“I was thinking the other day about what it was that allowed me to win six Olympias,” Bumstead said in an IG video to his nearly 26 million followers. Of course, this is a question the former champion is asked all the time, at fitness conventions, in-store signings or on the podcast tour, but the best answer is something he’s been able to delve into since retiring in 2024. Bumstead says he even asks himself questions to figure out what worked and what didn’t in his career, and came up with an important observation.
Despite the physical labor that a dedicated career in bodybuilding requires, Bumstead doesn’t believe that sets or reps have been as crucial as the mindset that made these strength feats possible in the first place. Instead, he believes that having specific goals is really the key to success. “It seems obvious that if you narrow your focus you go further, but I think what people get wrong is how specific that needs to be. How deep that goes,” he explained.
The secret behind six Olympia victories
Chris Bumstead attributes his six Olympia victories to extreme goal specificity and singular focus.
Bumstead believes that being the best doesn’t just mean wanting to be the best. In his case, the bodybuilder had the very specific goal of winning six Olympia titles. “In 2017, when I took the podium for the first time in Olympia and came second, I thought: this is it,” says Cbum. “I’m going to win six Olympics, I’m going to do it before I’m 30. (Michael) Jordan had six rings, I’m going to get six titles and I want to have a family by 30, so (then) I’m going to step away from it.”
Bumstead says he was so driven to win Olympia titles that he decided not to compete in any other shows. “And I got crazy offers,” he recalls, noting that he was promised a lot of money to compete abroad or just pose as a guest for five minutes. “(The) Arnold is a great status symbol and a lot of money, and I said no to all these things because it’s not just about what you do, it’s about what you don’t do that keeps you from focusing on your goals.”
While Bumstead acknowledged that most competitive bodybuilders are already specific with their goals, sacrificing luxuries like socializing with friends and eating out, the Classic Physique legend said this mentality can be taken even further. “It’s about those things that blur that line a little bit,” he advised. “You could say The Arnold is still focused on winning an Olympia because it’s a similar goal of becoming a better bodybuilder, but for me I thought, ‘No, I’m taking my focus and my attention away from my one goal, which is winning the Olympics, and I’d take it somewhere else.’
That specific focus has certainly paid off. After finishing second in 2017 and 2018, Bumstead would rule Men’s Classic Physique, taking six straight Olympia titles between 2018 and 2024, just as he envisioned. Bumstead believes his singular focus gave him an edge because his rivals were “thinking about multiple things all year long” as they prepared for several other competitions en route to bodybuilding’s most prestigious show.
Although many fans had called for Bumstead to drop out of Classic Physique and try Open Division competition, he waited until after his Olympia campaign ended before competing in the EVLS Prague Pro and finishing second in a respectable effort against Martin Fitzwater. “I think what people don’t see is that your attention, and your focus in the present, is stored energy for who you become in the future,” Cbum said.
Focus creates confidence (and performance)
Knowing he could pay more attention to the Olympia than his opponents was a great source of confidence, Bumstead said. “I literally told my competitors, ‘You’re not going to beat me,’” he said. “I told some of them, you’re not going to beat me unless you just focus on that. I’m not the hardest worker, I don’t have the best strength, but I focus on one thing, and unless you do that too, you’re not going to beat me.”
Bumstead summed up his inspiring message by saying that hard work, discipline and perseverance are essential to progress. “But you need more clarity. You need to be more specific about what you want,” he pleaded. “So you can say ‘no’ to the things that don’t serve your purpose, and ‘yes’ to the things that don’t serve your purpose, and only to the things that do serve your purpose.” In the caption alongside his motivational video message, the icon wrote: “I’m not saying this is the ‘right way’, but if you’re determined to take something far, then it’s definitely not the wrong way.”
To follow Chris Bumstead on Instagram, click here.
#Chris #Bumsteads #Laser #Focus #Strategy #Classic #Physique #Dynasty #Muscle #Fitness