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. 2023 Jun 16;8(2):84.
doi: 10.3390/jfmk8020084.

Bodybuilding Coaching Strategies Meet Evidence-Based Recommendations: A Qualitative Approach

Alexa Rukstela  1 , Kworweinski Lafontant  1 , Eric Helms  2   3 , Guillermo Escalante  4 , Kara Phillips  1   5 , Bill I Campbell  1
Affiliations

Bodybuilding Coaching Strategies Meet Evidence-Based Recommendations: A Qualitative Approach

Alexa Rukstela et al. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. .

Abstract

Bodybuilding is a sport where coaches commonly recommend a variety of nutrition and exercise protocols, supplements, and, sometimes, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The present study sought to gain an understanding of the common decisions and rationales employed by bodybuilding coaches. Focusing on coaches of the more muscular divisions in the National Physique Committee/IFBB Professional League federations (men's classic physique, men's bodybuilding, women's physique, women's bodybuilding) for both natural and enhanced athletes, coaches were recruited via word of mouth and social media, and 33 responded to an anonymous online survey. Survey responses indicated that participant coaches recommend three-to-seven meals per day and no less than 2 g/kg/day of protein regardless of sex, division, or PED usage. During contest preparation, participant coaches alter a natural competitor's protein intake by -25% to +10% and an enhanced competitor's protein intake by 0% to +25%. Regarding cardiovascular exercise protocols, approximately two-thirds of participant coaches recommend fasted cardiovascular exercise, with the common rationale of combining the exercise with thermogenic supplements while considering the athlete's preference. Low- and moderate-intensity steady state were the most commonly recommended types of cardiovascular exercise among participant coaches; high-intensity interval training was the least popular. Creatine was ranked in the top two supplements for all surveyed categories. Regarding PEDs, testosterone, growth hormone, and methenolone were consistently ranked in the top five recommended PEDs by participant coaches. The results of this study provide insight into common themes in the decisions made by bodybuilding coaches, and highlight areas in which more research is needed to empirically support those decisions.

Keywords: cardiovascular exercise; fat loss; performance-enhancing drugs; programming; supplements.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest in completing this research study. ERH is a competitive natural bodybuilder, coaches natural physique athletes, and is a writer in the fitness industry. GE has served as an independent scientific consultant for Bang Energy, Inc. on various projects since 2018. GE serves on the Scientific Advisory Board and as the lead Physique and Bodybuilding Program subject matter expert for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. BC has received grants and contracts to conduct research on dietary supplements; has served as a paid consultant for industry; has received honoraria for speaking at conferences and writing lay articles about sports nutrition ingredients and topics; and has served as an expert witness on behalf of the plaintiff and defense in cases involving dietary supplements.

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