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Chris Cormier is a retired professional bodybuilder from California, USA. Over twenty years of competition he took 13 wins from 76 recorded contests, won the Ironman Pro four years running, and finished third at the Mr. Olympia twice. The Olympia title never came.<\/span><\/p>\nChris Cormier<\/strong><\/p>\nBorn:<\/strong> August 19, 1967
Birthplace:<\/strong> Palm Springs, California, USA
Residence:<\/strong> Venice, California, USA
Nickname:<\/strong> The Real Deal
Height:<\/strong> 5\u2032 10\u2033 (178 cm)
Off Season Weight:<\/strong> 285 lbs (129 kg)
Competition Weight:<\/strong> 252 lbs (114 kg)
Arms:<\/strong> 22\u2033 (56 cm)
Thighs:<\/strong> 33\u2033 (84 cm)
Calves:<\/strong> 21\u2033 (53 cm)
Waist:<\/strong> 32\u2033 (81 cm)
Chest:<\/strong> 52\u2033 (132 cm)<\/p>\nChris Cormier Biography<\/b><\/h2>\nEarly Life<\/b><\/h3>\n
Chris Cormier was born in Palm Springs, California on August 19, 1967. He got involved with sports while still at school, joined the weightlifting team, and competed in several school tournaments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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Through different sports, weightlifting, and strength training, Cormier had built a lean and muscular physique and his first opportunity to compete on a bodybuilding stage came when he was only 15 years old.<\/span><\/p>\nBut despite being blessed with the athletic gift, he was extremely shy while growing up. Cormier backed out of the competition because he was admittedly shy to go through different posing routines in front of a large crowd.<\/span><\/p>\nWhile he learned to control his emotions and kept his fears in check as he grew up, Cormier said that he was scared to step on a competitive stage until the very end of his competitive bodybuilding career.<\/span><\/p>\nEarly Career<\/b><\/h4>\n
Cormier\u2019s first competitive results came in school sport rather than bodybuilding. In 1984, at 17, he placed 4th in the California Interscholastic Federation State High School Wrestling Championships.<\/span><\/p>\nHaving gained confidence in his abilities, Cormier made his NPC debut three years later, by winning the 1987 NPC California Championships while competing in the Teenage division. He returned with a winning performance at the NPC Teen National Championships in the light heavyweight division that same year.<\/span><\/p>\nThe biggest achievement of Chris Cormier\u2019s amateur bodybuilding career came in the year 1993 when he won the NPC USA Championships in the heavyweight division and also became the overall winner. The dominant performance earned him the IFBB Pro Card, which only marked the beginning of an illustrious professional bodybuilding career.<\/span><\/p>\nProfessional Bodybuilding Career<\/b><\/h3>\n
Chris Cormier kicked off his professional bodybuilding debut with a busy schedule in the year 1994. He made his professional bodybuilding debut with a fourth-place finish at the 1994 Arnold Classic.<\/span><\/p>\nFollowing top ten finishes at the 1994 Grand Prix Germany and Grand Prix France, the California native came dangerously close to winning his first pro show, the 1994 Ironman Pro Invitational, to finish the 1994 competitive season.<\/span><\/p>\nConsidered one of the most prestigious professional bodybuilding competitions, the Ironman Pro Invitational hosted some of the most talented competitors. Cormier pushed aside several top contenders and walked away with a runner-up finish at the show behind Vince Taylor.<\/span><\/p>\nCormier made his Olympia debut that same year and surged into the top seven in the very first attempt, securing a sixth-place finish at the show. The successful first year as a professional bodybuilder made the veteran bodybuilder an overnight sensation in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n1995 proved to be another busy year of great performances for Cormier as he finished in the top five of six Grand Prix events. The veteran bodybuilder entered his first Night of Champions (Now known as the New York Pro) competition in 1995 and achieved a fourth-place finish. He wrapped the 1995 competitive season with another sixth-place finish at the 1995 Mr. Olympia.<\/span><\/p>\nBecoming a top Olympia contender and winning pro shows<\/b><\/h3>\n
Cormier entered the Mr. Olympia ten times between 1994 and 2005 and finished third twice. In 1999 he stood behind Ronnie Coleman and Flex Wheeler, ahead of Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, and Nasser El Sonbaty. In 2002 he was third again, this time behind Coleman and Levrone. Third was as close as he got.<\/span><\/p>\nChris Cormier\u2019s first professional bodybuilding victory came in the year 1997, three years after making his debut. He won the 1997 Night of Champions and added several more victories to his name. Most notably, he won the Ironman Pro Invitational four consecutive times, from 1999 to 2002.<\/span><\/p>\nInjury and retirement<\/b><\/h4>\n
