Weekly Strength Training Volume In Off-Season And Pre-Contest Bodybuilding Athletes: What Changed The Most?

Literature remains inconclusive regarding optimal weekly strength training volume per muscle group(MG) for maximizing hypertrophy, while the recommendations ranging from 40-70 repetitions per MG/per week, twice weekly for the general population. However bodybuilding (BB) athletes present complexities due to competition periodization. PURPOSE: This study aimed to quantify the weekly training volume of BB athletes at off-season (OS) and pre-contest (PC) phases across competitive divisions. METHODS: A cohort of 154 athletes from various federations completed an online survey on federation, category/weight class, training structure (full-body vs. split routines), training modalities, exercises per session, volume per MG, weekly frequency, and cardio training. Athletes reported competing in federations like IFBB SP, NPC, NABBA, WBBF, WBFF PRO, in categories such as Men’s Physique, Classic Physique, Bodybuilding, Wellness, and Bikini. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, and Kruskal-Nemenyi post-hoc tests. Effect size was calculated (α = .05, power = 80%, df = 4). RESULTS: Significant differences in weekly training volume per MG were observed between categories during OS and PC. Key findings included chest volume reductions of 3.2% in Men’s Physique, and deltoid reductions of 5.7% and 8.9% in Classic Physique and Men’s Physique, respectively. Bodybuilding Classic showed a 25% chest volume increase, while deltoid volume increased 9.1%. Abdominal volume increased by 62.5% in Bodybuilding Classic and 100% in Master. Cardiovascular training volume increased by 11.1% in Classic Physique, 25% in Bodybuilding Classic, and 50% in Bikini. Weekly training frequency increased significantly (p < .05) in Bodybuilding Classic (57.1%) and Senior (40%). CONCLUSION: There was a notable increase in cardiovascular training volume in PC, alongside variations in MG weekly training volume across BB categories. This is the first analysis in elite BB examining sex and category-specific training variations in OS and PC phases.