Chris Bumstead has focused on becoming more athletic in retirement.
Bodybuilding great Chris Bumstead put together a legendary career on stage. Now, he is chasing different goals in retirement and shared his current workout routine and training methods since his competition days ended.
“I want to be able to run sideways and stop and go forward and then jump, deadlift, look good, bench press, throw a ball, throw a medicine ball. Just be strong and powerful and feel good.”
After winning his sixth Classic Physique Olympia title in October 2024, Bumstead announced that he would be retiring. He took the stage one final time during the EVLS Prague Pro in Men’s Open and finished as the runner-up. Bumstead has not competed since. He has spoken about his new regime in retirement and that includes remaining in great shape. Now, he is taking on new challenges and goals while remaining as big as possible.
Chris Bumstead’s Morning Routine
Bumstead has adjusted his morning routine since ending his competition days. He shared that his current body weight is 245 pounds and this is where he wants to stay. Bumstead lost five quick pounds from the previous month and wants to maintain his bodyweight.
“I was trying to bring it down so it just felt better…I just dropped real fast so now I’m back to like all right, maintain. Don’t want to be less than 245 right now, I don’t want to lose faster than that.”
Chris Bumstead wakes up and takes a warm shower, switching from cold water. He has a red light in his shower as well. His first meal typically consists of overnight oats made with banana, oats, vanilla protein, and blueberry. Bumstead also adds flax seed oil as a replacement for almond butter or MCT oil. When it is time to hit the gym, Bumstead trains with new goals in mind.
Chris Bumstead’s Upper-Body Workout
This upper-body workout featured supersets as Chris Bumstead focused on hitting all parts of his body:
- Neutral Grip Dumbbell Chest Press x T-Bar Rows
- Dumbbell Curls x Lying Tricep Extensions
- Preacher Curl Machine
- Rope Tricep Extensions
- Face Pulls x Rope Pullovers
After this workout, Bumstead shared his overall training plan in retirement. He wants to become more athletic and is using many different methods to accomplish this goal.
On Day 1 and Day 2 of his week, Bumstead will hit isometric holds with explosive movements in a superset. During his metabolic gap day, it is focused on cardio.
“Zone two cardio is essentially being able to breathe through your nose and not feel like you’re gasping for air.”
Bumstead has spent his entire career training to win Olympia titles on stage. This has sacrificed athleticism but it is something that he wants to get back in retirement.
“I wanted to become more athletic and then the shoulder injury came. So, then I bounced back into rehab then I bounced back into hypertrophy to put muscle back on. And now, finally I’ve been in this really good cadence of building my body into a place where it can handle more movement, more athleticism, more rotational movement, more explosive movement.”
Watch Chris Bumstead: ‘The Raw Story’ Film
Generation Iron has released A documentary delving into the journey of bodybuilding superstar Chris Bumstead, as he expands beyond the bodybuilding stage to create one of the fastest growing companies in health and fitness, RAW, alongside renowned bodybuilding coach Matt Jansen and accomplished entrepreneur, Dom Iacovone.
The film explores the five-time Mr. Olympia Classic Physique champion’s evolution from athlete to entrepreneur and takes viewers behind the scenes into the growth of RAW. With their unyielding commitment to excellence – Bumstead, Jansen, and Iacovone overcome many obstacles and form an incredible bond while going through the growing stages of their team. ‘The Raw Story’ can be watched here.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
