“…When preparing for competition they increase training volume and decrease energy intake to minimize subcutaneous body fat and enhance muscular de®nition. While anthropometric and body composition pro®les of competitive female bodybuilders have been reported in the literature (Carlson et al, 1988;Elliot et al, 1987;Freedson et al, 1983;Heyward et al, 1989;Johnson et al, 1990;Kleiner et al, 1990Kleiner et al, , 1994Sandoval et al, 1989;Walberg-Rankin et al, 1993), only four of these groups Kleiner et al, 1990Kleiner et al, , 1994Sandoval et al, 1989) speci®ed that their data were collected just before competition. Furthermore, only one study examined anthropometric and body composition changes in female bodybuilders during preparation for competition.…”