Chris Bumstead's decision to step away from competitive bodybuilding at just 29 shocked many, but he had his own reasons behind it, which he revealed recently.

Bumstead appeared on the October 13, 2025, episode of Chris Williams' podcast, where he counted the damage sustained from competing as one of the primary reasons behind his early retirement.

He said, “There’s definitely some damage that happened to my health, and that was another huge reason why it was easy for me to retire because I wasn’t willing to make that sacrifice anymore. I was very conscious that bodybuilding is not good for your health."

Bumstead stressed that he stopped at the right point, saying, “I’m at a point now where I’ve worked with a bunch of doctors, and they are like, you’re actually healthier than I thought you’d be, given what you’ve done to your body. Thank God I retired at 30. I don’t want to hear, oh s***, you pushed it too far”.

Bodybuilding can be dangerous, and no one can deny that. There are instances like Ronnie Coleman, who still can not walk without help. The 8-time Mr. Olympia also fought with life-threatening sepsis.

Apart from that, there are many instances where young bodybuilders lost their lives due to heart attacks or unknown reasons.

Bumstead may have avoided a similar fate by retiring early, but that hasn't erased CBum's physical issues entirely.

Chris Bumstead on post-retirement setbacks

On February 17, Bumstead shared some of his daily routines, including workouts, through an Instagram post. While he looked in good spirits in the post, the caption revealed something else.

The caption read, “Honestly, I just haven’t felt like myself physically. Everything was aching more than it should. Old stuff popping up. Joints incredibly sore. Training felt harder than normal, and I couldn’t really figure out why”.

After undergoing many tests to diagnose the issue, Bumstead received no conclusion. However, some random antibiotics helped the retired bodybuilder manage his joint pain. But as he said, “Still not perfect, but way better than it was”.

But it must also be remembered that retiring from bodybuilding has given him the time to devote to his family, which provides many with priceless memories.

So, would you call Bumstead's decision to retire early a wise one?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy