"I’m being honest here" - Samir Bannout weighs in on the prime Arnold Schwarzenegger vs Chris Bumstead debate

Chris Bumstead has taken his place as the most-popular bodybuilder in the world today. He has attained this stature after becoming the most-successful classic physique bodybuilder in the history of the sport and gaining mainstream fame thanks to his influential videos on various platforms.

In a recent interview, Bumstead mentioned that he could beat a prime Arnold Schwarzenegger if they were to compete today. This has created quite a stir in the bodybuilding community and most recently, former Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout also weighed in on the debate on the Muscle Maturity podcast. Before giving his opinion, he added that he has no biases.

"I mean come on… I’m not going to be biased. I really don’t care. At one time, when it was 1980 Mr. Olympia I said Arnold shouldn’t have won. It’s not like I am Arnold fan and I’m biased. I’m being honest here. I mean come on."

Despite what everyone says, Samir Bannout does not agree with Cbum and the people who believe he can take on Olympia Arnold. According to him, individual strengths do not matter as much. He believes Arnold has a better overall package.

"Chris Bumstead’s best to Arnold’s best. It’s honestly – no. No way ... Look, I mentioned here, it’s a whole package. Look, Arnold had great arms, okay, Chris Bum has a great back, but it doesn’t matter, it’s about the whole body."

According to Bannot, Cbum would not have stood a chance against Arnold's physique in the early '70s when Arnold burst onto the scene with a freakishly full look.

"And Arnold had more of a 3D look, when he hit this pose, he looked volume and round and fullness – when he hit a front double biceps you could see everything is freaky but I don’t know… he had that look."

Bannout added that despite the titles Cbum has won so far and the waves he has made in modern bodybuilding, the Canadian athlete still does not stand a chance against Arnold's prime physique.

However, Bannout did not rule out the possibility of Cbum being able to surpass the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger one day.

"Arnold looked amazing. So ’71, ’72, there’s no way in hell even Chris Bum would come close to that, I’m sorry Chris. You’re great, you deserve every title you’ve won, but when you go back to saying better than Arnold, I think I have to tell you I don’t agree with you on that. Not yet at least."

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Chris Bumstead's career so far

Bumstead, better known as Cbum, began bodybuilding as a hobby, vlogging his training and recording his progress online.

Over time, Cbum began gaining mainstream popularity on various social media platforms and YouTube, with many invested in the up-and-coming bodybuilder's journey.

In 2017, Bumstead finished first in two classic physique pro shows - IFBB Pittsburgh Pro and IFBB Toronto Pro. This won him an invite to his first Olympia. Making his Classic Physique Olympia debut, Bumstead shocked the bodybuilding world as he finished second behind veteran Breon Ansley.

After finishing behind Ansley once again in 2018, Bumstead became the most-successful classic physique bodybuilder in the world by winning four consecutive Olympia titles in a row.

Just as it began to look like nobody could challenge Cbum at the Olympia, the rise of Brazilian Ramon 'Dino' has posed questions for the reigning champion in 2023.