The bodybuilding community witnessed history at the 60th Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness and Performance Weekend. Chris Bumstead, who won his sixth Classic Physique Olympia title, took part in videos published on October 14, 2024, to discuss his fear of losing, his impact on Classic Physique, and his feelings about retiring from the sport.
Since 2019, Chris Bumstead ruled the Classic Physique Olympia as the undisputed champion. He overcame a stacked lineup of contenders to win his latest sixth title, defeating surging IFBB Pros Mike Sommerfeld and Urs Kalecinski.
As the winningest Classic Physique bodybuilder in history, saying goodbye to the sport that catapulted him into the limelight was painstakingly difficult. However, fans, bodybuilders, and especially his family, couldn’t be happier with what he’s accomplished. With a new chapter set to begin for ‘Cbum,’ he opened up on the pressures of setting the standard in Classic Physique along with his decision to step away from the sport.
Chris Bumstead Discusses Fear of Losing, Setting the Standard in Classic Physique, and Life After Retirement
Bumstead became accustomed to facing fear, adversity, and struggle throughout his bodybuilding career, which led to a transformative mindset when it came to the pressures of being champion.
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“Been going through a lot of adversities and challenges over the years and every year has something that kind of gets in my way. It felt like it was holding me back. This year has a few earlier on in the year but at this point I’m feeling pretty good, feeling pretty set.”
“I want to be able to get off stage, kiss my wife, hold my baby, and know that I became the best in the world and maintained a beautiful relationship throughout,” said Bumstead. “
As for his biggest sacrifice, Bumstead pointed to his mental peace. He admits that his neuroticism made him feel like he was behind when preparing for title defenses.
“I think for me, the biggest sacrifice has just been my mental peace. The goal this year is trying to find that, maintain it, have the mental peace while also thriving at a high level and seeing how I can do that as efficiently as possible and I’d like to be able to say I did so successfully,” he explained.
“I still have a level of neuroticism in me even though I’ve been succeeding for five to six years now and it’s definitely gotten better.
The fear of losing or not presenting his best always weighed heavily on Bumstead, but it also provided him with a drive to be better.
“I don’t focus on perfection. I focus on being the best and doing the best I can but even within that, I have that voice in my head that will look at myself every now and then and be like, not like I’m a shitty person but if I’m trying to being Mr. Olympia, you’re not fucking doing enough and it creates an impeding anxiety upon myself like I’m not doing enough. That’s not an overwhelming thing all the time, it’s a drive for me to keep being better.”
He planned to set the standard in Classic Physique before he ever won an Olympia title and believes he got the job done.
“Six years ago in 2019 before I ever won the Olympia, I said I was going to set the standard for what the Classic Physique division was going to become. I had no idea what I was saying.
Young ignorant kid just chasing after a dream and here we are six years later, six medals around my neck and I hope I’ve done that but I hope I’ve done it in a different way in the moment, where it wasn’t so much about my physique and what I’d done but how I did it and who I was and who I became along the way.”
While it’s bittersweet saying goodbye to the sport, Bumstead wouldn’t change a thing.
“It’s really a bittersweet feeling that this is going to be my last time up on the stage. Best eight years for me, it’s been the most amazing journey in my life and I wouldn’t change anything. I really hope, I hope I set the standard. I hope I’ve done that.”
For anyone hoping to walk in his footsteps, Bumstead says to embrace it all — positive and negative.
“Feeling the highs, feeling the lows, feeling it all, if you numb the bad, you numb the good. Doing the hard shit all that stuff. The hard shit is not about showing up in the gym working out hard it’s the stuff that’s actually hard to you. It’s the stuff you don’t want to do,” he shared.
Although he sacrificed mental peace to reach the top of the sport, it’s been rewarded and now he’s ready to pass on the torch to a new champion.
“I’ve put myself out there and I’ve sacrificed a lot of the past few years. A lot of that has been mental peace. I’ve put a lot of pressure and expectations on myself. It’s been rewarded.
And I’m so grateful but I’m ready to step down from this and let someone take this spot. I’ve learned that the most beautiful thing is when you get handed everything you ever wanted, that sometimes it’s the simplest things right in front of you, like your family, the people who love you, and the small moments that mean so much more.”
With the Classic Physique Olympia title now vacant, fans are turning their attention to who could fill the void. Mike Sommerfeld and Urs Kalecinski secured spots two and three on the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia stage, so they are the on paper favorites heading into next year’s gathering.
Chris Bumstead helped elevate bodybuilding to new levels and will be missed in retirement. This isn’t the last we’ll see of him though, as he has ensured competitors that he plans to raise the Classic Physique Olympia prize money on the horizon.
Watch the full videos from Chris Williamson’s and Chris Bumstead’s YouTube channels:
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