Bryson DeChambeau admits weight gain experiment was a mistake

The Incredible Bulk is no more.

Bryson DeChambeau, who added around 50 pounds in an effort to become the longest driver on the PGA Tour, has shrunk in size and admitted it was a mistake.

Speaking on the 5 Clubs Podcast with Emma Carpenter, DeChambeau said he went on a Whole-30 diet and lost 20 pounds in one month.

“I had such huge mood swings from it,” he said, noting his face had thinned out and all the inflammation is gone from his system. “I look like I’m 20 again, not 35.”

With the help of trainer Greg Roskopf, DeChambeau’s radical approach that he called Muscle Activation Technique did transform his 6-foot-1-inch frame and contribute to him becoming the longest driver on the Tour in 2020 (322.1 yards) and 2021 (323.7 yards) and he won the 2020 U.S. Open by bombing driver at Winged Foot. But DeChambeau, who suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand as well as a torn labrum in his left hip, admitted gaining a lot of weight is not necessarily the best thing for the body.

“I ate things that were not great for my system that I was very sensitive to and ultimately it got to the point where it was a little bit too much,” he said on the 5 Clubs podcast. “I ate improperly for almost a year and a half and I was starting to feel weird, my gut was all messed up and so I went completely healthy and went on a Whole-30 diet, got a nutritionist. I was super-inflamed.”

DeChambeau explained why he’s prone to yo-yo between extremes.

“I start out with going to each side and then from there I best fit what works for me,” he said. “It’s a decent way to live life, it can be a tough one at times because it’s such extremes but if you don’t know one side of the coin to the other, I mean, how can you ever figure out what works best for you? That’s what I’ve done with my life so far.”

But DeChambeau, who was among the pros to jump ship to LIV Golf and is currently captain of the Crushers GC, said eating right is his new objective while still trying to gain strength. Among other things, he hired a chef two-and-a-half months ago as he attempts to rebound from a disappointing year.

“I played terrible golf the last year, I played my C game,” he said.

Asked if he’d recommend putting on more weight to hit the ball farther to other golfers, DeChambeau said, “No. I mean, get stronger in a healthy way. Go get a blood sensitivity test and figure out what works best for your body to gain size and strength.”