With 7 Mr. Olympia Classic Physique titles under his belt, there’s no doubt that Chris “Cbum” Bumstead sits firmly atop the bodybuilding world. His massive, shredded physique has inspired countless fans and cemented his status as the undisputed champion in his division.
However, Cbum’s extraordinary results have come at a price – one that he acknowledges openly. Like most elite competitors, he has used performing-enhancing drugs (PEDs) over the course of his career, including substances like Winstrol and Anavar. These drugs allow bodybuilders to gain muscle far beyond what is naturally possible, but also carry worrisome health effects.
So this begs the question – given the risks involved, is chasing bodybuilding glory worth it?
The Alarming Health Risks of PEDs
While steroids and related compounds allow elite bodybuilders to achieve a degree of muscularity considered impossible naturally, health experts consider them unequivocally dangerous when abused.
For instance, Anavar may increase strength and accelerate fat loss in the short-term. But extended high-dose cycles have been linked to liver toxicity, cholesterol issues, suppressed natural hormone production, and more. Winstrol poses similar risks, also heightening the chance of joint pain and even hair loss.
And keep in mind that most top competitors stack numerous PEDs simultaneously while blasting and cruising for years on end. One study on over 500 elite bodybuilders found that:
- 61% displayed hepatic inflammation and cell damage from oral steroid use
- 54% showed early heart disease markers comparable to individuals 30 years older
- 37% had enlarged hearts or early stage kidney disease
In addition, excessively low body fat percentages required for competition may negatively impact natural testosterone, sexual health, thyroid function and overall well-being.
So while fans praise their imposing presence on stage, make no mistake – the long-term health prognosis for many elite bodybuilders is frightening.
When Risks Become Reality
Beyond clinical data, we’ve seen time and again how the extreme pursuits of bodybuilding can have real life consequences.
Take famed 80s/90s professional Andreas Munzer. Long abused drugs produced both a superhuman physique and organ damage leading to his death at just 31. Similarly, emerging star Shawn Rhoden – 2018 Mr. Olympia winner – unexpectedly passed away weeks out from defending his title this year after a lifetime of chemical enhancement.
Heart attacks for top competitors like Luke Sandoe, and kidney failure forcing once-greats into early retirement represent just some of the tragedies witnessed recently.
Even more commonly, bodybuilders face physical and emotional hardships post-career when removed from constant chemical stimulation and attention. With so much identity and self-worth tied to physical size and winning, this withdrawal leaves many grappling with anxiety, depression, addiction transferral, and sadly, thoughts of suicide.
So when critics contend that the cons now seem to outweigh the pros in this sport for top athletes, they have plenty evidence raising red flags.
The Allure Remains Strong As Ever
Still, even confronted with the reality above, all out competitors like Chris Bumstead seem undeterred in their conquest towards supremacy.
For Cbum, early career kidney issues certainly gave him pause. But after optimizing his health and monitoring things closely via testing, he deemed the risks an acceptable tradeoff.
This willingness in part stems from the immense financial incentives tied to victory. With $400,000+ checks for winning the Olympia, supplement sponsorships, his thriving clothing brand, and income from appearances and social media clout, he earns well into 7 figures annually.
But more than money, Cbum continues on because bodybuilding is his passion, purpose and very identity. He’s been dedicated to this path since age 18, with countless hours in the gym engraining it as part of his fabric.
The thrill of competition, chance to test his talents against the best, and the confidence, admiration and opportunities afforded to champions fuel his fire as much as anything else.
Factor in wanting to leave his mark and inspire others as a legend of the sport – much like his role model Arnold Schwarzenegger did – and it becomes clearer why quitting holds little appeal.
As Chris himself noted: “Bodybuilding is part of who I am. I love the challenge, the confidence it gives me, how it allows me to connect with people. I accept the risks because being the best on that Olympia stage makes it all worthwhile”.
His mentality echoes most competitors. They view the hard road traveled to pro status – constantly pushing mind and body to the brink – as an addiction in itself. Walking away means losing part of one’s identity.
