5X Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead Hilariously Shares Post-Retirement Plans: “Next Career Is Going to Be…”

Chris Bumstead, the reigning king of Classic Physique, found some downtime in his busy schedule to enjoy a game of pickleball. The Canadian bodybuilding icon shared an Instagram story of playing pickleball with his friends. The five-time winner and defending Classic Physique champion said he’s ready to play pickleball professionally. “Next career is going to be pro pickleball,” Chris Bumstead wrote in his story.

While Cbum only shared one of Thomas’s Instagram stories, the photographer and videographer posted more stories about his day playing pickleball with Cbum and his friends. Thomas tagged entrepreneur Sergio Luviano, bodybuilder and designer Joshy PH, and IFBB Pro Vaughn Walker.

Cbum’s cameraman Calvin Youttitham, his girlfriend and NPC Bikini competitor Haley Settles, and Bum Energy-sponsored athlete Kennedy Carroll were also tagged. Thomas also posted another selfie featuring everyone, including Chirs Bumstead.

The group played pickleball in the doubles format. However, neither Chris Bumstead nor Michael Thomas revealed who won how many games. However, you may be wondering what’s pickeball. The sport looks and functions like tennis. However, pickleball is played with paddles, instead of strictly using a racket.

Another difference with tennis is that the ball is perforated and made of plastic. However, the biggest difference with tennis is the court size. A tennis court is 78 ft (23.77 m) long, 27 ft (8.23 m) wide for singles, and 36 ft (10.97 m) wide for doubles. Meanwhile, a pickleball court is smaller at 44 ft long (13 m) and 20 ft (6 m) wide.

However, Chirs Bumstead and his pro pickleball dreams have to wait. While the reigning champion and new parent has just started preparing to defend his Olympia title after a well-deserved break, his list of challengers continues to grow.

Chris Bumstead will face his most difficult challenge

Chris Bumstead finally got around to doing things he had put off for years after winning his fifth title in 2023. The bodybuilding icon got a hair transplant, traveled extensively, attended the Winter X Games, rehabbed old injuries, and became a father. Meanwhile, Wesley Vissers firmly established himself as a challenger to the Classic Physique throne.

Now, Ramon Dino is no longer the sole threat to Cbum’s Classic Physique Olympia dominance. Vissers defeated Ramon at the Arnold Classic 2024, and now many fans see him as Bumstead’s biggest challenger. However, Ramon Dino is more motivated than ever after losing his Arnold Classic Physique title. So Chris Bumstead has a lot to prove at the upcoming Olympia.

So, while the five-time champion may like playing pickleball a lot, he has to put it aside for a few months to defend his title and become a historic six-time Classic Physique Olympia champion.