raises
Reverse Pec Deck
Adductor Machine w/
3x Failure
3 x 10-12
3x Failure
3 x 15
Calf Raises 3 x 15
4 x 12
NUTRITION:
•
•
•
•
•
2.6g protein/kg of bodyweight
+50g carbs from weeks 1 and 2
+10g fat from weeks 1 and 2
30g fiber
1 +L/20kg bodyweight water intake
CARDIO:
•
•
4x per week, 30 min fasted at 120-140 bpm heart rate
2x per week, 20 min fasted high intensity interval cardio (HIIT)
o 1 min, work, 1 min rest
TRAINING:
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps
Legs (Quads)
Shoulders
Legs
(Hamstrings)
Cable Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Extensions
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Lying Leg Curls
2 x 20
2 x 20
3 x 20
4 x 15
3 x 20
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Row
Smith Machine Squat
SM Shoulder Press
Stiff Leg Deadlift
3 x 10
3 x 10
4 x 10-12
3 x 10
3 x 10
Dumbbell Bench
Rack Pulls
Leg Press
Side Laterals
High, Wide Leg Press
Press 3 x 10
4 x 10
4 x 12
4 x 12-15
3 x 10
Dumbbell Fly
1-Arm Dumbbell
Bulgarian Squat
Upright Row
Walking Lunges
Row 4 x 12
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher
V-Bar Pulldown
Walking Lunges
Cable Front Raises
Glute-Ham Raise
4 x 12
3 x 12
3x Failure
3 x 12
3 x 10
Dips
Barbell CurLS
Seated Calf
Reverse Pec Deck
Adductor Machine w/
3x Failure
3 x 10-12
3x Failure
3 x 15
Calf Raises 3 x 15
4 x 12
NUTRITION:
•
•
•
•
•
2.6g protein/kg of bodyweight
+50g carbs from weeks 3 and 4
+10g fat from weeks 3 and 4
30g fiber
1 +L/20kg bodyweight water intake
CARDIO:
•
•
3x per week, 30 min fasted at 120-140 bpm heart rate
2x per week, 20 min fasted high intensity interval cardio (HIIT)
o 1 min, work, 1 min rest
TRAINING:
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps
Legs (Quads)
Shoulders
Legs
(Hamstrings)
Cable Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Extensions
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Lying Leg Curls
2 x 20
2 x 20
3 x 20
4 x 15
3 x 20
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Row
Smith Machine Squat
SM Shoulder Press
Stiff Leg Deadlift
3x8
3x8
4 x 10
3x8
3x8
Dumbbell Bench
Rack Pulls
Leg Press
Side Laterals
High, Wide Leg Press
Press 3 x 8
4x8
4 x 10
4 x 12-15
3x8
Dumbbell Fly
1-Arm Dumbbell
Bulgarian Squat
Upright Row
Walking Lunges
Row 4 x 12
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher
V-Bar Pulldown
Walking Lunges
Cable Front Raises
Glute-Ham Raise
4 x 12
3 x 12
3x Failure
3 x 12
3 x 10
Dips
Barbell Curl
Seated Calf Raises
Reverse Pec Deck
Adductor Machine w/
3x Failure
3 x 10-12
3x Failure
3 x 15
Calf Raises 3 x 15
4 x 12
NUTRITION:
•
•
•
•
•
2.6g protein/kg of bodyweight
+20g carbs from weeks 5 and 6
+5g fat from weeks 5 and 6
30g fiber
1 +L/20kg bodyweight water intake
CARDIO:
•
•
2x per week, 30 min fasted at 120-140 bpm heart rate
2x per week, 20 min fasted high intensity interval cardio (HIIT)
o 1 min, work, 1 min rest
TRAINING:
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps
Legs (Quads)
Shoulders
Legs
(Hamstrings)
Cable Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Extensions
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Lying Leg Curls
2 x 20
2 x 20
3 x 20
4 x 15
3 x 20
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Row
Smith Machine Squat
SM Shoulder Press
Stiff Leg Deadlift
3x6
3x6
4x8
3x6
3x6
Dumbbell Bench
Rack Pulls
Leg Press
Side Laterals
High, Wide Leg Press
Press 3 x 6
4x6
4x8
4 x 12-15
3x6
Dumbbell Fly
1-Arm Dumbbell
Bulgarian Squat
Upright Row
Walking Lunges
Row 4 x 12
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher
V-Bar Pulldown
Walking Lunges
Cable Front Raises
