Jeremy Buendia is embracing change for his final Mr. Olympia contest. On June 25, 2025, he pulled back the curtain on his new training approach, which emphasizes quality reps over moving excessive weight.
Buendia is the most successful Men’s Physique Olympia champion of all time. From 2014-2017, he won the title four times, defeating mainstays of the category like Sadik Hadzovic and Brandon Hendrickson. After taking time away from the sport, Buendia made his highly anticipated comeback at the 2023 Mr. Olympia, where he secured eighth place.
For a moment, he considered entering the 2025 Arnold Classic but knew he wouldn’t be in a position to win; this realization nudged him to bow out. However, his sights are now set on his final Mr. Olympia contest, and adjusted his training to meet the new demands of his prep.
Jeremy Buendia Breaks Down His Updated Training Strategy and Upper Body Routine as He Prepares for Olympia 2025
Find his exact workout below, featured in his recent YouTube video:
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- Warmup – Bands
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Pec Dec Fly
- Incline Chest Press Machine
- Cable Fly
- Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Incline Dumbbell Press
Buendia has changed up his training approach for his final Mr. Olympia contest. To preserve his body and avoid injuries, he’s aiming for quality on each rep rather than pursuing heavy weight.
“I’m just trying to train a little bit smarter. I feel good today, so I wanted to give them a whirl [120-pound dumbbells]. I used to just grab as much weight as possible and move it around. I’ve gotten older now, I can’t do that because something is going to rip or tear.
Now I’m searching out quality on each rep, really feeling the fibers open up and really contracting and forcing that blood in the muscle. It’s all about pumping that muscle.”
Pec Dec Fly
He prefers to alternate between pressing and fly movements on chest day.
“Give the triceps a little bit of a break. Whenever I’m training chest, I do press, fly, press, fly, typically,” explains Buendia. “Keep your elbows fixed as you’re coming back, you don’t want bend in your elbows. You want to try to and drive those elbows together, keeping those arms as straight as possible.”
He offered tips on the pec deck, revealing that many lifters make the mistake of popping their elbows out and bringing their hands together, which he said could reduce the pump. Instead, he explained that it’s best to extend out with the elbows together for maximum chest engagement.
“I see a lot of guys doing flies, their elbows pop out and they’re bringing their hands together and they’re not getting everything out of their chest,” he adds. “Extend out and bring those elbows together, you guys can see just that motion right there, how my chest engages.”
Incline Chest Press Machine
Buendia slowed down his reps on the incline chest press machine, ensuring his pecs were fully pumped before transitioning to another fly movement.
Cable Fly
In between sets, Buendia teased that his gym will welcome a handful of unique chest machines.
“It’s a little limited on equipment [inside this gym], but it’s enough to get the job done. I’ve got so much chest equipment coming into the gym, I’m excited to mix it up and have these unique pieces. At least five or six chest machines that no one in this area has at all.”
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Buendia finished with dumbbell lateral raises and was unsure whether he should increase his food intake after dialing it back recently.
“Part of prep is getting past the point of you’re not going to feel your best every workout. You’re not going to feel super full every workout, especially now that I cut my food back a little bit and cleaned it up. I don’t feel as full, which honestly, it’s probably too soon for that. I should probably up my food a little bit.”
Buendia remains focused on quality training and delivering his all-time best look at the Mr. Olympia. The 2025 Mr. Olympia is set for October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
RELATED: Jeremy Buendia Shares 4,616-Calorie Full Day of Eating 20 Weeks from His Final Mr. Olympia
