Cardiometabolic Indicators Of Excess Physiological Stress In A Professional Bodybuilder Detected Exclusively During Fasted Evaluation

Document Type

Conference Presentation

Department

Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences Department

Conference Title

American College of Sports Medicine - Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise conference

Organization

American College of Sports Medicine

Location

Virtual

Date of Presentation

8-1-2021

Journal Publication

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

ISSN

0195-9131

DOI

10.1249/01.mss.0000759120.11866.55

Volume

53

Issue

8S

First Page

8

Abstract

Contest preparation for competitive bodybuilders involves the compounding of substantial training loads with extreme dietary restriction. Insufficient data characterize the acute effects of this behavior on daily cardiometabolic parameters. PURPOSE: To identify markers of training stress apparent during the final 2 weeks of professional contest preparation. METHODS: A professional female competitor underwent 40 testing sessions during the final 14 days prior to an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) contest. Data were collected thrice daily: fasted within 30 minutes of waking, midday, and in the evening after the last meal. Each testing session was performed by the same administrator and completed in the following order: pulse oximetry (Innovo Medical, USA), heart rate and blood pressure (Omron Healthcare, Japan), blood glucose (Keto-Check, USA), and breath ketones (Ketonix, Sweden). Linear regression analyses evaluated relationships between phase of contest preparation and cardiometabolic outcomes. RESULTS: The subject was 29 years old; across the 14-day period, mean bodyweight was 45.0 ± 0.8 kg and BMI was 19.9 ± 0.4 kg/m2. Morning testing began at 7:56 am ±31.8 minutes. Midday testing was at 12:00 pm. Evening testing occurred at 8:54 pm ± 24.6 minutes. As contest preparation progressed, cardiometabolic values measured in the morning exhibited change. With each successive day, bodyweight decreased (β = -0.191; p < 0.001; 95% CI = -0.220 to -0.161), heart rate increased (β = 1.270; p = 0.010; 95% CI = 0.362 to 2.179), systolic blood pressure decreased (β = -0.763; p = 0.003; 95% CI = -1.204 to -0.321), and pulse oximetry displayed a trend of reduction (β = -0.081; p = 0.078; 95% CI = -0.173 to 0.011). No changes were detected in diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.892), blood glucose (p = 0.668), or breath ketones (p = 0.764). During midday and evening testing, no relationships were observed with any tested parameter (p > 0.100). CONCLUSIONS: The components of cardiovascular function that were sensitive to progressive nutritional restriction and training load were heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and pulse oximetry. In competitive environments that place athletes at risk of overtraining syndrome, it may be prudent to recommend daily monitoring of these variables in a fasted state.

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