Glute-Ham Raise
4 x 12
3 x 12
3x Failure
3 x 12
3 x 10
Dips
Barbell Curl
Seated Calf Raises
Reverse Pec Deck
Adductor Machine w/
3x Failure
3 x 10-12
3x Failure
3 x 15
Calf Raises 3 x 15
4 x 12
NUTRITION:
•
•
•
•
•
2.6g protein/kg of bodyweight
+20g carbs from weeks 7 and 8
+5g fat from weeks 7 and 8
30g fiber
1 +L/20kg bodyweight water intake
CARDIO:
•
•
2x per week, 20 min fasted at 120-140 bpm heart rate
2x per week, 20 min fasted high intensity interval cardio (HIIT)
o 1 min, work, 1 min rest
TRAINING:
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps
Legs (Quads)
Shoulders
Legs
(Hamstrings)
Cable Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Extensions
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Lying Leg Curls
2 x 20
2 x 20
3 x 20
4 x 15
3 x 20
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Row
Smith Machine Squat
SM Shoulder Press
Stiff Leg Deadlift
3x4
3x4
4x4
3x4
3x4
Dumbbell Bench
Rack Pulls
Leg Press
Side Laterals
High, Wide Leg Press
Press 3 x 4
4x4
4x6
4 x 12-15
3x6
Dumbbell Fly
1-Arm Dumbbell
Bulgarian Squat
Upright Row
Walking Lunges
Row 4 x 12
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher
V-Bar Pulldown
Walking Lunges
Cable Front Raises
Glute-Ham Raise
4 x 12
3 x 12
3x Failure
3 x 12
3 x 10
Dips
Barbell Curl
Seated Calf Raises
Reverse Pec Deck
Adductor Machine w/
3x Failure
3 x 10-12
3x Failure
3 x 15
Calf Raises 3 x 15
4 x 12
NUTRITION:
•
•
•
•
•
2.6g protein/kg of bodyweight
+20g carbs from weeks 9 and 10
+5g fat from weeks 9 and 10
30g fiber
1 +L/20kg bodyweight water intake
CARDIO:
•
•
2x per week, 20 min fasted at 120-140 bpm heart rate
2x per week, 20 min fasted high intensity interval cardio (HIIT)
o 1 min, work, 1 min rest
TRAINING:
Chest/Triceps
Back/Biceps
Legs (Quads)
Shoulders
Legs
(Hamstrings)
Cable Fly
Lat Pulldown
Leg Extensions
Cable Rear Delt Fly
Lying Leg Curls
2 x 20
2 x 20
3 x 20
4 x 15
3 x 20
Incline Bench Press
Barbell Row
Smith Machine Squat
SM Shoulder Press
Stiff Leg Deadlift
3x2
3x2
4x3
4x3
3x4
Dumbbell Bench
Rack Pulls
Leg Press
Side Laterals
High, Wide Leg Press
Press 3 x 2
4x2
4x6
4 x 12-15
3x6
Dumbbell Fly
1-Arm Dumbbell
Bulgarian Squat
Upright Row
Walking Lunges
Row 4 x 12
3 x 12
3 x 12
4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher
V-Bar Pulldown
Walking Lunges
Cable Front Raises
Glute-Ham Raise
4 x 12
3 x 12
3x Failure
3 x 12
3 x 10
Dips
Barbell Curl
Seated Calf Raises
Reverse Pec Deck
Adductor Machine w/
3x Failure
3 x 10-12
3x Failure
3 x 15
Calf Raises 3 x 15
4 x 12
Let’s go through a sample full day during weeks 5 and 6 for a 100kg man to give you
an idea of what it would look like:
THE
•
•
•
•
PLAN:
260g protein, 300g carbs, 60g fat and 30g fiber
30 min fasted cardio
20 min HIIT cardio
5L water minimum
THE
•
•
•
TIMELINE:
7:00AM Wake up, write down fasted weight, drink 1L room temperature water
7:15 - 7:45AM Level 6 stepmill fasted cardio
8:00AM Meal 1: 6 whole eggs, 200g oats, 1 medium banana, 100g grapes with
1L water
11:00AM Meal 2: 200g chicken, 200g jasmine rice, 100g broccoli, 50g avocado
with 1L Water
2:00PM Meal 3: 200g chicken, 200g jasmine rice, 100g broccoli, 50g avocado
with 1L Water
5:00PM Workout:
Chest/Triceps
Cable Fly 2 x 20
Incline Bench Press 3 x 8
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 8
Incline Dumbbell Fly 4 x 12
Incline Skull Crusher 4 x 12
Dips 3 x Failure
6:30PM Meal 4: 200g chicken, 200g jasmine rice, 100g broccoli, 50g avocado
with 1L Water
9:00PM Meal 5: 400g non-fat greek yogurt, 400g strawberries with 1L water
11:00PM Sleep
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