Although he stepped away from the sport, Chris Bumstead hasn’t abandoned the principles that turned him into a champion. On Oct. 22, 2025, via YouTube, he broke down his ultimate cutting guide to achieve a leaner physique.
At the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia, Chris Bumstead won his sixth and final title. He announced that he was retiring following a one-off Men’s Open splash at the Prague Pro. Competing in the Czech Republic, he managed to place runner-up behind Martin Fitzwater.
With less muscle and a lighter tan, he watched the 2025 Olympia unfold as a spectator. In the end, Ramon Queiroz captured the vacant crown, kickstarting a new era in the IFBB Pro League. With more time to help out his fans in retirement, Bumstead revealed tips that anyone can use to improve body composition.
Chris Bumstead’s Ultimate Guide to Cutting
Below is an overview of the principles Bumstead uses for successful cuts, which were featured in his YouTube video.
- Timing the Cut
- Duration of the Cut
- Track Foods and Macros to Establish Baseline of Calories
- Utilize Healthy, Whole Food Options
- Be Careful With Condiments
- Prioritize Quality Sleep
- How to Navigate Training
When to Start a Cut
According to Bumstead, if abs are no longer visible, or you prefer a leaner physique, it makes sense to start a cut. He explains that it can help insulin sensitivity, metabolism, and digestion.
“If you have no abs showing anymore, you might be at a point in a bulk where you’re starting to lose or plateau and you need to cut down, fix your insulin sensitivity, metabolism, digestion, and a lot of things that are off in a cut.”
“When you get to that point where you don’t really like how your body looks, you’re kind of fatter than you want to be or just want to be leaner, personal preference, then you can start a cut.”
How Long Do You Cut?
As long as you feel good and have energy, “Cbum” said you can cut indefinitely. However, he notes that a warning sign to stop is when you start losing gains.
“You can keep going constantly as long as you feel good,” he said. “Don’t stress about going too long unless you’re sacrificing in the gym and you start losing a lot of gains.”
Track Your Food to Establish Baseline of Calories
To make informed dietary decisions, he said to establish a baseline of calories. He suggested tracking everything.
“Track everything consistently going forward. Once you have that, you have your baseline calories, so your weight is not changing and you have enough protein so you can recover.”
“I like to drop 2-300 calories,” he said. “Whole foods are so much more important.”
Prioritize Quality Sleep
Sleep is another silent killer when you’re on a cut, as Bumstead shares that higher cortisol will make the body more stubborn during the fat loss process.
“When your sleep is off, higher cortisol, higher cortisol means it’s harder for your body to burn fat, so you’re not going to get lean as fast.”
Incorporate Healthy, Whole Foods
He believes healthy, whole foods are best while enduring a cut, as opposed to calorie-dense highly processed options.
“We’re taking care of our bodies, just eat healthy,” said Bumstead. “I can eat whatever I want in the realm of potato, rice, chicken, salmon, almond butter, all the different healthy whole foods.”
Condiment Control
He advised using caution with condiments because they sneakily add calories to your baseline.
“The goal with condiments is if you start your prep with them, keep them in until you have to cut them out but if you don’t have any condiments and you add them in later, you are technically adding in more calories.”
How to Navigate Training for Results
Lastly, he discussed how to manipulate training when you’re navigating a cut. Although people often turn to cardio to drop weight, the former Classic Physique king highlights that cardio demands depend on the person.
“Just walk more in a day and track that, those people get shredded too and it’s possible.”
“Some people get shredded without cardio, it just depends on your body,” he shared. “The goal if you’re not losing weight and you brought your calories down a little bit, then add a little bit of cardio, I’d start with 20 minutes five times a week.”
As for resistance training, he emphasized not to lighten the weight until your body can no longer handle the current load. A lot of athletes and fitness enthusiasts jump the gun on this step.
“In my mind, the goal is to not have to change your training until you have to. A lot of people are like I’m cutting, I’m going to be tired, let me drop the weight and do more volume.
They do that before they’re actually tired but you don’t want to preemptively do that, you want to wait till you’re actually to the point where you can’t lift a certain weight because you’re so exhausted.”
Bumstead isn’t the only elite-level bodybuilder showing you how to get leaner and in shape. Former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler recently offered three key tips to get shredded, which include maintaining cardio, sticking with your diet, and eliminating alcohol.
Despite no longer competing, Bumstead still maintains an exceptional physique in retirement. Having conquered the highest mountain tops in the sport, his cutting guide is backed up by true experience.
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