Chris Bumstead, a prominent figure in the bodybuilding world, remains active during his off-season. In a recent podcast with clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson, Bumstead discussed his 300-gram protein diet regimen and reiterated his intention about retirement by the age of 30.
Since 2019, Chris Bumstead has established himself as one of the top competitors in the Classic Physique division, securing a total of five Olympia titles. His latest victory came just months ago, triumphing over formidable opponents like Urs Kalecinski and Ramon Rocha Queiroz.
Throughout his career, Bumstead has faced and conquered various challenges, including competing with a torn lat muscle. Despite setbacks, he has maintained his resilience and determination.
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Despite his continued success, Bumstead has revealed his plans to eventually step away from competitive bodybuilding. Reflecting on his dietary needs and career trajectory, he shares his realization that his time in the sport has a finite lifespan.
Chris Bumstead Discusses Diet Strategy & Retirement
Bumstead focuses on consuming maximum calories during the off-season. As he transitions into competition preparation, he reduces calorie intake while intensifying cardio training.
“It typically consists of you start building up to a maximum amount of calories as you can throughout the year so your metabolism is flying. And then when you start prep, you just slowly start bringing down the calories while increasing the amount of cardio you do.”
“So let’s say my off-season when I am at my heaviest, I’m eating about 5,500, 5,000 calories. Then, at my lowest, at the end of my prep, I’ll be eating about 1,500 calories. So, it comes down quite a bit and within that, you’re adding in cardio, so you’re expending a little bit more calories doing that and it’s just kind of changing the energy output versus input to make sure that you’re inputting less than your outputting,” explains Bumstead.
Chris Bumstead revealed that he consumes 300 grams of protein daily. When adjusting his diet for bodybuilding, he primarily modifies his fats and carbohydrates intake.
“I’ll eat about 300 grams of protein in a day. And as my calories come down, I’m normally pulling away my carbs and my fats and keeping my protein the same. So, calories are coming down, but protein staying the same so that ratio just changes. That’s why bodybuilding is so much different than a lot of other sports if you can call it that.”
While all sports involve competition, Bumstead views bodybuilding as fundamentally distinct. He emphasizes that success in bodybuilding hinges on effective dieting and training, which he describes as a delicate balance.
“Because it’s not just about how you perform, but it’s about how you look. So typically, in sports, it’s like what’s going to allow me to perform the best, whereas in bodybuilding, it’s like, no, I’m just got to look the best and I still have to go and perform in the gym as best as I can.
So it’s kind of balancing those two to allow yourself to be in the gym getting the best workouts that you can. But you also can’t be eating too much to perform at your best because then you’ll be holding on to too much body fat. So it’s kind of an art of balancing all of that.”
Bumstead Expresses Gratitude for Bodybuilding Career But Says It’s Not ‘Forever’
According to ‘Cbum,’ he always knew he had limited time to make the most of his bodybuilding career.
“I’ve always been pretty transparent that bodybuilding isn’t forever for me. I’m grateful I got successful at a young age so I can retire at a young age.
I always said I wouldn’t go past 30. So, now, that I’m approaching that age, I’m coming to that point where I’m like, coming to the understanding that there isn’t going to be one mountain, there is going to be many.”
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Looking back on his 2023 season, Bumstead acknowledged feeling overextended as a top athlete, business owner, husband, and upcoming father.
“Also this past year, I had a lot of things on my plate and I spread myself a little bit too thin. I wasn’t able to compete at the level I wanted to at the beginning of the year. I read this book called The One Thing and its talking about if you want to be the top one percent in something, you need to focus on that one thing.”
“I was trying to be good, wearing too many hats, while still being Mr. Olympia but it also showed me that if I want to be the best father I can be, the best husband I can be, the best businessman, the best everything I can be, bodybuilding is going to take away from that, at least for parts of the year,” said Chris Bumstead.
He acknowledges that maintaining his top position in Classic Physique requires sacrifices in other areas of his life.
“If bodybuilding is still being the best in the world, at least, it takes a lot out of me. Therefore, sacrificing from other things. I started to notice that. It’s not what I wanted. The biggest goal I’ve ever had in my life and I’ve always said this, this is why I’m so excited right now is to be the best father I can be.”
Bumstead has been forthcoming with his extensive fanbase regarding his contemplation of retirement. During a recent trip to Brazil, the bodybuilding star reiterated his plan to step away from competition within two years, emphasizing his decision not to compete beyond the age of 30.
It’s evident that numerous contenders in the Classic Physique division are eager to challenge Bumstead for the championship title. Fans anticipate his return to the stage as he vies for a sixth Olympia title from October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this year.
View the full video from the Dr. Jordan Peterson YouTube channel here:
Overview
Chris Bumstead, a prominent figure in bodybuilding, discusses his off-season Diet routine and retirement plans in a recent podcast. Despite his success, Bumstead acknowledges the finite nature of his bodybuilding career and emphasizes the importance of balancing various aspects of his life. Fans eagerly await his return to the stage as he aims for a sixth Olympia title later this year.
Featured Image – Chris Bumstead on Diet and Retirement: “Bodybuilding Isn’t a Forever Thing For Me” – Credit: @Cbum (Instagram), @Jordan Peterson (Youtube)
