BODY BUILDING
ABOUT BODY BUILDING
The aim of body building is to maintain a high degree of muscle
mass and tone with symmetrical shape, visible musculature and
vascular definition. In competitive bodybuilding there are various
styles of events with emphasis placed on different aspects of
fitness and physique, requiring different demands on the body
and dietary intake.
Two main phases exist within the competitive bodybuilding year.
Most of the year is spent in the bulking phase (off-season) which
focuses on building muscle mass and muscle symmetry. The
cutting phase begins two to four months before competition and
involves maximizing body fat losses while minimizing muscle
loss to enhance muscle definition. A final phase, in the week
prior to competition, aims to further enhance the appearance of
muscles and to assist blood vessels to stand out. Non-competitive
bodybuilders are interested in maintaining their desired physique
year round and may not cycle between the bulking and cutting
phases either at all or as often.
Advice contained in this fact sheet is intended to support natural,
i.e., drug free, bodybuilding.
BULKING
The most important contributions to gaining muscle mass are
(i) your genes and (ii) how much training you do. Nutrition also
has important roles to play: to supply the fuel to support the high
training loads needed and promote weight gain; and to supply
high quality protein to maximize muscle growth.
Contrary to what some people may think, stored carbohydrate
or glycogen is a major fuel source for high intensity resistance
exercise. When you train hard with weights you use up stores
of glycogen. If you don’t get enough carbohydrate to refuel your
muscles, soon enough you will find your ability to train is affected.
This is particularly true if you have multiple training sessions a
day or train on consecutive days.
High force resistance exercise promotes muscle growth but
combining weight training with enough energy to gain weight
promotes even greater muscle growth. And as long as you are
eating enough energy and carbohydrate to be able to train hard,
and getting enough energy to gain weight, you don’t have to eat
large amounts of protein to gain the muscle you want. What is
much more important than eating masses of protein is getting the
timing of the protein right – you need to eat protein immediately
after doing resistance exercise. As well, eating regular meals and
snack containing protein may help with maintaining the muscles
you are growing and it will certainly help get in all the food that
you need to get in to fuel your training and weight gain.
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SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
• WEIGHT GAIN: You should aim for a weight gain of 0.25 – 0.5
kilograms per week (rates much fast than this could promote
too much fat gain). The weight that you will be able to gain will
vary according to your genes and your training history.
•EAT ENOUGH KILOJOULES: Eat enough energy to support
training as well as weight gain. You will need about 2,000 – 4,000
extra kilojoules a day on top of what you usually eat to gain
weight. You should gradually increase the amount that you eat
until you see weight gain, and then increase again when weight
gain stops (because as you gain weight, you will need to be eating
more anyway!).
•DON’T AVOID CARBOHYDRATES! Carbohydrates provide an
important fuel for your muscles during exercise and allow
you to sustain a better quality workout for longer. Having a
carbohydrate containing meal or snack before exercise and
topping up with extra carbohydrate during sessions longer
than ~90 minutes will help you maximize your adaptations from
training
•SPREAD OUT YOUR PROTEIN: Having a spread of protein
intake over the day is important to maintain a constant nutrition
stimulus to promote lean mass gains. A good goal is to aim for
each meal and snack you eat to contain ~30g quality protein.
As long as you also meet your carbohydrate needs, you can eat
more protein than this to contribute to your energy intake but
ensure intakes are not excessive (e.g. greater than 2-2.5g protein
per kilogram body weight).
•RECOVERY FROM TRAINING: Eating carbohydrate with protein
within 30 minutes of resistance exercise can start to restore your
carbohydrate stores ready for the next bout of training and supply
you with the protein to support muscle growth. About 1.0 – 1.2
grams of carbohydrate for every kilogram you weigh and about
15 – 25g protein within 30 minutes of exercise is recommended.
See the table below for examples of protein and carbohydrate
containing foods and fluids.
 BODY BUILDING

