Canadian bodybuilder Chris Bumstead is arguably the most popular competitor of any division in the modern era. The young powerhouse has cemented his place in the history books with four Classic Physique Olympia wins in a row. In a recent interview with Chris Williamson, Bumstead revealed the ‘most toxic’ steroid he stays away from and plans to retire if his PED use begins to adversely affect his health.
Chris Bumstead first made a name for himself with his impressive muscle mass, symmetry, and proportions in the Classic Physique category in 2017. His potential was evident from the start as he took silver in his Mr. Olympia debut. After placing second again to former two-time champion Breon Ansley, Bumstead finally secured the coveted first-place trophy at the 2019 Mr. Olympia. He has fended off rising contenders with his latest victory coming at the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Bumstead opened up on the challenges that come with being a dominant champion earlier this year. He admitted feeling a lot of pressure from the high expectations he set for himself during his early days of competition. While he intends to add the fifth title under his belt, Bumstead plans to listen to his health and body first and foremost.
‘CBum’ revealed his trainer Hany Rambod is focused on bringing a leaner Bumstead to the 2023 Mr. Olympia three months ago. He shared that Chris would usually get up to 265 pounds in the off-season but planned to cap it at 255-258 pounds this year based on his mentor’s advice.
Bumstead detailed his split with former coach and Men’s Open competitor Iain Valliere two months ago. He credited Valliere for helping him stay injury-free and for not having him use copious amounts of gear. He’s turning up the intensity in training and believes he’s in better shape than ever before looking ahead.
Chris Bumstead gave fans a look into the private gym he’s developing at his home last month. He also cut down to four meals a day instead of six. He crushed a heavy legs workout for muscle growth as well. Then, Bumstead offered a back workout regimen for maximizing gains in the off-season.
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Chris Bumstead Will Leave the Sport if His Health Faltered
In a recent YouTube video, Chris Bumstead opened up on dealing with the health risks associated with PED (performance-enhancing drug) usage.
“If you’re a bodybuilder and you don’t worry about that, you’re either stupid or lying to be completely honest,” said Bumstead. “So this is something that’s definitely on the forefront of my brain but I just manage it as best as I can. You get blood work done consistently to keep your markers on.
There’s a lot of tests. Diagnostics now are absolutely insane if you want to stay healthy long term, if something is going on with you, it’s catching it early. I do a lot of diagnostics and blood work to make sure I stay healthy.”
He plans to retire if his steroid use starts to negatively impact his health.
“I’ve made an agreement with myself that when these things start to falter and they start to go down, no matter where I’m at in my career if I’m peaked, if I’m not peaked, I just need to call it. It’s not worth it to me. There’s a life after bodybuilding. Who I am is not a bodybuilder, there’s more to me than that.”
Bumstead Reveals Trenbolone as ‘Most Toxic’ Steroid He Stays Away From
‘CBum’ revealed he stays away from using Trenbolone because of the adverse side effects.
“The biggest one is tren. There’s guys who literally base their social media off that now. It’s a meme of the gym culture. I don’t even think people realize the impact these jokes and memes have on people coming up who see you constantly joking and talking about you need more of it to be better, stronger, and all this s**t. But that’s probably the most toxic thing you can put in your body. I’ve done it in the past but I don’t anymore. I haven’t touched it in five years due to just the toxicity it causes in your body. It just comes in and harms your kidneys, your liver, everything that takes your body to process it and go through it. It’s not naturally meant to be in your body. It makes you strong as f**k.”
“Another reason why I love Classic Physique is because I had a weight cap and I was close to my weight cap like three years ago, not at it. But I could’ve taken more sh*t and really tapped out to the point where I couldn’t put on any more weight or I could actually take less and force myself to work harder.”
Chris Bumstead laid out the 10 exercises he would pick from if he had no other options earlier this month. He chose a blend of compound and isolation movements to ensure all his muscle groups get taxed. Social media fitness star Jeff Cavaliere weighed in on Bumstead’s choices with his support and agreed with nine out of the 10 exercises on his list as well.
While PEDs in the sport is a sticky subject, hopefully, fans and competitors can take a lesson from Chris Bumstead, who many consider one of the best bodybuilders on the planet.
You can watch the full video below:
RELATED: Chris Bumstead Opens Up on Pressures of Being Dominant: “I’m Afraid That I’m Going to Lose”
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