ArticleJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2018
Nutritional strategies of high level natural bodybuilders during competition preparation.
Article in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Training Practices Among Spanish Natural Elite Bodybuilders in the Pre-Contest Phase.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Load-induced human skeletal muscle hypertrophy: Mechanisms, myths, and misconceptions.Journal of sport and health science · 2025Review
- The Role of Cheat Meals in Dieting: A Scoping Review of Physiological and Psychological Responses.Nutrition reviews · 2025Article
- Dietary, Body Composition, and Blood Leptin Variations in Fit-Model Female Athletes During the Pre-Competition Period.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Nutrition Practices of Lithuanian Elite International and National-level Male Bodybuilders in the Pre-competition Period.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2024Article
- The Use of Anabolic Steroids by Bodybuilders in the State of Sergipe, Brazil.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- Article
- Dietary supplementation habits in international natural bodybuilders during pre-competition.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Article
- The theory of planned behavior and dietary behaviors in competitive women bodybuilders.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Dietary Intake and Supplement Use in Competitive Women Bodybuilders.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Bodybuilding Coaching Strategies Meet Evidence-Based Recommendations: A Qualitative Approach.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2023Article
- Premature Death in Bodybuilders: What Do We Know?Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Article
- Bioimpedance Patterns and Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis (BIVA) of Body Builders.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Going Vegan for the Gain: A Cross-Sectional Study of Vegan Diets in Bodybuilders during Different Preparation Phases.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Observational
- The Effects of Intermittent Diet Breaks during 25% Energy Restriction on Body Composition and Resting Metabolic Rate in Resistance-Trained Females: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of human kinetics · 2023Article
- Nutritional and Non-Nutritional Strategies in Bodybuilding: Impact on Kidney Function.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- After the spotlight: are evidence-based recommendations for refeeding post-contest energy restriction available for physique athletes? A scoping review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCompetitive bodybuilders employ a combination of resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, calorie reduction, supplementation regimes and peaking strategies in order to lose fat mass and maintain fat free mass. Although recommendations exist for contest preparation, applied research is limited and data on the contest preparation regimes of bodybuilders are restricted to case studies or small cohorts. Moreover, the influence of different nutritional strategies on competitive outcome is unknown.
methodsFifty-one competitors (35 male and 16 female) volunteered to take part in this project. The British Natural Bodybuilding Federation (BNBF) runs an annual national competition for high level bodybuilders; competitors must qualify by winning at a qualifying events or may be invited at the judge's discretion. Competitors are subject to stringent drug testing and have to undergo a polygraph test. Study of this cohort provides an opportunity to examine the dietary practices of high level natural bodybuilders. We report the results of a cross-sectional study of bodybuilders competing at the BNBF finals. Volunteers completed a 34-item questionnaire assessing diet at three time points. At each time point participants recorded food intake over a 24-h period in grams and/or portions. Competitors were categorised according to contest placing. A "placed" competitor finished in the top 5, and a "Non-placed" (DNP) competitor finished outside the top 5. Nutrient analysis was performed using Nutritics software. Repeated measures ANOVA and effect sizes (Cohen's
resultsMean preparation time for a competitor was 22 ± 9 weeks. Nutrient intake of bodybuilders reflected a high-protein, high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. Total carbohydrate, protein and fat intakes decreased over time in both male and female cohorts (
conclusionsGreater carbohydrate intake in the placed competitors could theoretically have contributed towards greater maintenance of muscle mass during competition preparation compared to DNP competitors. These findings require corroboration, but will likely be of interest to bodybuilders and coaches.
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