After winning his sixth consecutive Mr. Olympia title in 2024, Chris Bumstead chose to step away from competitive bodybuilding and officially retire. One year later, ‘C-Bum’ appears to be reflecting on the structure and purpose the sport once gave him.

“I feel like when I was bodybuilding, it was like it was the perfect idea of having like a clear singular mission of something,” said Bumstead in December last year on his YouTube video with a title that read, "Testing My Athleticism After Bodybuilding.”

You heard that right, after a year away from bodybuilding, ‘C-Bum’ is ensuring that, despite stepping away from the sport, he still has a clear sense of purpose.

“Everything in my life had purpose,” said Chris Bumstead. “Now that that's gone, there's still so much more meaning I have in my life. And I think fitness shouldn't be the number one thing you're driving progress towards to have meaning in your life."

He might have stepped away from bodybuilding, but athleticism has yet to leave his side.

He still has his regrets. "But without bodybuilding anymore, it's like I'm never going to be that big or that strong in those lifts, or that lean."

Looking ahead, the six-time Mr. Olympia remains focused on getting as jacked and as athletic as possible, “wanting to be jacked and athletic, cuz I still love training and fitness is so important to my life.”

Stepping away from the stage, Chris Bumstead now lives a simpler life, once building for the crowd, now building for himself.

Chris Bumstead Key to Staying Healthy After Retirement

After preparing for shows for nearly a decade, Chris Bumstead retired at 29. While he continues to train to stay jacked, he is now prioritizing his health more than ever. “I’m definitely focusing more on mobility now, especially with my goals shifting toward performance and movement,” Bumstead told Men’s Journal.

He further added, “That said, I still think at least a level of mobility is super important for aesthetics and bodybuilding, too. If you can train and lift heavy in a larger range of motion, you can see more benefit.”

His mobility has improved; however, recovery is still a challenging task for him post-retirement, considering the fact that he is not training with the same intensity. “As for recovery, funny enough, I was way better at it when I was competing. Back then, it was a non-negotiable,” said Bumstead.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das