Off-season nutrition for natural bodybuilders (narrative review): a ~10-20% energy surplus aiming at ~0.25-0.5% of body weight gained per week for novice/intermediate lifters, more conservative for advanced ones; protein 1.6-2.2 g/kg/day in 3-6 meals of 0.40-0.55 g/kg
A narrative review of nutrition and supplement recommendations for natural bodybuilders in the off-season, when the goal is to increase muscle mass without unnecessary body fat. Content from the abstract only.
Key Results
Novice/intermediate bodybuilders: a hyper-energetic diet (~10-20%) and a target gain of ~0.25-0.5% of bodyweight per week; advanced bodybuilders should keep both the surplus and the weekly gain more conservative.
Protein 1.6-2.2 g/kg/day, 0.40-0.55 g/kg per meal, evenly over 3-6 meals including within 1-2 h before and after training.
Fat 0.5-1.5 g/kg/day; carbohydrate ≥3-5 g/kg/day from the remaining calories.
Supplements that might have ergogenic effects: caffeine (5-6 mg/kg), creatine monohydrate (3-5 g/day), citrulline malate (8 g/day) and beta-alanine (3-5 g/day).
Practical Application
"How fast should I gain weight if I want muscle, not fat?" A 2019 narrative review for natural bodybuilders recommends ~0.25-0.5% of body weight per week for novice and intermediate lifters (a ~10-20% surplus), and slower for advanced lifters — a practice target, not a tested threshold.
Not from this paper: for an endurance athlete the lower end, or no deliberate gain at all, is usually the right choice.
Limitations
Narrative review; the targets are expert recommendations without a pooled estimate.
Bodybuilders; supplement doses listed as "might" — not evaluated here.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
narrative review without systematic method