Research
Mixed
Creatine monohydrate (3-5 g/day), caffeine (5-6 mg/kg pre-exercise), beta-alanine (3-5 g/day), and citrulline malate (8 g/day) may yield ergogenic effects beneficial for bodybuilders.
Consider creatine (3-5g daily) and caffeine (5-6mg/kg before training) for proven performance benefits. Beta-alanine and citrulline may help depending on your specific training goals, but prioritize food and training first.
GoodConditionalHIGH confidence
Creatine monohydrate (3–5 g/day), caffeine (5–6 mg/kg), beta-alanine (3–5 g/day) and citrulline malate (8 g/day) might yield ergogenic effects that can be beneficial for bodybuilders.
Why this rating
Based on established research for creatine and caffeine, though the paper notes mixed results for some supplements.
Source
Nutrition Recommendations for Bodybuilders in the Off-Season: A Narrative Review
Juma Iraki et al. · Sports · 2019
DOI 10.3390/sports7070154
narrative_reviewCited 73×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Bodybuilders should consume 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight daily, distributed in doses of 0.40–0.55 g/kg per meal across 3–6 meals.Good
- Natural bodybuilders in the off-season should consume a hyper-energetic diet (~10–20% above maintenance) targeting a weight gain of 0.25–0.5% of bodyweight per week, with advanced lifters using a more conservative surplus to minimize fat gain.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
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- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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