Is Chris Bumstead Natural or on Steroids?

Chris Bumstead is not just a well-known bodybuilder but is also one of the youngest IFBB professional bodybuilders that the world has seen.

As a matter of fact, experts have gone to the extent of saying that he has a long way to go and could well be one among the likes of Arnold, Dorian Yates, and Ronnie Coleman.

Having said that, he is often accused of having used steroids while he attributes his body to genetics, the hard work he put in the gym, and his diet.

I have done a bit of my own research to find out if he is speaking the truth or not.

So, read on…

Does Chris Bumstead Show Signs of Steroid Use?

Let me begin by saying it very clearly that we can only assume if a bodybuilder has been using steroids or not. The only way to confirm if he has been using gear is by having his blood work done for the presence of anabolic steroids or performance enhancers.

Yet, there are some common telltale signs that may give away whether a bodybuilder has been juicing or not.

Here are some of such telltale signs:

Massive Muscles and Boulder Shoulders

One of the apparent signs of steroid use is amazingly massive and 3D-like shoulders with perfectly defined trapezius and deltoid muscles.

For someone who is natural, it is extremely difficult to get boulder shoulders in a short period of time. Guys that are natural take years and years to develop their shoulders while those that are on steroids may develop massive shoulders within a short period of time since your shoulders have androgen receptors that are highly responsive to anabolic steroids such as testosterone or Dianabol, etc.

It’s important to keep in mind that whenever a bodybuilder takes steroids, it is the shoulders that grow before the rest of the body.

At the same time, high levels of testosterone may result in conversion to estrogen and consequently result in excess water retention. This is why most bodybuilders who use steroids look bloated and have huge waists.

Whenever a small guy gets jacked in a relatively small time or just a few months, people suspect him of using steroids regardless of their genetics, rigorous training, or diet plan. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons people often suspect Chris of having used steroids, especially after checking out his before and after photos on various social media channels.

One point that goes in favor of Chris here is that he started training at the young age of 14 and one of the possible reasons for his massive growth could be his puberty. This is the time when teens can grow really fast because of an influx of testosterone and growth hormone in their bodies.

Over and above, it is widely known that his trainer was his sister’s boyfriend, Iain Valliere, who himself is one of the best bodybuilders in the world. A good trainer can definitely help you build and excellent body even without steroids. Maybe, good training is what put him ahead of other boys in his age group.

It’s thus, hard to say with surety that it is steroids that lead to his amazing muscle growth.

Acne

One of the most common side effects of steroids is that they can lead to acne breakouts and at times they can be really really bad. Severe acne could be a telltale sign of steroid use.

How do steroids lead to acne?

What androgenic steroids do is that they tend to increase certain hormones in your body and thereby stimulate the sebaceous glands that begin producing more oil. Oily skin results in the blocking of pores with dirt and bacteria which leads to acne or blemishes.

If you check out Chris Bumstead’s photos on social media you will notice that he has had mild acne breakouts on different parts of his body, which could be indicative of steroid use. Having said that, those breakouts look far from those caused by steroids. Puberty might well be the reason behind those breakouts. What it means is that the zits and pimples that he has had are not really conclusive of the fact that he has used gear.

Flushed Skin

Yet another telltale sign of using steroids is flushed skin. It is common knowledge that steroids that to raise LDL or bad cholesterol in your body and this tends to elevate both your body’s temperature as well as blood pressure since the body struggles to cool down to its normal temperature. This makes your skin red and flushed just like it appears after a hot sauna bath.

It’s worth noting that the skin of a natural bodybuilder is often pink when in a sauna or while exercising, and the skin of a bodybuilder using gear appears red mostly on the chest and other body parts even when he is not working out.

The best part is that the skin begins appearing normal when such bodybuilders cease having steroids.

As uncommon as it may be, Chris Bumstead’s skin often looks flushed mostly on his upper chest. However, it does not look as flushed or as red as the skin of some bodybuilders who are known to use steroids for sure. Thus, it hardly confirms that Chris has been using steroids.

Tests

One of the most certain ways to know whether someone has been taking steroids or not is through a blood test.

Let’s take a closer a closer look at Chris Bumstead’s competition history to find out if he has ever been guilty of using gear:

It is known that Chris first competed in 2014 at the age of 19 and earned his IFBB Pro Card on winning the IFBB North American Bodybuilding Championships in 2016 when he was 21 years of age.

The big question is whether IFBB checks for steroids and does it have stringent enough testing to find out if competitors are using steroids or not.

Now, there are two things to take into account:

• IFBB does not allow the use of steroids in its competitions.
• However, it does not seem to have a stringent testing policy.

Chris is also known to have participated in Mr.Olympia and to have won The Classic Physique title in 2019 and 2020.

Does Mr. Olympia allow the use of steroids?

It is important to take note of the fact that participants in the Natural BB division of Mr. Olympia are tested and are not allowed to use steroids. However, participants in other categories are not tested.

Chris also competed in Canada’s Bodybuilding Federation (CBBF).

Even though CBBF claims that its Anti-Doping Policy is in line with World Anti-Doping Agency Code, they follow a random testing procedure which means that not all bodybuilders are tested for taking drugs.

Interestingly enough, Chris competed in the CBBF and his name never seems to have appeared on their official “shame page” with the other competitors who have been caught using steroids by failing dope tests.

Thus, even in this category, it remains kind of inclusive as to whether Chris used steroids or not. It might be possible that he used steroids and got lucky to have won the titles without being tested.

Verdict

Chris Bumstead looks extremely ripped and shredded. It’s not surprising for most people to accuse him of having used steroids.

Unlike Connor Murphy, Terry Crews, or Tristyn Lee his massive deltoids, acne breakouts, and flushed red skin could be signs of using steroids but we have no evidence to suggest that he has been taking steroids for sure. It is possible that he could have been possible to build such a physique while staying natural!

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References:

1. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/steroids-other-appearance-performance-enhancing-drugs-apeds/what-are-side-effects-anabolic-steroid-misuse
2. https://www.cbbf.ca/rules-regulations/anti-doping-policy/