Lee Priest, known for his outspoken nature, is never shy when it comes to discussing some of the sport’s biggest stars. In a recent YouTube video shared on January 24, 2025, Priest talked about Chris Bumstead’s life and health after retirement.
Chris Bumstead dominated the Classic Physique category shortly after his arrival into the sport. In 2019, he finally bested Breon Ansley to take home his first Classic Physique Olympia title. He only seemed to improve under the bright lights as the pressure mounted.
Bumstead now resides in retirement as the reigning six-time Classic Physique Olympia champion. In his last outing in 2024, ‘Cbum’ was challenged by Mike Sommerfeld, who managed to win two of the five poses scored on stage. Ultimately, the mass, proportions, and conditioning of Bumstead prevailed.
Lee Priest Discusses Chris Bumstead’s Life and Health After Retirement
Although Bumstead abruptly announced his retirement on stage, he reversed courses days later. He announced one final send-off contest at the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro, but instead of competing in his usual division, he opted to make a splash in the Men’s Open category. He battled Martin Fitzwater in the finals en route to second place, leaving the bodybuilding community stunned by his accomplishments, including Lee Priest.
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In a recent YouTube video, Priest implored Bumstead to enjoy life following his bodybuilding career. Given that he’s now part-owner of the Gymshark clothing company, he doesn’t think Bumstead will have to deal with money issues moving forward.
“Just to enjoy it. He’s got the new baby. He’s got a few businesses. I’m sure he’s making a fortune just from his YouTube channel, but he bought into Gymshark didn’t he? That clothing company. He was with them and I know he has shares in them now.”
He underlined that Bumstead plans to stick around in the fitness industry with plans to give back to the Classic Physique division on the horizon.
“He’s got to be a multi-millionaire just from stuff now. Just enjoy life. I’m sure he’s going to stay in the fitness industry. He talked about giving money to the Classic division.”
Since Bumstead suffers from an autoimmune disease, Priest advised him to enjoy his family in retirement.
“You’ve done the hard work. I think he has some sort of health problem, something I’m not sure what it was. I know he’s got something. I’m thinking, he’s like 30-odd, 31, so if you can retire at that age and be set with your family just enjoy life.”
Thanks to Bumstead’s business ventures, Priest doesn’t believe he’ll ever have to work another day in his life.
“He did that Open, he had fun doing that he said. Just enjoy your life now and have fun. He’s still young,” adds Priest. “He really doesn’t have to work for the rest of his life so he can just do what he’s doing with his wife and kid.”
He likes to see athletes exit the sport with their health because he’s seen many in the bodybuilding community ‘still pumping drugs’ years after their time has passed.
“It’s good to see people get in, get out, do what they got to do because I’ve seen so many guys who have started in their 20s and never really got there but they still want to get there and 30 years later, they are still pumping the drugs, still doing this, it’s like you let your life go by.”
He mentioned that some people in the fitness industry don’t want to get married because it will impact their bodybuilding lifestyle.
“Some of them won’t get married because they just want to train. They don’t want a girlfriend. Some of them won’t get a job because this is what they want to do and they’ll sell drugs to do other shit. To fund their so-called bodybuilding lifestyle and in the end, it’s like you never turn Pro. You’ve let all this time go past.”
Interestingly, some in the sport, such as judge Terrick El Guindy, believe this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Chris Bumstead. El Guindy recently suggested that the six-time Classic Physique Olympia would make his return to the Open class in a few years.
While Bumstead has begun settling into retirement, fans and Priest alike are curious how he’d fare at future Open events. However, Bumstead does suffer from a rare health issue called IgA nephropathy, which could impact his well-being if he chooses to mount a return in the future.
Lee Priest believes Bumstead should sit back, relax, and enjoy retirement after a successful career. He acknowledges that doing so is challenging in a sport like bodybuilding, which is full of surprises.
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