DeChambeau: Bulking routine 'was a little bit too much'

Bryson DeChambeau made waves in the golf world a few years ago when the once nicknamed "mad scientist" of men's golf put on considerable amounts of muscle to improve his distance.

Now, it seems, the 29-year-old admits that there were downsides to his intense diet.

"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," DeChambeau told Emma Carpenter 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 Whole30 diet and got a nutritionist," he added.

DeChambeau put on 50 pounds of muscle in his bulking days, which included an abundance of protein shakes and a 3,500-calorie diet, according to Golf Channel's Max Schreiber.

The 2020 U.S. Open winner, who was one of the most popular players to leave the TOUR for LIV Golf earlier this year, said he lost 20 pounds in a month, which caused "huge mood swings."

"But all the inflammation has left my system," he said. "I feel a lot more at ease ... I look like I'm 20 again, not 35."

DeChambeau's bulking did improve his distance, as he went from being ranked 34th on TOUR in driving distance in the 2018-19 season to first in both 2019-20 and 2020-21.

However, DeChambeau said he doesn't recommend his old routine and would instead advise to "get stronger in a healthy way."