Special plans are on the horizon for this year’s Olympia event. Recently, on May 5, 2025, Chris Bumstead teased something ‘big and crazy’ in Classic Physique for the biggest show of the year.
Each year, the Mr. Olympia contest levels up, bringing new and exciting opportunities for its fans and competitors. In 2024, Samson Dauda prevailed against a stacked lineup including former champions Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan to become the 19th bodybuilder to earn the prestigious Sandow trophy.
During his winning speech, Olympia owner Jake Wood announced that the organization bumped up the prize money to $600,000, making it the most lucrative purse in the history of the sport. The night was filled with memorable moments. In the show’s aftermath, reigning six-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead retired as well.
Chris Bumstead Talks ‘Big and Crazy’ Plan for Classic Physique at 2025 Mr. Olympia
In a recent Instagram post, Bumstead emphasized that he still planned to contribute to Classic Physique at the Olympia despite stepping away from competing.
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“Not to fully disclose what we have planned but we’ve been discussing, now that I’m not developing into being an athlete competing at the Olympia, there’s a lot of things that I want to do to make the athlete experience better at the Olympia and a lot of other experiences that I have a different perspective on.”
“We’ve been talking about ways I can still contribute to being a part of the Olympia. Making the sport bigger as a whole, giving back to Classic Physique, the athletes the fans,” he adds.
He wants to be a voice for the division and help boost its notoriety, revealing that they have plans to get big brands involved to do something ‘big and crazy.’
“Making sure they are going in and trying to be a voice. I know how complicated it is to run a business. Sometimes things get lost in the weeds. Being able to have a person directing that vision forward is something I’d love to do to help.”
“We want to get the brands involved and do something big and crazy,” Bumstead shared. “We want to do something that’s never been done before.”
It remains unclear what exactly Bumstead has planned for 2025 Olympia. Previously, he expressed interest in increasing the prize money for the Classic Physique division. In addition, Dan Solomon mentioned that the Mr. Olympia would award the largest prize money ‘by far.’
While Bumstead won’t be competing onstage, it seems he’ll have a hand in the show’s production in one way or another. The 2025 Mr. Olympia takes place October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hopefully, in time, we will hear more details about Bumstead’s mysterious plans for the Classic Physique category.
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