Physical Characteristics and Dietary Patterns of Strength Athletes; Bodybuilders, Weight Lifters

Cho, Seongsuk; Lee, Hyunkeun; Kim, Kyungwon

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive assessment of the nutritional habits of resistance trained males in relation to protein and carbohydrate intakes in comparison with the recommended values. Thirty-four male bodybuilders (27.0 +/- 2.1years, 173.5 +/- 5.0 cm, 8.3 +/- 0.61% body fat), twenty-four male weight lifters (20.9 +/- 2.1years, 171.8 +/- 6.9 cm, 7.6 +/- 0.98% body fat) and twenty-five male non-athletes (26.9 +/- 2.5years, 175.3 +/- 5.7 cm,, 8.5 +/- 0.95% body fat) participated in the study. Participants completed a comprehensive survey by twenty-four hour dietary recall methods. All diets were analyzed using the Computer Aided Nutritional (Pro) analyzer by a registered dietician. Body fat was measured using skin fold thickness. The average time spent in resistance training was 18.0 +/- 1.7 hrs/week for body builders and 14.6 +/- 8.7 hrs/week for weight lifters. Total daily calories were 2583.6 +/- 874.8 kcal (31.9 +/- 11.9 kcal/ kg) for bodybuilders, 3565.9 +/- 1281.8 kcal (42.7 +/- 15.0 kcal/kg) for weight lifters and 2016.0 +/- 955.3 kcal (28.1 +/- 13.9 kcal/kg) for non-athletes (p = 0.001). Percent of calories from carbohydrate, protein, and fat 64.2%, 27.1%, and 8.7% for bodybuilders, and 66.3%, 18.6%, and 15.1% for weight lifters. The mean protein intake was 1.9 +/- 1.2 g/ kg of BW for bodybuilders, 1.6 +/- 0.6 g/kg of BW for male weight lifters and 1.1 +/- 0.69 g/kg of BW for non-athletes. Although dietary calcium (78.7%) and riboflavin (86.3%) intakes for bodybuilders were below the RDA, dietary intakes of micronutrients were not deficient. More research needs to be conducted to determine the optimal amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fats, and micronutrients for the resistance trained athletes.