NUTRIENT SOURCES phase will be beneficial. Not having enough carbohydrate or a too
low body fat may also have an impact on your hormone levels,
Food Protein (g) Carbohydrate (g)
including hormones such as insulin growth factor-1, insulin and
Chicken (100g grilled) 30 0
testosterone which are also important in maintaining your muscle
Lamb butterfly steak 30 0
mass. Again, the amount of carbohydrate that you eat and how
(100g grilled)
low your body fat drops (and for how long) should be carefully
Fish salmon (100g 24 0 monitored with the help of a sports dietitian for the effects on
grilled) your training ability, your muscle size, and, most importantly, your
Egg (2x65g poached) 16 0 health, to enable just the right amounts of nutrients for you and
Rice cooked (1 cup) 4.5 53 your training.
Pasta cooked (1 cup) 6 37
Potato boiled (1 large) 4 25 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Banana (1 large) 2 24 • Bodybuilders will need to approach the energy restriction
required for fat loss in a moderate fashion. Excessive energy
Apple pink lady (1 0 12
restriction will result in greater muscle loss, negative impact
medium)
on training and possibly hormones, which will have further
Chocolate milk (per 8 24
impacts on lean tissue.
250ml)
•Work closely with your sports dietitian to determine, on a daily
Sustagen Sport (per 15 40 basis, the right amount of energy and carbohydrate for your
60g) training and your bodybuilding goals.
Yoghurt (per 200g) 8 26
High protein yoghurt 14-17 0-22
(e.g ChobaniTM)
PRE COMPETITION
In the week prior bodybuilders aim to increase the definition
of muscles and the visibility of blood vessels. There is little
CUTTING scientific research into these practices although the detrimental
Bodybuilders, in preparation for competition, enter a period effects on blood chemistry, including low blood glucose, have
termed cutting where they attempt to lose body fat (to been documented. No safe, evidence-based advice for this goal
enhance the appearance of musculature and vasculature) is available. Enhancement of muscle size is also attempted in
whilst minimizing loss of muscle. This process of cutting is the same week prior to competition, initially through glycogen
usually achieved through a state of negative energy balance by depletion and then through carbohydrate loading the day prior to
increasing aerobic training and decreasing energy intake (usually competition.
carbohydrate). In this way, the relative protein content of the diet
increases.
To date, there is little scientific research specifically in this area
FLUID
As with all physical activity, fluid intake is extremely important
of body building. Research from related areas suggest that less
when undertaking high intensity resistance and aerobic training.
muscle and more fat is lost if you eat relatively less carbohydrate
Proper hydration will optimize training and thus muscle gain.
than protein during energy restriction. There is a down side to
Dehydration will not help with fat loss. Muscle strength and
this however, as eating less carbohydrate will also influence your
control are key in maintaining the demands of bodybuilders’
ability to train and, as experienced body builders recognize in
training regimes; therefore, hydration becomes important to
this phase, your muscle size. As well, too little energy may also
optimise concentration when lifting heavy weights. This may be
affect you ability to lose fat as you may be too fatigued to train at
done using water and sports drinks during and after lifting heavy
the level required. Considering that the cutting period can last
weights in training.
3 – 4 months, a big decrease in the level of training intensity in
this phase can have a big impact on muscle size so a compromise
has to be made between decreasing body fat and holding onto
muscle mass. This will require tight periodisation of carbohydrate
intake to training requirements, that is, eating the right amount
of carbohydrate for what you are doing. Working closely with a
Sports Dietitian about your individual carbohydrate needs in this

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 BODY BUILDING

OTHER TIPS
• Restricted eating can lead to a limited variety of foods especially during the cutting phase, so try to include a variety of fruits
and vegetables, low fat dairy products and lean meat during training and competition
• Try to not to over-reward yourself or binge after competitions or particularly difficult training sessions as this can lead to
unwanted weight gain.
• Creatine supplements may be beneficial in some individuals for use in resistance training as a muscle fuel but can have
disadvantages of unwanted weight gain from excess water stored in muscles. Speak to a sports dietitian about whether
creatine is right for you.
• HMB (β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate) claims to increase strength gains and prevent breakdown of muscle mass with resistance
training but the evidence for its use has not been scientifically proven and long term effects of this supplement are unknown.
• Individual amino acid oral supplements have shown no effect on growth hormone levels and are not recommended for
increased muscle gain.
• Have your wits about you! There are many products available within the bodybuilding industry where scientific proof is
questionable and supplement content and quality varies, so consult a sports dietitian for advice on supplement use.

August 2013
© This is a sports nutrition publication of Sports Dietitians Australia.

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