“I’m Gonna Retire You”: Chris Bumstead Challenged by One of the World’s Strongest Men Ahead of Mr. Olympia 2023

Bodybuilding and strongman are vastly different sports. While both involve lifting heavy weights, a strongman trains differently than a bodybuilder. Unlike conventional barbells and dumbbells, strongman athletes lift logs, atlas stones, and supersized dumbbells, to name a few. On the other hand, a bodybuilder trains with conventional weights to put on the most muscle while being shredded with paper-thin skin. However, former strongman and World’s Strongest Man winner Eddie Hall has decided to step into bodybuilding.

While he is just starting out, the 2017 World’s Strongest Man winner is confident he can beat the best in the business. In fact, when Eddie Hall met four-time Mr. Olympia Classic Physique champion Chirs Bumstead, he issued a direct challenge ahead of Mr. Olympia 2023.

Eddie Hall is coming for Chris Bumstead’s throne

One of the most prestigious bodybuilding contests, the Arnold Classic 2023, just concluded. Bodybuilding fans are still wrapping their heads around everything that happened at the show. From Samson Dauda’s upset win over Nick Walker to bodybuilding legends meeting one another, the content from the Arnold Sports Festival seems never-ending.

In his latest Instagram post, Eddie Hall revealed he had met the four-time Mr. Olympia Classic Physique champion, Chris Bumstead. While Bumstead didn’t compete in the Arnold Classic Physique, Bumstead attended the Arnold Sports Festival as a guest. Since strongman competitions are also part of the Arnold Sports Festival, Eddie Hall was also there.

Hall uploaded a photo and a video of himself with the bodybuilding icon. The video begins with the two legends greeting one another. However, the former WSM winner wastes no time challenging the Canadian bodybuilding star. “You should retire soon because I’m coming into Classic,” Hall told Bumstead. “I’m gonna retire you. You’re not ready,” added Hall.

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“What’s the weight limit for Classic?” asked Hall. After Bumstead learned Hall was just over 6’2″ tall, he answered 240 lbs. However, Hall had Bumstead reeling when he said, “I’m 375 pounds now.” The duo calculated that the Englishman would need to lose 135 lbs to qualify for Classic Physique. While it’s not impossible, Eddie Hall’s challenge to Bumstead was mostly lighthearted humor. He also has a different plan.

Eddie Hall’s approach to bodybuilding

Eddie Hall began his bodybuilding journey by learning from the pros. From IFFB pro Jamie ‘The Giant’ Christian to four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, Hall is taking bodybuilding quite seriously. In multiple videos, the former strongman has said he wants to bulk up to 400 lbs or more to put on more muscle before starting his cut.

Hall plans to get shredded. However, even with a single-digit body fat percentage, reaching 240 lbs seems unrealistic. Dropping so much weight could also result in muscle loss, which the former strongman doesn’t want.

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The former WSM winner wishes to compete on the Mr. Olympia stage against the best bodybuilders in the world. While he still has a long way to go, it’ll be interesting to follow his bodybuilding journey.