Muscle & Fitness used to be much more than the most reliable source of fitness and training information. It could also serve as a fortune teller because many of the athletes that graced the cover of past issues of M&F went on to become legends and icons of bodybuilding and beyond.
If you need evidence, look no further than greats such as Mike O’Hearn, Cory Everson, Jay Cutler, and one particular cover in 2018 that featured a young Canadian upstart that competed in a new division called “Classic Physique.”
Chris Bumstead was just starting out as a contender in the new division when he graced this cover, but he was determined to be not just an Olympia champion but the new standard that every other bodybuilder would be compared to. In his head, his focus was likely based on the physique alone, but even gracing this cover could not tell the tale of what “CBum” was about to do in the sport and beyond.
Chris Bumstead’s Ascension Towards Bodybuilding Greatness
One year after this issue hit the stands, Bumstead overcame the only man that beat him onstage, two-time Olympia champion Breon Ansley, to win his first Olympia title. Many fans are still convinced that his then new mustache was the difference maker for him that year.
Bumstead left nothing to chance and sported the look for each of his last five contest appearances, all on the Olympia stage. In between world title victories, his personal brand was growing on YouTube and social media. Whereas many “influencers” count their followers in the thousands, he was reaching millions around the world.
Even as M&F went to an online-only presence, Bumstead managed to find his way onto another cover – the annual Olympia issue that was released before his fourth Olympia win. By that point, he had reached peaks beyond bodybuilding and was reaching mainstream audiences around the world.
Chris Bumstead Builds a Bodybuilding Business
Many fans and insiders were comparing Bumstead’s success to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger early on, but a more accurate comparison may be with four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. CBum’s fanbase hung on every word he said, watched every rep he performed on his videos on repeat, and even started showing up with mustaches of their own when he made appearances.
They also bought his merch. His influence led him to pursuing greater business interests. He was no longer signing endorsement deals, he was taking partial ownership of both his name and the businesses he worked with. His personal supplement line through Raw supplements can be found on mainstream store shelves all over the country, and his own clothing line reached such levels of success that his new drops were online events. Meanwhile, his rivals such as Ramon Dino, Urs Kalecinski, and Terrence Ruffin were all pushing themselves to be their best when it came their turn to stand next to the champ on the Olympia stage. They all tried, but none were successful.
The Sunset of Chris Bumstead’s Onstage Career
By 2024, Bumstead’s name had become a household word. He was being interviewed on personal development podcasts, re-joined a previous sponsor, Gymshark, this time as a part-owner again, and he was a father. He was also approaching 30 years old, primetime in the bodybuilding game.
However, the champion followed an old pro wrestling adage, “before you peak, get out.” He walked into the Las Vegas Convention Center on Oct. 12, 2024 to take his rivals’ best shots against him one last time, and then strolled over to the Resorts World Theater to claim his sixth and final Olympia title before announcing his retirement onstage. During that speech, he revisited his meaning of being the “standard” for his division and sport.
“I was just an ignorant kid, chasing a dream, and here we are six years later, six of these (gold medals) around my neck, and I hope I’ve done that. But I hope I did it in a different way than I meant it in the moment, where it wasn’t so much about my physique or what I did, but how I did it, who I was, and what I became along the way.”
As great of a fortune teller as our covers were over the years, no one could have seen what was coming when they saw Chris Bumstead’s first cover six years ago, but many people are glad they got to see it at all.