Because I am enjoying playing golf these days and it is one of the few sports that is back in action now, I have been seeing quite a bit of the PGA Tour lately.
And the big story, and I mean literally BIG, is Bryson DeChambeau. And while many of us are constantly trying to lose weight, this guy has risen to number 2 on the money list by gaining strength and weight.
A lot of weight. You can find stories that say he’s put on 40 pounds since last season and many that say he added “at least 20 pounds of muscle” during the Tour’s three-month COVID-19 hiatus.
You know, I’ve often heard these stories from athletes who added several pounds of muscle in no time, but most people in the bodybuilding business will tell you that adding 25 pounds of muscle in an entire year is extremely difficult.
And this man added 20 in three months? They are a lot of protein shakes.
This is a player who once won the NCAA title and the American fan in the same season with £ 200. He is now somewhere around 240 and after his victory in Detroit last weekend, he is listed as number 1 on the 323-yard driving distance tour.
DeChambeau has always been a controversial player on tour because he is quirky and plays differently than most of his counterparts. All of his sticks, including his wedges, are the same length and he uses a single-plane swing. He has been nicknamed “The Mad Scientist” because of his analytical approach to the game. As a fan of the late Moe Norman, I have always appreciated that.
He’s gotten stronger, he says, due to his work with strength guru Greg Roskopf and his MAT, Muscle Activation Technique.
OK. But let’s be realistic for a moment.
I’m sure the MAT program is pretty good, but why is no one questioning this almost incredibly fast weight and strength gain?
Man, if I showed up these days in spring training for a Major League Baseball team with this type of body transformation, the accusations would be flying in his direction.
I remember a couple of decades ago when sports journalists were accused of burying their heads in the sand or simply covering up for baseball players and their possible reasons for their sudden physical presence. But we have come a long way since those days.
The PGA says it tests performance-enhancing drugs, but I’m guessing someone known as “The Mad Scientist” might have access to substances that wouldn’t appear on an average PED screen.
I have no proof and have never met the man. I am not accusing, just asking: how is this possible?
The only time I’ve seen rapid weight and strength gain like this was with athletes using some form of supplement.
Is DeChambeau doing this without chemical help? If so, it is an amazing story.
Bryson DeChambeau is HUGE, why is no one asking the obvious question? originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
