Despite dominating the Classic Physique division for years, 6x Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead recently revealed that his biggest earnings in bodybuilding actually came from outside the stage.

A clip from a 2023 episode of the Full Send Podcast featuring Bumstead has been racking up views online lately. It features the 6x Mr. Olympia opening up about how little bodybuilders actually make from winning the Mr. Olympia title.

After being questioned by the host about his earnings from winning Mr. Olympia, Bumstead said, "I got 50 Gs [$50,000] last year, yeah. You don't make money of competing, that's for sure."

Bumstead also revealed that while the Open division champions earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Classic Physique winners typically receive a significantly smaller cash prize.

However, 'Cbum' admitted that winning such coveted titles often comes with more opportunities, even in different fields. He said, "If you utilize it properly, it can open more doors, and if you build your own brand, you kind of have to do the work on the outside, and like either build your own brand sponsorships or build your own companies.”

This revelation brought forward a broader truth about modern bodybuilding: The titles only bring prestige, not profit. Bumstead understood the game pretty well and hence, leveraged his popularity into a thriving business empire. 

The Canadian bodybuilding veteran built a powerful personal brand that has millions of followers across several social media platforms. He has ties with the supplement company Raw Nutrition and even owns an apparel brand, CBum Fitness. 

All these sponsorship deals, merchandise sales, and online content made The People’s Champion one of bodybuilding’s most financially successful athletes, with a net worth of between $7 million and $10 million as of 2025.

How much money did Chris Bumstead make in Mr. Olympia?

As CBum suggested, competing in Mr. Olympia is as financially lucrative as it sounds, so let's figure out how much he made during his reign.

Bumstead's bodybuilding career spanned nine years from 2016 to 2024, eight of which he spent competing in the Classic Physique division of Mr. Olympia. During his tenure, he won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, ending his career and streak with a final win in 2024.

Here is a breakdown of how much money he made throughout his Mr. Olympia career.

• 2017 - $8,000 (2nd place)
• 2018 - $8,000 (2nd place)
• 2019 - $30,000 (1st place)
• 2020 - $30,000 (1st place)
• 2021 - $50,000 (1st place)
• 2022 - $50,000 (1st place)
• 2023 - $50,000 (1st place)
• 2024 - $60,000 (1st place)

The total is $286,000, which is not even close to what his Open division counterparts make.

So, do you think the total purse for Mr. Olympia's Classic Physique division should be more than what it is?

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Souvik Roy