Robert-Cheeke vegan body building natural competition 2009 (cropped)

Natural bodybuilding is a

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

movement with various competitions that take place for bodybuilders who abstain from

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

. This categorically excludes the use of substances like

anabolic steroids Anabolic steroids, also known more properly as anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS), are steroidal androgens that include natural androgens like testosterone as well as synthetic androgens that are structurally related and have similar effects t ...

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

diuretics A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

and human

growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...

. If a bodybuilder meets the requirements of the

sanctioning body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken g ...

(the recognized group or authority that sanctions and validates competitions) that they are competing in, then they are considered to be "natural". Natural bodybuilding is a contentious point in the bodybuilding community because even without the use of performance-enhancing drugs, the amounts of food required to be eaten, training techniques, and body grooming are seen as abnormal undertakings for any athlete. There are also many athletes who claim to be natural but have failed drug tests in the past, and not all natural bodybuilding contests are subject to drug testing. There are numerous sanctioning bodies that provide their own rules and regulations that govern the competition procedures, event qualifications, banned substance lists, and drug testing methods. Doping detection methods include

urinalysis Urinalysis, a portmanteau of the words ''urine'' and ''analysis'', is a panel of medical tests that includes physical (macroscopic) examination of the urine, chemical evaluation using urine test strips, and microscopic examination. Macroscopic e ...

and

polygraph A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...

testing, and federations typically conduct these tests on the day of the competition, or shortly before. Each organization will specify within its rules the length of time that its athletes should be drug-free, which may vary from testing clean on the day of the event to being drug-free for a number of years, right up to a lifetime natural requirement. Since natural bodybuilders avoid using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, they seek to optimize their training, diet, and rest regimes to maximize natural anabolic hormone production, thereby accelerating recovery and increasing hypertrophy and strength. Certain legal supplements may also be used to aid recovery and promote muscle growth, although diligence is needed as some over-the-counter products contain ingredients that are banned by natural bodybuilding organizations.

Definition

The notion of what counts as natural is a contentious point among bodybuilders and their practitioners. Bodybuilding sociologist Dr. Dimitris Liokaftos points to distinct differences between American and European bodybuilders. British attitudes towards nature place much greater emphasis on the notion of natural athletes adhering to the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...

's prohibited list by comparison to American drug testing policies where parts of the WADA prohibited list may be implemented.

References

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