Nutrition and the precontest preparations of a male bodybuilder

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. However, some weight lost was lean body tissue, suggesting the rate of loss was too fast. Blood chemistry studies revealed abnormalities, including hemoconcentration and alterations in cholesterol metabolism, which could have placed the subject at risk for thromboembolic phenomena because of increased blood viscosity. Those abnormalities could reflect the use of ergogenic drugs. For this subject, bodybuilding included diet, exercise, and drug regimens, which are common among competitive athletes.