Christopher Adam Bumstead (born 2 February 1995), known by his fans as CBum, is a Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder. Bumstead is the reigning Mr. Olympia Classic Physique winner, having won the competition in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. He was also the runner-up in 2017 and 2018.

Bumstead maintains a large online presence with content focusing on his lifestyle and bodybuilding.

Early life

Bumstead was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. He was involved in multiple sports in high school, including fencing, football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. He started weightlifting at the age of 14, and between the ninth and twelfth grade, he went from 170 to 225 pounds, growing his legs the most. After building what he thought was a good physique, Bumstead met his current coach, professional bodybuilder Iain Valliere, who was dating his sister. On October 19, 2022, Chris and Iain formally announced they will no longer be working together in order to focus on their own Mr. Olympia shows.

Career

Growing up, bodybuilding was only a hobby for Bumstead. He played many sports, ranging from soccer to baseball, basketball, and ice hockey. This developed Bumstead's interest in athletics, and he began weightlifting during his freshman year of high school. His sister's boyfriend, Iain Valliere, saw Bumstead's potential and helped him prepare to compete. As his bodybuilding goals began to stack up, "All of a sudden, I was coming second at the Olympia,” he stated[citation needed]. Bumstead's first bodybuilding show was a regional level show in Ontario, which he participated in with his sister, Melissa Valliere. They both won the overall, with Bumstead winning as a junior. He found himself in love with the sport of bodybuilding after his first show. He started to work with Iain first hand and devoted his life to the sport.

Bumstead made his competitive debut in 2014 at 19years old and obtained his IFBB pro card at age 21 after claiming the 2016 IFBB North American Bodybuilding Championship. He impressed the crowd and judges in his first Mr. Olympia back in 2017, taking second place in the Classic Physique category. His results were the same in the 2018 Mr. Olympia competition, although his condition was worse compared to the previous year. Bumstead was hospitalized 4 weeks out from the 2018 competition due to severe water retention. He spent three nights in the emergency room and was given a strong diuretic to flush out potassium due to a kidney issue. Bumstead continued to train after his release, but this was a significant setback.

Bumstead rose to international fame as the winner of the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Mr. Olympia competitions, making him the current reigning champion in Men's Classic Physique.

Training

Chris prefers a training split of 5 days per week. He trains back, chest, hastrings/glutes, shoulders and quads on all separate days of the week. When people ask Chris what days of the week he trains each body part, his reply is, “I don’t. I have a 5-day rotation and rarely take days off unless I feel I need to.”

Chris’s Top 3 Exercises

Chris recommends to anyone who is short on time in the gym, it’s best to stick to compound exercises as these are the exercises that produce the best overall results. A list of Chris’s top 3 can be seen below.

Squats: 100% are number one. I believe they are an invaluable exercise for not only leg development, but also the core. Squats are my favorite exercise because I can really push my limits and see just how much weight I can move.
Incline Dumbbell Press: The incline press is a much more natural movement for my body compared to the flat press. I also personally am looking to achieve a much larger and fuller upper chest, as an upper chest pops more in poses such as the side chest. If restricted to three exercises you want to work as many muscles as possible, for example, chest, shoulders, and triceps. I prefer dumbbells to barbells because the unilateral movement allows you to focus on each side of your body and build a more even and symmetrical physique.

Bent-Over Barbell Rows: They would be my final pick. It’s extremely important for me to keep my back as strong as possible, not only for proportional reasons but for overall spine health. I like rows because they also work secondary muscles missed by the previous two exercises such as biceps and rear delts.

Nutrition

Competition Diet

Chris is incredibly meticulous when it comes to his diet. He will eat the same 6 meals a day leading up to a competition for months only making minor changes. As Chris says “this way I can determine what my body needs, and I can make a small change in my diet to achieve the results I’m after.”

For Chris, he knows how important it is not to add in any new food into his diet before a photo shot or competition.

“It’s key not to add in new foods close to a competition because I don’t know the effect it can have on my body.”

Bulking Diet

However, in the off-season, he is more relaxed. He will increase his calories and not be as strict, but that doesn’t mean he will eat pizzas or burgers. He’s still true to his bodybuilding way of life.

He will still consume 6 to 7 meals a day where he will aim to get in 6000 calories a day from clean sources such as chicken rice and potatoes. When it comes to his pre-workout meal, he’ll add in extra carbs to help push through the workout.

Chris admits that he will eat muffins and quick carb snacks before his workout as he finds it hard to get enough calories in from clean sources to make up the massive 6000 calories he needs.

Chris’s Diet

Meal 1: 1 ½ cup Egg Whites, 2 Whole Eggs and 1 cup Oats
Meal 2: 8 ounces Chicken, 1 cup Jasmine Rice and 11 ounces Mixed Vegetables
Meal 3: 8 ounces White Fish, 7 ounces Sweet Potato and 11 ounces Mixed Vegetables
Meal 4: (Pre workout) 7 ounces White Fish and 2 cups Jasmine Rice
Meal 5: (Post Workout Shake) 50g 100% Whey Isolate mixed in Water
Meal 6: 8 ounces Chicken, 6 ounces Sweet Potato, 2 ounces Broccoli and 2 ounces Asparagus
Meal 7: 2 ½ cups Egg Whites, 3 Whole Eggs and 11 ounces Mixed Vegetables
 

Contest history

• 2016 IFBB North American Championships, Heavyweight, 1st (earned IFBB pro card)
• 2016 IFBB Dayana Cadeau Classic, Classic Physique, 3rd
• 2017 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro, Classic Physique, 1st
• 2017 IFBB Toronto Pro, Classic Physique, 1st
• 2017 Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, 2nd
• 2018 Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, 2nd
• 2019 Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, 1st
• 2020 Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, 1st
• 2021 Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, 1st
• 2022 Mr. Olympia, Classic Physique, 1st