ReviewJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2014
Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation.
Review in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Acute effects of resistance exercise on skeletal muscle glycogen depletion: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Physiological reports · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of the Ketogenic Diet on Muscle Hypertrophy in Resistance-Trained Men and Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The Comparison of the Effects between Continuous and Intermittent Energy Restriction in Short-Term Bodyweight Loss for Sedentary Population: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Flexible vs. rigid dieting in resistance-trained individuals seeking to optimize their physiques: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Six Weeks of Calorie Restriction Improves Body Composition and Lipid Profile in Obese and Overweight Former Athletes.Nutrients · 2019Trial
- Satiating Effect of High Protein Diets on Resistance-Trained Subjects in Energy Deficit.Nutrients · 2018Trial
- Day-to-day variability in resting metabolic rate in strength athletes.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Article
- Comparison of two nutritional protocols in body re-composition of resistance-trained participants.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- Between Aesthetics and Health: Disordered Eating, Exercise Addiction, and Body Image in Competitive Bodybuilders.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Energy availability as an integrative framework: reinterpreting the energy balance and carbohydrate-insulin models in athletes.Physical activity and nutrition · 2026Article
- Training Practices Among Spanish Natural Elite Bodybuilders in the Pre-Contest Phase.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Calorie tracking and energy balance: links to body image-related factors and functional impairment in a fitness sample.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Patterns, motivations, and determinants of dietary supplement use among physically active adults in Eastern Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Dietary and nutritional supplementation strategies for table tennis athletes: a mini-review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Article
- Unveiling the impact of competition weight loss on gut microbiota: alterations in diversity, composition, and predicted metabolic functions.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The popularity of natural bodybuilding is increasing; however, evidence-based recommendations for it are lacking. This paper reviewed the scientific literature relevant to competition preparation on nutrition and supplementation, resulting in the following recommendations. Caloric intake should be set at a level that results in bodyweight losses of approximately 0.5 to 1%/wk to maximize muscle retention. Within this caloric intake, most but not all bodybuilders will respond best to consuming 2.3-3.1 g/kg of lean body mass per day of protein, 15-30% of calories from fat, and the reminder of calories from carbohydrate. Eating three to six meals per day with a meal containing 0.4-0.5 g/kg bodyweight of protein prior and subsequent to resistance training likely maximizes any theoretical benefits of nutrient timing and frequency. However, alterations in nutrient timing and frequency appear to have little effect on fat loss or lean mass retention. Among popular supplements, creatine monohydrate, caffeine and beta-alanine appear to have beneficial effects relevant to contest preparation, however others do not or warrant further study. The practice of dehydration and electrolyte manipulation in the final days and hours prior to competition can be dangerous, and may not improve appearance. Increasing carbohydrate intake at the end of preparation has a theoretical rationale to improve appearance, however it is understudied. Thus, if carbohydrate loading is pursued it should be practiced prior to competition and its benefit assessed individually. Finally, competitors should be aware of the increased risk of developing eating and body image disorders in aesthetic sport and therefore should have access to the appropriate mental health professionals.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.