Nutrition, pharmacological and training strategies adopted by six bodybuilders: case report and critical review

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to report and analyze the practices adopted by bodybuilders in light of scientific evidence and to propose evidence-based alternatives. Six (four male and two female) bodybuilders and their coaches were directly interviewed. According to the reports, the quantity of anabolic steroids used by the men was 500–750 mg/week during the bulking phase and 720–1160 mg during the cutting phase. The values for women were 400 and 740 mg, respectively. The participants also used ephedrine and hydrochlorothiazide during the cutting phase. Resistance training was designed to train each muscle once per week and all participants performed aerobic exercise in the fasted state in order to reduce body fat. During the bulking phase, bodybuilders ingested ~2.5 g of protein/kg of body weight. During the cutting phase, protein ingestion increased to ~3 g/kg and carbohydrate ingestion decreased by 10–20%. During all phases, fat ingestion corresponded to ~15% of the calories ingested. The supplements used were whey protein, chromium picolinate, omega 3 fatty acids, branched chain amino acids, poly-vitamins, glutamine and caffeine. The men also used creatine in the bulking phase. In general, the participants gained large amounts of fat-free mass during the bulking phase; however, much of that fat-free mass was lost during the cutting phase along with fat mass. Based on our analysis, we recommend an evidence-based approach by people involved in bodybuilding, with the adoption of a more balanced and less artificial diet. One important alert should be given for the combined use of anabolic steroids and stimulants, since both are independently associated with serious cardiovascular events. A special focus should be given to revisiting resistance training and avoiding fasted cardio in order to decrease the reliance on drugs and thus preserve bodybuilders’ health and integrity.

High Resistance Training Volume and Low Caloric and Protein Intake Are Associated with Detrimental Alterations in Body Composition of an Amateur Bodybuilder Using Anabolic Steroids: A Case Report

“…The results of the current case are also in agreement with previous studies performed by Gentil [22] and Gentil et al [6], who questioned the use of "bulking and cutting phases". According to the actual body of evidence, bodybuilders seem to risk their health in order to increase fat-free mass, and then again to lose fat; but end up, in fact, losing most of the fat-free mass previously gained [6,39,40].…”

“…The amount of AAS used by the Participant (between 790-1250 mg/week or 113-179 mg/day) is alarming, but similar to what has been reported by Gentil et al [6] and Perry et al [7], previously. Considering that the normal production of steroids in men is 4-11 mg/day [35,36], the dosage is 10-45 times higher than the natural androgen production.…”

“…Such results seem contradictory, since several studies show increases in body mass ranging between 2 and 5 kg of FFM when AAS is administered [17,18]. However, decreases in FFM have been also reported in bodybuilders [6].…”

“…Therefore, we would follow previous suggestions to losẽ 0.5 kg of body mass per week in order to promote body mass reduction without activating catabolic pathways [20,21], which seems to be attainable with a caloric restriction of 300-750 kcal per day [21]. This reduction in caloric intake should be accompanied by a protein intake of around 1.2 to 2.0 g/kg, as has been previously suggested for bodybuilders [6,22]. One alternative would be adjusting training volume to account for the reduction in nutrient and caloric intake.…”

“…In addition to training and diet, bodybuilders also employ other strategies to maximize their desired body composition, including a massive usage of dietary supplements and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) [5][6][7]. AASs are derivatives of androgenic hormones such as testosterone.…”