Seeking A Safer & More Ethical Competitive Environment
If given the chance to start over, Chris openly states he would do things differently. And to help aspiring bodybuilders make more informed choices, he advises they not follow directly in his PED footsteps due to their dangers.
He and others have also called for competitive changes they feel would reduce health risks over the long-run:
Natural Divisions – Introducing tested divisions at competitions like the Olympia provides opportunities to compete fairly without drug use. Though some argue that with viewer demand focused heavily on unveiling outrageous muscularity, incentives still push most towards enhanced routes.
Separate Mens Physique – Creating a separate mens physique category focused more on balanced aesthetics rather than extreme mass would result in lower PED usage requirements. However reluctance from key stakeholders like supplement sponsors dulls momentum for this currently.
Longer Offseasons – Lengthening the offseason would give elite bodybuilders more recovery time for their bodies, with less pressure to immediately blast drugs after competitions. But there remains an institutional push for constant content creation and appearances that make this change tricky to enact.
Reconsider Testing Policies – More rigorous testing, over longer periods, with harsher penalties could help curb PED abuse. But bodily detection windows, financial influences, and viewer preferences again constrain meaningful progress here presently.
The common thread is money and outside incentives Getting to the root of the issue requires challenging whether its ethical for competitions, sponsors, or digital platforms to encourage competitors towards empirically hazardous behaviors for profit or spectacle.
But so long as fan demand and financial motivations push towards extremes, policy tweaks can only hope to guide things slightly less recklessly.
Bodybuilding Compared To Other High-Risk Sports
Modern bodybuilding sits on one end of the athletic risk spectrum regarding long-term health outcomes. Yet other sports like American football, boxing, MMA and more have had their own fierce debates around safety and ethics.
Most now enact some protocols – protective gear mandates, concussion protocols, stopping fights, banned moves etc – to balance sport integrity with avoiding needless harm. Even extreme pursuits like big wave surfing or wingsuit flying leverage safety processes allowing them to retain their core nature while protecting lives.
By contrast, bodybuilding competition continues to blindly push competitor health to the brink with little meaningful oversight. Judges still solely reward muscle size and condition without any consideration for athlete well-being. This status quo persists despite exponentially increasing PED dosages, fatality rates, and parallel discussions happening elsewhere in sports.
One must then ask – why do physique sports lag so far behind? Does the aesthetic nature make it feel less overtly dangerous? Do financial ties or misguided notions of personal responsibility block intervention? Or is requiring competitors to risk their lives an accepted norm?
The answers showcase more philosophical questions requiring discussion around ethics. Especially for a pursuit marketed as a pinnacle of health and fitness.
Social Media Adds Further Fuel to the Fire
Beyond the competitive stage itself, the massive rise of fitness influencers on social platforms like Instagram and TikTok intensifies several issues examined above.
With online followings now rivalling old school champions, a new generation clamors for attention via extreme methods. Alarming content pushes experimental drug stacks, absurd food challenges, and other concerning behaviors. All while downplaying risks if it inspires clicks, views and controversy.
And when the biggest names in the industry – from bodybuilding legends like Ronnie Coleman to newer crossover stars like Liver King – proudly detail their extreme lifestyles to millions of followers, they normalize such messaging further. Fans then replicate the same habits absent context or resources to do so responsibly.
This positions social media to enable and amplify the most reckless parts of physique sport culture exponentially. The impacts already manifest via hospital visits for young athletes following TikTok advice. And the consequences will only compound down the road.
Multi-Faceted Motivations Driving Dangerous Choices
These above factors help contextualize why even the Chris Bumsteads of the world continue competing amidst clear risks. Their motivations prove complex, as passion for the sport fuses with financial incentives, identity, skewed risk/reward assessment and more.
Of course beyond top athletes with resources and data influencing them, the equation differs slightly. Lacking proper medical guidance, most pursue extremes like untested steroid stacks out of pure body dysmorphia or self-validation.
