8 Rising Stars to Watch

8 Rising IFBB Stars Destined for Greatness

                  The IFBB is filled with athletes that turned pro with the world at their fingertips. At every pro qualifier, you see lineups loaded with people that scream potential, but for the overwhelming majority that potential is never realized. With more pro cards being handed out than ever, expect to see an increased number of athletes doing only a handful of shows before dropping to a less competitive division or just falling off the face of the Earth. Here are eight athletes that I think are going to break free from the lion’s share of weak-to-mediocre young pros.

Cody Montgomery: The first ever three-time NPC Teenage National Champion is set for a surefire breakout in 2017. Montgomery became a pro by winning the overall title at the illustrious 2015 NPC USA championships. Right now, Cody is a mere 22 years old and has already made multiple appearances on IFBB pro stages. He has nailed down two top-10 placings (10th at the 2016 Arnold Classic Ohio and seventh at the 2016 Arnold Classic Australia) where he brought amazing conditioning, especially for someone who was only 21 years old at the time. Montgomery with five or six more pounds of pure muscle mass is a threat for anyone. Whatever show(s) he chooses to compete at in, don’t sleep on Team Montgomery. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)

Regan Grimes: See lead photo. Another disciple of Team Aceto, Grimes is arguably Canada’s most prominent young pro. I watched Grimes win the overall at the Luchka O’Brien Classic in Mississauga back in 2014 as a heavyweight. As soon as I saw him come out for prejudging, I knew he would take the overall and he did just that, quite easily too. It was just a matter of time until he turned pro, but I didn’t expect it to be this quick. Chris Aceto has been able to pull these two into absolutely eviscerated conditioning onstage and they’re both growing like weeds. Although Grimes hasn’t taken quite the high-profile journey to the IFBB, I say with confidence that he has the ability to compare favourably to Montgomery. It will be a rivalry (hopefully laced with camaraderie) that has all the makings to be spectacular for years to come.

Chris Bumstead: “C-Bum” turned pro this year at the IFBB North Americans in a stacked men’s open bodybuilding heavyweight class. Bumstead then opted to compete in Classic Physique for his first pro show, and, to be honest, I was very confused by that decision. He had just turned pro, in an elite lineup in open men’s bodybuilding at one of the highest profile shows in the world! To be fair, Bumstead does amass a ton of classic qualities—but, with the overall mass and size he carries, he could’ve easily brought them to a IFBB men’s open bodybuilding class and been very competitive. This young Canadian is also known for training extremely heavy and hard. This can be seen on his Instagram account, where “cbum_” routinely squats 405+ pounds, deadlifts 500+ pounds and can be seen hoisting 140s up for seated dumbbell presses. The sky is the limit for “Bummer,” and we hope to see him win the Olympia (Men's Classic) in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)

Jeff Beckham: I have been following Beckham for a long time. Now, I should mention that Beckham isn’t necessarily a “young pro” as he is in his mid-30s. However, he is on a sharp rise through the IFBB ranks. He turned pro at the 2012 NPC Team Universe by winning the heavyweight and overall in men’s bodybuilding. In his first years as a IFBB pro, he struggled with conditioning onstage and adding size to be able to compare to top IFBB pros. Through his first two years as a pro, he actually struggled to crack the top 10. However, 2016 signalled potential IFBB success for Beckham for the first time. In this year’s New York Pro (one of the most competitive ever) Beckham landed a ninth-place finish, but appeared to be a little flat onstage. After nixing previous premeditations to follow New York up with Tampa, Beckham set sights on the Ferrigno Legacy and absolutely nailed his conditioning there. Beckham grabbed a sixth place there, and I would’ve had him slightly higher. Recently, Beckham secured a third-place finish at the Sheru Classic in Dubai. Once again, he brought shredded conditioning coupled with good fullness and was beaten only by Roelly Winklaar and Hadi Choopan. Things are looking up for Beckham, and I expect a continued progression.

