This Is The Price Of Greatness - Chris Bumstead - #652

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello friends, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Chris Bumstead. He's a professional bodybuilder, full-time Mr. Olympia Classic Physique title holder, and a business owner. Chris is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He's been called the Arnold Schwarzenegger of his era. But just what does it take to become the best in the world? What is the inner texture of a world champion's mind like when he's as open as Chris is about his failings and vulnerabilities? Expect to learn why pressure is a privilege, what it means to have a champion's mentality, how Chris overcame his battle with anxiety, why he broke down sobbing on the bathroom floor six weeks before he won a world championship, how Chris thinks the modern world of bodybuilding compares to the golden days with Arnold, which steroid is so toxic that even Chris refuses to take it, his top 10 exercises to build muscle, and much more. I can't believe how likable this man is. I think he might be the most likable human that I've ever met in my entire life. I find him so raw and open and vulnerable and inspirational. He really is the whole package. And in a world where everybody is asking, what should men look to, who should they look to, as a good role model, as somebody that embodies all of the well-balanced masculine and feminine virtues that everybody likes and proselytizes about saying that they want more of. Chris is that guy. He is 100% that guy and I have an incredible soft spot for him. I know that you're going to take absolutely tons away from this episode. It is phenomenal. If you're new here, press the subscribe button. That is the only way that you can ensure that you will never miss episodes. Plus I did fly a production team of 10 out to Florida with over a hundred grands worth of kit to film it all on cinema lenses in a disused warehouse. So, you know, it would be nice if you want to make me happy after spending all of that time doing it. I thank you. And if you do take a lot away from this, share it with a friend. It can really help to upgrade the texture of someone's own experience. There is so much in here that is inspiring and open and honest. I absolutely love it. Get ready for this one. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Chris Bumstead.
Chris Bumstead, welcome to the show.

**Chris Bumstead** (2:30)
Thank you, grateful to be here. Very excited.

**Chris Williamson** (2:33)
What does pressure is a privilege mean?

**Chris Bumstead** (2:36)
Oh, you really dive into this quick, eh? So casual, then you just stare me in the eye and ask your first question. Pressure is a privilege is definitely something that like evolved over time. I think I first heard it from Tim Grover, which is someone who kind of like, his book Relentless put my mindset into like, the focus on my mindset and competing rather than just my physical body, because I knew that's what it would take to like get to the next level. And I think after winning an Olympia, I was like, oh, fuck, like, I just showed my cards. People know what I'm capable of. Now there's no, when I got a beat, there's no like second place, third place, like flow, it's like, no, you're the best. And unless you're the best, we just forget about you. So it was like this pressure I felt on myself and it was coming externally for a while. And I was trying to like, understand how I could gravitate that a little bit better was that it kind of bringing me down and slowing down my progress. And I had to kind of function as the reality that the pressure was really coming from myself rather than externally and that it's a good pressure. It's a pressure to be better and to become the best version of myself. And it's something that if I choose to use it properly, it's going to push me to be a better version of myself, to grow mentally, physically, in my relationships. However, I want it to let me grow if I choose to take control of the aspects I have control over. So in essence, it's the more pressure you have on you. And if you take it as a privilege, it's a choice to put your perception of the privilege rather than a burden. And by taking the power back in that choice, it pushes you in the direction of being better rather than holding you back.

**Chris Williamson** (3:57)
Yeah, there's a pain that comes from the expectation of success, I suppose, which is different to your first time. You know, when you've got nothing to prove, you have nothing to lose.