Chris Bumstead Talks His ‘Minimum Effective’ Steroid Cycle & Dangers of ‘Hardcore Drugs’

Fresh off his latest victory at the 2023 Mr Olympia, Chris Bumstead continues to make the rounds online, appearing on a handful of podcasts. In his latest venture shared via YouTube, Bumstead joined Patrick Bet-David to discuss bodybuilding steroid cycles and the dangers of ‘hardcore’ drugs like Anavar and Trenbolone. 

In past years, performance-enhancing drugs were seldom discussed; however, this has changed with the rise of social media. In the sport of bodybuilding, drugs like steroids are often used to enhance features of a physique as well as aid in hypertrophy, recovery, strength, and endurance. 

While speaking with Patrick Bet-David, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur and podcaster, Bumstead, who boasts a staggering 22 million followers on Instagram, opened up on his influence over the younger generation of fans watching his content and career. He is the reigning five-time Classic Physique Olympia and in this appearance, he lays out the risks and future expectations of using performance-enhancing drugs. 

Chris Bumstead Discusses ‘Min Effective Dose’ Protocol and Concerns Over ‘Hardcore Drugs’ 

Embarking on his bodybuilding career, Bumstead had a trusted team around him, mentioning that they always stuck to a “minimum effective dose” of steroids “always.”

“I had people who I could trust who were helping me and they were always like minimum effective dose, always. Start with the least possible and go up from there.

And at a young age I had a run-in with my health issues and that’s when I was like okay, this didn’t cause it but it could make it worse.”

“So, you hear things like Tren and Anadrol and all these things and these are the hardcore ones. Alright, hardcore usually means harder on your body as well. If it works more, it’s probably harder on your body. Stay away from those.” 

Bumstead shared that it’s best to receive doctor prescriptions for bodybuilding cycles but specified that anyone curious should always begin slowly and “don’t throw the kitchen sink at it to start.” 

“If you can get it prescribed from a doctor, it’s probably more researched and healthier. You’re going to be doing higher doses than a doctor would but minimum effective dose, it starts as small as possible and slowly increase. You don’t need to throw the kitchen sink at it to start. You start small and slowly progress over time and change every other variable before that variable.” 

Shockingly, Bumstead revealed he hasn’t changed the amount of steroids he has used for the last five years as the five-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion. 

“I haven’t had to change the amount of steroids I take for the last five years. It’s decreased over my career. Yeah,” said Bumstead. “I mean, muscle maturity too is a – real thing. You know, I’ve only been training for, I’ve been training for like 14 years.” 

Bumstead Opens Up Downsides of Steroid Cycles: ‘Side Effects Vary Greatly’

Cbum took the opportunity to list several side effects of using steroids which can potentially include infertility, increased risk of heart disease, an increase of cholesterol, and it can negatively impact your liver and other vital organs, especially when abused. Another side effect Bumstead warned about was users losing their natural testosterone forever, which would require them to take testosterone replacement therapy for life. 

“I was doing a Q and A in Dubai the other week, and some kid just literally, probably 17 asked me if he should get on steroids. And I’m like, no.

First of all, I always tell people if you have to ask someone else you shouldn’t and the side effects to it can vary so greatly depending on the person you just never know what you’re going to.” 

“You could do one cycle and then your natural testosterone could be dumped for the rest of your life where you have to be on TRT forever. It can make you infertile, it can lead to more risks of heart disease, increase of cholesterol, it can affect your liver, all of your organs, it can be very damaging especially when abused.” 

Bumtead doesn’t recommend steroids to anyone, especially those of younger ages, stressing “don’t even begin to touch it.” 

“Which typically people can get addicted — not addicted like a drug but you get addicted to the result and the how you feel, how you feel, and all that stuff.

So, I definitely recommend anyone at a young age don’t even begin to touch it. If your physique is still progressing, don’t even think about touching it. And if you’re not thinking about doing this bodybuilding thing forever, then don’t even think about touching it.” 

Considering steroids can cause lifelong damage to the body, Bumstead believes taking cycles should always be done with caution and medical supervision. 

“Some people have an idea they want to compete, ‘Oh I’m going to do my first cycle and compete.’ And then they compete and they hate bodybuilding because it sucks. It’s a lot shittier than you think it is when you get into it, especially at a high level.” 

“Now, you’ve done this potentially long-term damage to your body just for a 12-week prep to try and compete. You can’t go back on it. It’s just not worth it. So I just always tell kids it’s sad that it’s even to kids but to wait as long as possible to even think about it.

Before looking into taking PEDs, Bumstead advised his fans to reach their full genetic potential naturally first. 

“Make sure that your nutrition, your recovery, your training is all perfect, and it’s been perfect for years to the point where you hit your natural plateau where you can’t really make progress anymore.

And then entertain what’s it really worth it to you, understand the risk, is the risk worth it to you. Is it going to be a long-term thing or are you building your career going to school and this is just like a side hobby,” says Bumstead. 

Cbum on Men w/ Low Test Over 35: “TRT Is A Great Thing For You” 

Since steroids can sometimes be made in underground labs, Bumstead pointed to the value of TRT clinics. He believes men over 35 with low testosterone heavily benefit from TRT with a notable increase in quality of life. 

“I think the world of TRT is different than steroids, the way I look at it. Steroids are a little more underground, they are higher doses, more compounds, more things going on. I think if you’re over the age of 35 and you have low T I think TRT is a great thing for you. I think being able to have that energy and be healthy and burn body fat to hate those capabilities is healthier than taking a little bit of TRT.” 

Overall, Bumstead acknowledges that learning about steroids can be challenging due to unreliable sources of information. 

“Learning it, it’s hard. There’s a bunch of people on the internet now who talk a lot of bullshit and a lot of people who are really good so it’s hard to differentiate that.

But in any aspect, you can get shitty business advice and you can get good business advice. You have to do a lot of research.” 

This wasn’t Chris Bumstead’s first public appearance that saw him discuss the inner belly of the PED world. He took aim at Trenbolone and named it as the single most toxic drug in the industry. Considering Bumstead suffers from IGA Nephropathy –an autoimmune disease, the Classic Physique Pro is devoted to preserving his longevity.

Since winning a historic fifth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title, Chris Bumstead reflected on the arduous road he faced mainly due to an untimely lat tear. He overcame the injury and presented a championship-tier physique to clinch another gold trophy. To remedy his health, Bumstead received renal stem cell injections into his kidneys for preventative measures. 

Looking ahead, Bumstead will aim to cement himself as a six-time Classic Physique Olympia next year.  The 2024 Mr. Olympia has announced it will take over Las Vegas, Nevada to celebrate its historic 60th anniversary. 

RELATED: Chris Bumstead Lists Top 4 Biggest Bodybuilding Inspirations, Evaluates Physiques of 1990s Era

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