His 2005 season carried both a win at the San Francisco Pro and his worst Olympia result, a thirteenth place. A major injury then kept him off the stage through the whole of 2006. He came back in 2007 for two shows, placing 6th at the Atlantic City Pro and 4th at the Montreal Pro Championships, and never competed again.<\/span><\/p>\nCormier has extensive experience in competition and training. Having amassed massive stores of bodybuilding knowledge over several decades, Cormier now helps people achieve their bodybuilding and fitness goals as one of the most renowned coaches in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\nCompetition History<\/b><\/h2>\nChris Cormier Workout<\/b><\/h2>\n
At the peak of his bodybuilding career, Chris Cormier followed a four-day-on and one-day-off training routine. He trained twice every day to target different muscle groups and usually did his workouts in the morning and afternoon.<\/span><\/p>\nDuring the early years of Cormier\u2019s training, symmetry, proportions and aesthetics were the primary goals of bodybuilding and size had not taken center stage over other attributes. As a result, Cormier\u2019s workout routine focused on aesthetics and he was able to build a well-balanced physique.<\/span><\/p>\nBased on his progress, Cormier dedicated at least one training session per week to focus on the weaker parts of his physique. Although Cormier had a naturally narrow mid-section, he was careful to train in a manner that helped him maintain it without adding unnecessary mass to the mid-section.<\/span><\/p>\nApart from muscle-building, Cormier focused on building physical strength and at one point, he was considered among the strongest bodybuilders of his time. Despite all the positives, Cormier learned early on that things don\u2019t always go as planned.<\/span><\/p>\nThe veteran bodybuilder suffered a major injury while performing barbell squats during his initial years of bodybuilding and could not rely on this exercise for lower body development. As a result, he found a great alternative in leg press to build the quads, hamstrings, and glutes without putting a lot of stress on the lower back.<\/span><\/p>\nHis workout included isolation and compound movements to build functional strength and muscle mass. A typical training week in Chris Cormier\u2019s training routine looked like this:<\/span><\/p>\nDay 1 \u2013 Quads (Morning) Hamstrings (Afternoon)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Quads<\/b><\/p>\n
Hamstrings<\/b><\/p>\n\n
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Day 2 \u2013 Chest (Morning); abs and calves (Afternoon)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Chest<\/b><\/p>\n
Abs and Calves<\/b><\/p>\nDay 3 \u2013 Back (Morning); weak body part focus (Afternoon)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Back<\/b><\/p>\n
Rear Delts<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDay 4 \u2013 Shoulders (Morning); arms, abs, and calves (Afternoon)<\/b><\/h4>\n
Shoulders<\/b><\/p>\n
Arms<\/b><\/p>\n
Abs and Calves<\/b><\/p>\nDay 5 \u2013 Rest<\/b><\/h4>\nChris Cormier Diet<\/b><\/h2>\n
Chris Cormier\u2019s diet at the peak of his bodybuilding career was high in lean meats to suffice the daily requirement of high-quality protein. He primarily used chicken breast, lean cuts of beef, fish, egg whites, and whey protein isolate to help with the muscle-building and maintenance process.<\/span><\/p>\nCormier did not believe in a low-carbohydrate diet and included healthy portions of carbs as well as fats in his daily meals. A typical day of eating in Chris Cormier\u2019s routine looked like this:<\/span><\/p>\nMeal 1<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- 8-10 Egg whites<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1 cup Oatmeal<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meal 2<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- 10 ounces Chicken breast<\/span><\/li>\n
- Brown rice<\/span><\/li>\n
- Broccoli<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meal 3 \u2013 Post-workout shake<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- Whey protein isolate shake<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meal 4<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- 12 ounces Beef<\/span><\/li>\n
- Baked potato<\/span><\/li>\n
- Green salad<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meal 5<\/b><\/h4>\n\n- 10 ounces Chicken breast\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- 1\/2 cup brown rice<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meal 6<\/b><\/h4>\n
Or<\/span><\/p>\nWhat Cormier Got Right<\/b><\/h2>\n
Chris Cormier followed a simple philosophy in his bodybuilding career where he did not fall prey to the idea of focusing on size. Instead, he maintained the focus of his training on building a well-proportioned and aesthetically perfect physique which makes him stand out among his peers.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chris Cormier Gallery<\/span><\/p>\nChris Cormier Videos<\/h3>\n