We all know pictures of bodybuilders with the ‘perfect’ body. Usually with a color from a tanning bed and giant muscles.
Most of these bodybuilders use a variety of performing-enhancing drugs, but not all bodybuilders do this. In this article we will find out how ‘natural bodybuilders’ differ from ‘non-natural bodybuilders’.
Table of Contents
- What is natural bodybuilding?
- The use of anabolic agents
- Difference between natural and conventional bodybuilding
- Training of natural bodybuilders
What is natural bodybuilding?
As you would expect, bodybuilding focuses on muscle building. In the conventional way of bodybuilding, performance-enhancing drugs are used to achieve this.
In natural bodybuilding, on the other hand, this goal is achieved without such drugs. People often mistake the extent to which these drugs are used, in the world of bodybuilding it is the norm. The most well-known drugs are of course anabolic agents.
The use of anabolic agents
We now know that the use of anabolic agents is common in the world of bodybuilding, but what do anabolic agents actually do?
In order to understand this, it is first important to know that muscles are largely made up of proteins. Anabolic agents are able to stimulate protein building and inhibit protein breakdown. This ensures greater muscle mass.
This all sounds very innocent, but realize that there are many negative effects attached to the use of anabolic agents.
Difference between natural and conventional bodybuilding
It is important to realize that with natural bodybuilding there is a limit to the amount of muscle mass you can eventually achieve. This limit is largely determined by your genetic information, so you can’t change it.
Conventional bodybuilders push these limits by using anabolic agents for example. As a result, conventional bodybuilders simply have a higher limit of maximum muscle mass.
Training of natural bodybuilders
A good structure of training is important for all bodybuilders. In addition, it is important to prevent overload, as this can inhibit muscle growth. Overload can occur on the one hand due to a training that is too heavy, and on the other hand due to training stimuli that follow each other too quickly.
Natural bodybuilders often follow a schedule in which they focus on a specific muscle group per training. This has the advantage that the other muscle groups get enough rest when training a specific muscle group.
Below you see an example of such a distribution in different muscle groups.
| Day | Muscle group |
| 1 | Back & biceps |
| 2 | Chest & triceps |
| 3 | Shoulders & Abs |
| 4 | Legs |
Lifestyle coach [5+ years of fitness experience]