Six titles were built on sustainable structure — not year-round misery. Here's how Chris Bumstead structures the months between shows.
The off-season is where championships are actually built. Not in the desperate final weeks of prep — in the months of quality training, quality eating, and quality living that make the prep possible. Here's how Bumstead structures his off-season — and why it works.
Training: 5 Days, Nothing Heroic
Off-season training is actually lower volume than prep in terms of total sets, but significantly heavier. The goal is strength and size, not conditioning. Bumstead has talked about leaving the gym feeling good, not destroyed — a key distinction from prep.
| Day | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Chest + Biceps | 75 min |
| Tuesday | Back (width) | 75 min |
| Wednesday | Rest | — |
| Thursday | Legs | 90 min |
| Friday | Shoulders + Triceps | 75 min |
| Saturday | Back (thickness) + Arms | 90 min |
| Sunday | Complete rest | — |
Cardio in the Off-Season
Two 20-minute sessions per week. Walking, cycling, nothing intense. The goal is cardiovascular maintenance — keeping an aerobic base without burning through recovery resources needed for muscle growth.
Nutrition: Flexible and Calorie-Positive
Roughly 300–500 calories above maintenance in the off-season — enough to grow, not so much that the cut feels impossible. Bumstead has spoken about not tracking macros to the gram during this phase. The foods remain the same staples — chicken, rice, eggs, oats, fish — with significantly more flexibility on weekends.
Recovery Practices
- 8–9 hours sleep (hard rule)
- 15 minutes daily stretching (not optional)
- Weekly massage during heavy training blocks
- Ice bath or contrast shower after leg days
"The off-season athlete who sleeps 9 hours beats the one who trains 7 days a week. Every single time, over a full year." — Chris Bumstead
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