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Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the Off-Season: A Narrative Review

Iraki, Juma, Fitschen, Peter, Espinar, Sergio, Helms, Eric·2019·Sports
DOI 10.3390/sports7070154PMC PMC6680710
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Abstract

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. A hyper-energetic diet (~10–20%) should be consumed with a target weight gain of ~0.25–0.5% of bodyweight/week for novice/intermediate bodybuilders. Advanced bodybuilders should be more conservative with the caloric surplus and weekly weight gain. Sufficient protein (1.6–2.2 g/kg/day) should be consumed with optimal amounts 0.40–0.55 g/kg per meal and distributed evenly throughout the day (3–6 meals) including within 1–2 hours pre- and post-training. Fat should be consumed in moderate amounts (0.5–1.5 g/kg/day). Remaining calories should come from carbohydrates with focus on consuming sufficient amounts (≥3–5 g/kg/day) to support energy demands from resistance exercise. Creatine monohydrate (3–5 g/day), caffeine (5–6 mg/kg), beta-alanine (3–5 g/day) and citrulline malate (8 g/day) might yield ergogenic effects that can be beneficial for bodybuilders.

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Metadata

Authors
Iraki, J., Fitschen, P., Espinar, S., & Helms, E.
Affiliations
  • Iraki Nutrition AS, 2008 Fjerdingby, Norway
  • Fitbody and Physique LLC, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA
  • Sport Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ) at AUT Millennium, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
ORCID
Espinar, Sergio
Venue
Sports
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-06-26
Volume
7
Issue
7
Pages
154
ISSN
2075-4663
DOI
10.3390/sports7070154
PMC
PMC6680710
Cited by
67
References
46
Language
en
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)

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