Muscle nutrition exercise bodybuilding

BACKGROUND: Physique athletes are ranked by a panel of judges against the judging criteria of the corresponding division. To enhance on-stage presentation and performance, competitors in certain categories (i.e. bodybuilding and classic physique) achieve extreme muscle size and definition aided by implementing acute "peaking protocols" in the days before competition. Such practices can involve manipulating nutrition and training variables to increase intramuscular glycogen and water while minimising the thickness of the subcutaneous layer...

Low-protein (LP) diets extend the lifespan of diverse species and are associated with improved metabolic health in both rodents and humans. Paradoxically, many athletes and bodybuilders consume high-protein (HP) diets and protein supplements, yet are both fit and metabolically healthy. Here, we examine this paradox using weight pulling, a validated progressive resistance exercise training regimen, in mice fed either an LP diet or an isocaloric HP diet. We find that despite having lower food consumption than the LP group, HP-fed mice gain significantly more fat mass than LP-fed mice when not exercising, while weight pulling protected HP-fed mice from this excess fat accretion...

Sport disciplines with different metabolic characteristics require different dietary approaches. Bodybuilders or sprinters ("anaerobic" athletes) need a high-protein diet (HPD) in order to activate muscle protein synthesis after exercise-induced muscle damage and use nitric oxide enhancers (such as citrulline and nitrates) to increase vasodilatation, whereas endurance athletes, such as runners or cyclists ("aerobic" athletes), prefer a high-carbohydrate diet (HCHD), which aims to restore the intramuscular glycogen, and supplements containing buffering agents (such as sodium bicarbonate and beta-alanine)...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare a flexible vs. rigid diet on weight loss and subsequent weight regain in resistance-trained (RT) participants in a randomized, parallel group design. METHODS: Twenty-three males and females (25.6 ± 6.1 yrs; 170 ± 8.1 cm; 75.4 ± 10.3 kg) completed the 20-week intervention (consisting of a 10-week diet phase and a 10-week post-diet phase). Participants were randomized to a flexible diet (FLEX) comprised of non-specific foods or a rigid diet (RIGID) comprised of specific foods...

Bodybuilding is a competitive endeavor where a combination of muscle size, symmetry, "conditioning" (low body fat levels), and stage presentation are judged. Success in bodybuilding requires that competitors achieve their peak physique during the day of competition. To this end, competitors have been reported to employ various peaking interventions during the final days leading to competition. Commonly reported peaking strategies include altering exercise and nutritional regimens, including manipulation of macronutrient, water, and electrolyte intake, as well as consumption of various dietary supplements...

Bodybuilding is a sport in which competitors' physiques are judged on their muscular size, symmetry, and leanness, as displayed in a number of different poses. In the pre-competitive period, bodybuilders attempt to reduce body fat stores as much as possible while maintaining fat-free mass (FFM). This is achieved via a sustained negative energy balance, generally induced by a combination of decreased energy intake and increased energy expenditure. This study aimed to assess the ability of bodybuilders to resist fatigue during resistance exercise based German Volume Training (GVT), as well as the affective response after carbohydrate refeed following four weeks of moderate or severe energy restriction...

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome and its indexes is one of the critical health problems during pregnancy. This study aimed to examine the effects of a care intervention program on pregnancy outcome in pregnant women with Metabolic Syndrome during 2017-2018. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted in 120 singleton pregnant women with metabolic syndrome. The participants were selected using purposive sampling method from pregnant women referred to two health centers of Babol...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Decades of research on nutrition and exercise on athletes and bodybuilders has yielded various strategies to promote anabolism and improve muscle health and growth. We reviewed these interventions in the context of muscle loss in critically ill patients. RECENT FINDINGS: For critically ill patients, ensuring optimum protein intake is important, potentially using a whey-containing source and supplemented with vitamin D and leucine. Agents like hydroxyl β-methylbutyrate and creatine can be used to promote muscle synthesis...

BACKGROUND: To prepare for competition, bodybuilders employ strategies based around: energy restriction, resistance training, cardiovascular exercise, isometric "posing", and supplementation. Cohorts of professional (PRO) natural bodybuilders offer insights into how these strategies are implemented by elite competitors, and are undocumented in the scientific literature. METHODS: Forty-seven competitors (33 male (8 PRO, 25 amateur (AMA), 14 female (5 PRO, 9 AMA) participated in the study...

Many nutrition practices often used by bodybuilders lack scientific support and can be detrimental to health. Recommendations during the dieting phase are provided in the scientific literature, but little attention has been devoted to bodybuilders during the off-season phase. During the off-season phase, the goal is to increase muscle mass without adding unnecessary body fat. This review evaluated the scientific literature and provides nutrition and dietary supplement recommendations for natural bodybuilders during the off-season phase...

BACKGROUND: Protein supplement use is common in bodybuilders because protein supplements are thought to increase muscle mass by preventing protein catabolism during exercise routines. Information on the consequences of protein supplement use is scarce and contradictory. Therefore, the identification of a kidney damage marker, such as microalbuminuria, could be transcendent in preventing probable organ compromise in healthy persons. The aim of this study is to determine the presence of microalbuminuria in gym members and whether there is an associated risk with protein supplement use...

BACKGROUND: Competitive 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...

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...

Strength and power athletes are primarily interested in enhancing power relative to body weight and thus almost all undertake some form of resistance training. While athletes may periodically attempt to promote skeletal muscle hypertrophy, key nutritional issues are broader than those pertinent to hypertrophy and include an appreciation of the sports supplement industry, the strategic timing of nutrient intake to maximize fuelling and recovery objectives, plus achievement of pre-competition body mass requirements...

Participants in the sport of bodybuilding are judged by appearance rather than performance. In this respect, increased muscle size and definition are critical elements of success. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the literature and provide recommendations regarding macronutrient intake during both 'off-season' and 'pre-contest' phases. Body builders attempt to increase muscle mass during the off-season (no competitive events), which may be the great majority of the year. During the off-season, it is advantageous for the bodybuilder to be in positive energy balance so that extra energy is available for muscle anabolism...

Resistance exercise is an activity performed by individuals interested in competition, those who wish to improve muscle mass and strength for other sports, and for individuals interested in improving their strength and physical appearance. In this review we present information suggesting that phosphocreatine depletion, intramuscular acidosis and carbohydrate depletion are all potential causes of the fatigue during resistance exercise. In addition, recommendations are provided for nutritional interventions, which might delay muscle fatigue during this type of activity...

A 27-year-old male bodybuilder was studied during a 30-day precontest period when his goal was to lose fat and retain muscle mass. Weighted dietary intakes were obtained for each day of the study. The subject trained 6 days per week with weights and included an aerobic component on most days. Ergogenic drugs and a diuretic were self-administered. At the contest, the subject placed in the top three for his weight division. The strict diet enabled the subject to lose fat weight predictably in preparation for the contest...

In preparing for competitive body building, body builders--in addition to continuous and hard muscle training--engage in stringent dietetic manipulations: the first few months of hypercaloric nutrition, rich in proteins, are devoted to the build-up of muscle mass. A second phase of reduced caloric intake is designed reduce subcutaneous fat, while, during the last week of preparations, extreme carbohydrate intake aims at loading muscles with glycogen. Simultaneously, sodium and water restriction results in extracellular and therefore subcutaneous volume deficit and better "definition" of muscle contours and structure...