Mixed
Bodybuilding coaches consistently recommend Creatine and Fish Oils as top supplements, while recommending specific Performance-Enhancing Drugs (Testosterone, Primobolan, GH) for enhanced athletes, highlighting a significant gap between evidence-based supplementation and the lack of safety data for PEDs.
Creatine (3-10 g/day) and Fish Oils are the most recommended supplements by bodybuilding coaches. Creatine is well-supported for strength and muscle gains. Fish oils support general health and may mitigate lipid issues from PEDs. For enhanced athletes, coaches recommend Testosterone, Primobolan, and Growth Hormone, but there is limited safety data on these high-dose regimens in healthy athletes.
Creatine was the number one recommended supplement across all categories except for enhanced male competitors in the off-season, where it placed second. ... The most commonly recommended PEDs for male competitors included testosterone, methenolone enanthate (Primobolan), growth hormone, drostanolone propionate (masteron), insulin, and decadurabolin (trenbolone).
Why this rating
The data accurately reflects coach practices, but the safety/efficacy of the specific PED combinations is largely unstudied in healthy athletes.
Source
Bodybuilding Coaching Strategies Meet Evidence-Based Recommendations: A Qualitative Approach
Alexa Rukstela et al. · Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology · 2023
DOI 10.3390/jfmk8020084
More from this paper
- Bodybuilding coaches recommend protein intakes of 2.0–4.84 g/kg/day, which exceeds the evidence-based recommendation of 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day for general physically active individuals, though this higher range may be necessary for highly muscular competitive bodybuilders.Moderate
- Fasted cardiovascular exercise is commonly recommended by bodybuilding coaches (67%), primarily to synergize with fat-burning supplements like yohimbine and clenbuterol, despite systematic reviews showing no superiority over fed cardio for fat loss in general populations.Moderate
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