Melissa Bumstead: Another new Canadian pro, Melissa Bumstead had a wildly successful 2016 IFBB season. After bringing the best figure physique to the stage at the 2016 Toronto Pro, Bumstead brought a matching physique to Vancouver and travelled to compete in the Dayana Cadeau Classic in Miami with her brother, Chris. Last year’s CBBF overall figure champion handled herself greatly for ending the season with only top-fives at all three shows. I say this because I would’ve had her winning each show, qualifying for the big dance and challenging the top-tier pros to get into that elusive Olympia first callout. Before you think that is an outlandish statement, go look at comparison photos of the first callout in Toronto. Swann De La Rosa (who is a great figure competitor) won that show. In my opinion, Bumstead compares favourably to her from almost every angle. Now, Swann made noticeable improvements from Toronto until she hit the Olympia stage, but De La Rosa finished fifth at the Olympia. If Bumstead had focused solely on improving her physique from the moment after finals in Toronto for the Olympia, could she have made the same types of improvements as Swann? Both have excellent helping hands. Swann’s husband is IFBB pro Jon De La Rosa, and Melissa’s significant other is IFBB pro Iain Valliere. Both ladies are under some sort of tutelage from prep coach Matt Jansen, who coaches Dallas McCarver and Michaela Aycock. I fully expect Bumstead to win more this year if she can even simply replicate her look from 2016 and 2017. She has the total package and will sooner than later be a prominent IFBB figure athlete.

Brooke Walker: IFBB WPD pro Brooke Walker turned pro at the 2015 NPC Jr. Nationals. Under guidance from IFBB 212 pro competitor Jose Raymond, Walker has been able to make steady improvements to her physique, and she is knocking on the door of an IFBB pro league win. She was second at the 2016 IFBB St. Louis Pro, beating Sheronica Henton, who received favourable callouts at this year’s Olympia. Walker has a very marketable look and trains like a real warrior. She recently uploaded a video of herself squatting 330 pounds and has published videos of 255-pound flat barbell presses and flat dumbbell presses with 95s. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)

Roman Fritz: “Rex” has been an underground favourite of bodybuilding fans for quite some time now. Fritz has been known for precise dieting and training, which shouldn’t surprise when you take a look at his consistency in contest conditioning. In his rookie season, Fritz stapled down a 12th at the 2015 Prague Pro and followed that with an 8th at the 2015 Nordic Pro. 2016 saw Fritz compete at the Tampa Pro, and he looked absolutely phenomenal. He locked up a fourth-place finish, but I would’ve had him in third, ahead of Adbulhadi Alkhaiyat. He then travelled to Hong Kong to do battle with the likes of Fred Smalls, Brandon Curry, and Justin Compton in the inaugural Arnold Classic Asia. This time against tougher talent, Rex pulled off an eighth-place finish. Fritz is one of the guys who holds a high level of conditioning year-round and slowly packs on mass, something that is rare in modern bodybuilding. It’s admirable and reminiscent of the old-school bodybuilders—a methodology that isn’t a coincidence on Fritz’s part. His social media posts are laden with “#BringBackTheNineties.” He's on the brink of being a threat to win any circuit-level IFBB pro show, and another year with a five- or six-pound yield of pure muscle added should help Roman get some IFBB gold.

Billie Cavalier: IFBB WPD pro Billie Cavalier earned her pro card by winning the 2015 NPC USA women’s physique overall. It was her second show ever. Let that sink in. She competed twice and earned pro status, with a pro-calibre physique. In her first pro show (2015 Atlantic City Pro) she captured second place, exceeded only by Mikaila Soto. This year those two met again at the IFBB Chicago Pro. Cavalier bested Soto this time, with the two placing fifth and 10th respectively. This show was much deeper in talent; Jaime Pinder won, and Mindi O’Brien was runner-up. Cavalier then hit the dreaded IFBB “sophomore slump” and would wind up out of the top five in her next two showings to end 2016. Look for her to climb back to the top. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)