Chris Bumstead is loving life in 2025, eating banana bread and training at his own pace instead of prepping for another Olympia. And, with six-consecutive Classic trophies in the bag, he’s certainly earned it. But with speculation still rife about Bumstead’s plans this year, we asked the bodybuilding icon if he would ever return as a guest poser.
Chris Bumstead dominated the Classic Division from 2019-2024 but bowed out of competitive bodybuilding last year, following an iconic run. Now enjoying huge success with his Raw Nutrition supplement line, the canny Canadian hasn’t competed since his impressive second place at the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro, where he made his first and apparently last appearance in the Open division. “Getting on stage there was completely different,” reflects Bumstead. “Just feeling in my heart that it was a lot of fun. I’m extremely grateful that I did it.”
Bumstead’s proximity to bigtime bodybuilding over the last several years has naturally led to its fans speculating whether or not we might one day see Cbum back on stage as a guest poser. When asked about the possibility, those hopes were dashed, however.
“Right now, I seriously doubt I would ever do it,” Bumstead told M&F. “You never know, but I never even enjoyed guest posing in the middle of my career,” he added. “So, I can’t imagine it’s something I want to do now.” Still, those who want to see the man with the phenomenal physique in person should be heartened to know that he is still very much part of the bodybuilding scene and along with his supplement brand, is making regular personal appearances. Even more excitingly, he’s also set to be involved in the 2025 Olympia event in a new capacity.
Chris Bumstead to be Involved in the 2025 Olympia Event
In a recent Instagram post, Cbum confirmed that he had been working with Olympia President Dan Solomon to bring some innovative ideas to the event. “Even though you are not planning to compete at this year’s Olympia, there’s still going to be a little bit of an Olympia prep going on,” said Solomon in a conversation with Bumstead. “Yeah,” responded the legendary Classic competitor. “There’s a lot of things that I want to do, to make the athlete experience better at the Olympia,” he continued, explaining that it’s not just the athlete experience that he wants to improve. “I feel like we have the same vision of what we want to do,” Bumstead told Solomon, apparently excited about what’s to come. “We want to get the brands involved, do something big and crazy.”
While the specifics remain under wraps for now, the continued collaboration between Bumstead and Olympia appears to be taking the event to a whole new level. “You just used the words big and crazy,” said Solomon. “Well, we love doing things big and we’re also a little crazy, so I think we’re gonna have a good time.”
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