Canadian bodybuilding icon Chris Bumstead successfully defended his Classic Physique Mr. Olympia title. The bodybuilding icon became a five-time winner and grew his legacy, further solidifying his name as the King of Classic Physique. After accepting the first-place award, Bob Cicherillo had CBum on the mic for the post-competition interview.

During the interview and emotional Bumstead said he was grateful for winning the his faith consecutive Classic Physique title. However, the 28-year-old also revealed a secret only the people closest to him had an idea about. The five-time champion said that like last year, this year he had suffered another injury during his prep.

Chris Bumstead revealed he suffered a major injury

CBum said that preparing to defend his title for the fifth time felt “special.” Although Bumstead said all preps end up being special in their own right, the people “closest” to him would know why he called the 2023 Mr. Olympia prep truly special. “I told myself that I wasn’t going to numb out my emotions suppress everything,” said Bumseatd before revealing he injured his back.

Bumstead said the stress of defending his champion status got to him, and his body started shutting down. However, things got worse. “Honestly, I tore my lat, like 10 weeks out,” confessed the Canadian bodybuilder. While Bumstead had torn a bicep last year shortly before stepping on stage, this year, he arguably had to deal with a more severe injury.

However, instead of pulling out from the competition, Bumstead soldiered on. He kept his condition a secret from fans, recovered, and won the title for a fifth time without making any excuses. Yet, the five-time champion couldn’t have done it without the support of his closest friends and family.

The Classic Physique champion broke down in tears

CBum confessed to feeling lost after injuring himself in the gym. “It was falling apart,” said the champion bodybuilder. He also admitted to breaking down in tears. The bodybuilding champion doubted that he wouldn’t be able to compete. However, he called the people most dear to him, including coach Hany Rambod.

“I was like, I don’t know if I can do this,” said Bumstead. However, instead of telling him to soldier on, they said the opposite. “They’re like, you don’t have to do this,” he said. However, it was their response and support that convinced Bumstead to move forward with his prep and compete.

How did you react to the news of Chris Bumstead keeping a potential career-ending injury a secret? Tell us in the comments.

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