Research into documented muscle dysmorphia cases uncovers difficult childhoods, bullying around physiques, former athletic glories lost, general feelings of inadequacy and more. Weight training initially helps build confidence before spiraling into unsettling obsessive territory.
This undercurrent cannot be ignored regarding why average gym goers abuse their bodies chasing unrealistic standards. Their psychological outlook impairs assessing red flags or needing extreme actions in the first place.
Overall, the motivations around bodybuilding extremes, whether for general practitioners or elite competitors, resist simple explanation.
The Bodybuilding Paradox: Reconciling Health Messaging With Harmful Realities
Further complexity emerges considering bodybuilding exists under the greater umbrella of health, wellness and fitness. Champion bodybuilders get positioned as the ultimate symbols of training, nutrition and lifestyle optimization.
Yet beneath the surface, the real methods facilitating their mind blowing physiques breach every sensible line drawn around healthy actions. No doctor would endorse endless steroid cycles, dehydrating for aesthetics or dangerously low body fat ratios.
Reconciling this paradox proves challenging on multiple levels.
Industry players like supplement companies and competitions try separating sport outcomes from generalized advice where possible. But doubts emerge on how effectively everyday guidance disseminates absent larger messaging shifts around ideal physiques.
Truly resolving this requires collective reflection on whether the current competitive model and its incentives still align with ethical priorities. If not, bigger changes emerge as necessary for physiue sports – and the fitness space broadly – to represent what’s best for collective well-being rather than spectacle alone.
Differing Perspectives Around Modern Bodybuilding Risks & Rewards
Like any issue with many stakeholders, perspectives around the present-day costs versus benefits of elite bodybuilding vary.
Critics view the current culture enabling avoidable tragedies. They want systemic change via testing policies, judging criteria updates, and Pressure towards more sustainable practices.
Defenders counter that no one forces individuals to compete. Athletes understand the deal making that choice, so regulating things too far damages sport integrity.
Some combat athletes argue facing similar or worse threats, yet avoid restrictive oversight. So why treat bodybuilding differently?
Even celebrity trainers and former greats share mixed outlooks. For instance, while Arnold remains an active cheerleader, Lou Ferrigno actively discourages chasing his path. Lee Haney takes pride helping athletes optimize safety. Meanwhile, Dorian Yates details his laundry list of injuries from pushing things too far.
The debates seem poised to intensify moving forward if current trajectories continue. Though most agree proactive shifts must come sooner than later avoid more extreme outcomes.
A Personal Decision With No Right Answer…For Now
As evidenced throughout, determining whether the rewards prove worthwhile given the bodybuilding lifestyle’s substantial risks depends on personal context.
For Chris Bumstead presently, his athletic identity, passion and earnings outweigh health dangers in his calculation. Though he monitors things carefully in case the scale tips later on.
Other former champions like Iris Kyle or Lee Haney walked away sooner, either content with accomplishments or wishing to avoid permanent damage.
Unfortunately, far too many pushed things recklessly far past sensible limits either ignorant or overly confident before the realities hit home. Those cases represent the greater concern requiring action.
Until regulatory changes take hold, the onus remains on individuals to assess their relationship with bodybuilding critically. Supplement it positively where possible, but resist dangerous extremes stemming from unhealthy motivations.
The difference comes down to mindset. Flip the script from purely aesthetic goals and validation seeking towards viewing training as celebrating what your body can do with proper fuel and care. That foundation fosters resilience and determination with less risk.
For those chasing the intoxicating high of competition and extreme goals, factor longevity and well-being into the equation before going to extremes. Consider long-term fulfillment above all else.
This begins to reconcile some paradoxes noted earlier. Safety need not limit ambitious pursuits in physique sport. Rather, adjusting cultures proactively gives more individuals balanced opportunities pushing boundaries while optimizing health.
If those discussions move continually towards that vision, both at recreational and professional levels, the future looks brighter. People can better evaluate paths seeking peak expression of physique aspirations aligned with ethics and wellness for all.