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The pre-competitive period in bodybuilding | There must be a better way
In 2017, Brazilian sports scientist Ricardo Viana published a case study in which he followed an anonymous bodybuilder during an 11-week period preceding a competition. Viana recorded what the man ate, how he trained, what pharmacological means he took - and how his body composition changed. To lose a kilo of body fat, the man had to sacrifice four kilos of lean body mass...
Case
Viana followed a 28-year-old male amateur bodybuilder for 11 weeks. At the end of that period the man participated in a bodybuilding competition. The researcher recorded how the man trained, ate, and how his body composition changed.
The bodybuilder was not natural. He usually injected more than one gram of anabolic steroids a week. You can see his steroid cycle here.
In addition, the man took ephedrine and theophylline. Initially he used 15 milligrams of ephedrine sulfate and 120 milligrams of theophylline per day, but in the last week he had increased to dosages to 35 milligrams of ephedrine and 240 milligrams of theophylline per day. The bodybuilder took the stimulants with a cup of coffee just before his workouts.
The bodybuilder trained 6 times a week, following a high volume split routine. More precise information about his training schedule can be found here.
Diet
During the diet period, the bodybuilder reduced his caloric intake. In week 11 he consumed nearly 60 percent less energy than in week 1.
Body composition
Despite the pharmacological support, the man lost 3.7 kilos or lean body mass. At the same time, the man only lost 1.1 kilos of body fat.
Not enough protein
Most insiders in pharmacological bodybuilding will recognize that this case is not that special. In modern competitive bodybuilding, these cases have become the order of the day.
However, Viana does not draw that general conclusion. According to him, the bodybuilder made "mistakes in preparation." His training volume was too high, Viana suspects, and his protein intake too low.
Up to and including week 9, the man's protein intake was fine, you can see below. After that this was no longer the case.
Source:
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2, 37; doi:10.3390/jfmk2040037.
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