Rejuvenation is a powerful tool in the arsenal of an elite bodybuilder. Three-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead believes stem cell treatment is one such tool. On July 17, 2022, Bumstead took to his YouTube channel to share his hamstring workout and to discuss his use of stem cells via intravenous therapy (IV) to supposedly help his kidneys and immune system.
The particular type of stem cells Bumstead received were Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which according to NPJ Regenerative Medicine, “have broad anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties…[which] interact with their immediate surroundings and neighboring cells to provide cell-based responses that can be therapeutic.” (1)
Hopefully, it helps my immune, gets me healthy for prep, and heals whatever I need to in my body.
There is still much to be explored in stem cell research regarding its effectiveness. While promising, stem cell treatment needs further research to discern whether its potential benefits are legitimate. (2)
Bumstead’s previous experience with stem cell treatment, he says, helped heal his left shoulder expeditiously. He plans to receive stem cell treatment via IV three to four times over in 2022, twice in 2023, and once in 2024. Check out Bumstead’s trip to get his stem cells and his follow-up session at the gym to train his hamstrings in the video below:
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After a pre-workout meal, Bumstead got his hamstring underway with lightweight, controlled, lying hamstring curls to warm up. He finished the two sets. The first was of eight reps with a pair of partials tacked on. The second set was a drop set of 10 reps, lowered the weight, and continued to failure.
His first main movement was glute ham raises using only his bodyweight for two sets. He enjoys the decompression of the lumbar spine he feels at the bottom of each rep.
You get such a good stretch. It burns like crazy.
Since the glute ham raises could not be loaded, Bumstead followed them up with stiff-leg Romanian deadlifts, opting to use dumbbells rather than a barbell. Dumbbells are more manageable for him to line up his structure so that he does not aggravate his lower back due to the weight having to stay in front of his hips.
Bumstead used lifting straps to knock out one set each with 100-pound, 120-pound, 135-pound, and 150-pound dumbbells in each hand. He held on to the 150s for a second set to failure.
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To fill in the time while waiting for the seated hamstring curl machine at the Revive Gym in Stuart, FL, Bumstead added a bit of back training in the form of bodyweight pull-ups and straight-arm pulldowns. He performed two working sets of hamstring curls, with the second being a drop set to failure.
Bumstead’s session closed with seated calf raises. While he would typically perform a wide-stance, heavy leg press to target his glutes, he decided to forego the movement as he felt he had not yet fully recovered from a recent heavy squat session.
Bumstead seeks to defend his Olympia crown for the third time at the 2022 Olympia on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV. We’ll see if his training and “superhero healing” from stem cell treatments help him retain the crown for another year.
References
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Pittenger, M. F., Discher, D. E., Péault, B. M., Phinney, D. G., Hare, J. M., & Caplan, A. I. (2019). Mesenchymal stem cell perspective: cell biology to clinical progress. NPJ Regenerative medicine, 4, 22. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-019-0083-6
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Chen J, Wang H, Lu X, Yang K, Lu C. Safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy: an overview protocol on published meta-analyses and evidence mapping. Ann Transl Med. 2021 Feb;9(3):270. doi: 10.21037/atm-20-6892. PMID: 33708897; PMCID: PMC7940926.
Featured image: @cbum on Instagram / Photo by Will Wittmann (@w_wittmannphoto on Instagram
