The Steroid Stigma

Even in a sport that rewards maximum muscle mass, talking about steroids is taboo due to the legality and morality of using performance-enhancing drugs. In addition, bodybuilders don’t want uneducated people to take their comments as advice or recommendations.

As a result, professional bodybuilders rarely discuss whether or not they take steroids, let alone their actual dosages and cycles. So there is always much speculation about which fitness celebrities use steroids.

However, I will show you how to calculate rather than speculate. And help you spot the difference between a natural and unnatural physique.

Is Chris Bumstead Natural?

The short answer is no. Chris Bumstead is not natural. And he definitely uses anabolic steroids most of the year while training for the Mr. Olympia contest, as >99% of the competitors also do.

But CBum doesn’t look freakishly big like the open bodybuilding guys. So you are probably wondering how I can be so sure he’s on steroids.

How Can You Tell Chris Bumstead Is Not Natural?

First, Chris Bumstead has tremendous muscle mass. But what’s more impressive is that he maintains nearly all that muscle even while undergoing aggressive dieting to reduce his body fat to low single digits.

Furthermore, it’s important to realize that the combination of near-zero body fat and extreme muscularity requires pharmaceutical assistance, even if CBum is not the biggest bodybuilder.

Of course, I realize that is not concrete evidence. So, let’s look at several qualitative and quantitative ways to determine whether someone is natty.

Steroid Drug Tests

Drug tests are the only scientific way to prove if someone is on steroids. So, shouldn’t Chris Bumstead have failed a drug test if he’s not natural? Well, not necessarily.

CBum competes in the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB). And, on paper, the IFBB says they administer drug tests to “deter athletes from doping.”

Furthermore, the IFBB follows the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) List of Prohibited Substances. This list includes anabolic steroids, growth hormones, stimulants, and diuretics.

However, the reality is that the IFBB does not require competitors to be drug tested for steroids before competitions. And to my knowledge, the “random” drug test is rarely, if ever, instituted.

Therefore, drug testing is not a viable way to determine if a professional bodybuilder like Chris Bumstead uses steroids.

Steroid Side Effects

Another way to gauge if someone is on steroids is by the appearance of side effects associated with androgenic and anabolic compounds. The most common side effects of steroids include acne, flushed skin, hair loss, and shoulder development.

When looking at close-ups of Chris Bumstead, his skin appears normal for a male his age. Although you can see a red hue and some “chicken skin” bumps during his contest prep.

In addition, Chris’s hairline noticeably receded over the last few years, which is why he got a hair transplant. Of course, Bumstead’s hair loss could be due to his genetics or steroid use.

Perhaps the most apparent sign of steroids is CBum’s overly developed deltoids. This occurs with steroid use due to the higher concentration of androgen receptors in this muscle group.

Again, however, this is not enough to say definitively that Chris Bumstead uses steroids.

Fat-Free Mass Index

What if we could quantify a threshold for a naturally attainable amount of muscle mass? Well, there is a calculation with some studies suggesting just that.

FFMI (Fat-Free Mass Index) is similar to BMI (Body Mass Index) in that it’s a height-to-weight ratio. However, FFMI is more valuable because it incorporates lean muscle mass instead of total body weight.

To calculate FFMI, you input your height, weight, and body fat percentage. Then, the formula output is a number representing your degree of muscularity.

For men, FFMI is typically between 17 and 22, with a higher number being more muscular. In addition, a study suggests that an FFMI over 25 is unlikely without the use of steroids¹.

Chris Bumstead Steroid Admission

In a YouTube video titled Talking About My Cycle, Chris Bumstead opens by discussing blood tests he had done for food sensitivities and autoimmune disease. But he segues into blood work regarding his “supplement” regimen.

Of course, Chris isn’t talking about whey protein and creatine monohydrate. His air quotes are obviously intended to mean steroids instead of dietary supplements.

Specifically, CBum alludes to taking 200mg to 500mg of synthetic testosterone per week, an androgenic steroid. And he mentions that he cycles off all steroids at least once a year.

In the video, Bumstead says he also takes 1-2 other “compounds” in the off-season and contest prep phases. These compounds are generally another injectable bulking or cutting anabolic agent.