It’s a known fact in the fitness community that passion for bodybuilding needs to come with a lot of discipline. GOATs like Ronnie Coleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even Chris Bumstead have poured in their heart and soul to stay on top. For someone like Bumstead, it even meant crossing many hurdles to keep his Mr. Olympia Classic Physique throne.
Winning the title five times in a row wasn’t child’s play. But the Canadian bodybuilder kept his promise that his passion would prosper. In a candid chat with host Jordan Peterson, however, he confessed that it wasn’t always this way. Discipline was a trait he gradually developed that helped with his love for bodybuilding.
Bumstead’s love for bodybuilding bloomed when he was merely 14. He signed up for a teens’ gym, where he took his first wobbly steps into the fitness world. He recalled continuing to pursue the sport for decades later only because of his passion for it.
His early days in strength training were marked by working out in his basement, where his father had some rudimentary equipment to work with. What followed was pure hustle and attempts at disciplining himself to keep up with daily progress.
“Every year since I was a child, I’ve become a little bit more consistent, a little bit more passionate, and put a little bit more effort into it so my discipline has continued to grow over time.”
However, this discipline and meticulous nature weren’t easy to develop. Bumstead recalled how, even after joining his local gym at a young age, he wouldn’t always be consistent. Thankfully, all his friends at that time were deeply involved in sports and shared a passion for athletics. This kept him going even after multiple adversities.
“I wasn’t the most disciplined kid for sure…and I grew up in a town with some good kids luckily didn’t get stuck into anything bad, and all my friends were very passionate about sports, and I wanted to excel so I kept putting myself in the gym.”
Learning to hustle ever since, the bodybuilder recalled how he would resort to walking to his gym even during snowy days in Ottawa since he couldn’t drive a car. Eventually, Bumstead trained hard and earned his bodybuilding pro card at 21, just two years after his debut show.
Chris Bumstead battled medical setbacks to win his first Mr. Olympia Classic Physique
CBum’s hardships didn’t end with mindset shifts. Bumstead went on to battle a rare autoimmune kidney disease that threatened his Mr. Olympia participation. Six weeks before the championship in 2018, he began noticing issues with water retention in his legs that prompted him to book a hospital visit.
After countless tests and worries, he learned that he suffered from a rare autoimmune disease called IGA Nephropathy, which caused inflammation in the kidney. Despite this, he went on to compete and shocked fans when he stood second, close to rival Breon Ansley. Eventually, he conquered the title the next year and has been maintaining a winning streak ever since.
