Though he won’t be competing at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, Chris Bumstead still faced a setback ahead of the event. On Sept. 25, he revealed that he had taken 2,000 times the normal dose of Huperzine A, a natural supplement that caused him to become violently ill.
Life for Chris Bumstead has changed considerably compared to last year. At this time in 2024, he was putting the final touches on his physique for the Mr. Olympia. During the contest, he was challenged by contender Mike Sommerfeld, but Bumstead cemented his legacy with a sixth consecutive title.
The Canadian superstar has no intention of leaving the sport entirely—he plans to boost the overall prize money at the Classic Physique Olympia. He’ll also be present throughout the 2025 Olympia Weekend at the RAW Nutrition booth, which is set to be the biggest of the expo. Weeks out, he took this supplement hoping to improve his focus, but quickly found himself in a health scare.
Chris Bumstead Overdoses After Taking 2,000x Normal Dose of Natural Supplement
During the video, Bumstead discussed overdosing on the natural supplement. He was supposed to take four pills but opted for eight.
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“Something crazy happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I pretty much overdosed on a natural supplement,” said Chris Bumstead. “I took a nootropic product; it was a sample, not our manufacturer, not our product.”
Soon after, he felt nauseous and began vomiting.
“It was supposed to be four pills. I took eight, which I didn’t think would be such a big deal,” he said. “I got flushed red–started to feel nauseous, not good. Went outside to get some fresh air, the second the sun hit me, I was in the heat, I just started throwing up. I threw up my breakfast.”
He also mentioned that he couldn’t drive home but made it to his gym. Once he was there, he noticed his heart rate skyrocketed, and he was grappling with hot/cold spells.
“I tried to drive home, couldn’t make it home, got to my gym. I’m lying on my gym couch on the ottoman, just shaking, heart rate is pounding, sweating cold, hot, back and forth. My brain was so wired. I couldn’t look at my phone. I couldn’t look beyond five feet in front of me. I couldn’t drive because everything was shaking. I was like, am I going to the hospital? Is this from the thing I took? I couldn’t figure it out.”
Bumstead revealed the ordeal took over four hours to resolve.
“I lay there for a total of four and a half hours. Bits in between, I’d take sips of water and puke that up.”
He later found out that he had taken 2,000 times the normal dose of Huperzine, and was grateful the outcome wasn’t worse:
“Long story short, the formula was written as 200 milligrams of Huperzine A rather than 200 micrograms,” shared Bumstead. “I took 2,000 times the dose of Huperzine, and it just smacked me in the face and took me out for hours. It’s not a fun experience.”
“I’m lucky that I’m big enough to handle that, and it wasn’t more serious.”
Even though Bumstead’s not competing in two weeks, that hasn’t stopped him from helping out other bodybuilders set for the Mr. Olympia. He recently joined hands with reigning two-time Men’s Physique Olympia Ryan Terry for a chest workout, where he offered him tips throughout the session.
Bumstead used this experience as a learning lesson and plans to ‘just be’ rather than always striving for self-improvement. He looks forward to meeting up with fans and athletes at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, held on Oct. 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Watch the full video from the Chris Bumstead YouTube channel below:
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