Bodybuilding journey: bulk, cut and what muscle for show costs

Both plans use the ranges below: 8 to 12 RM loads for novices and a 6 to 12 RM emphasis for hypertrophy with 1 to 2 minutes of rest ACSM 2009, with 2 to 3 minutes on heavy compounds because longer rests produced more strength and thigh growth in 21 trained men Schoenfeld 2016 (rest). The exact exercise picks are editorial; the set, rep and rest ranges are sourced.

Sources: ACSM 2009, Schoenfeld 2016 (rest)

On an A/B/A week that is 9 sets for chest (bench 6, incline 3), 9 for back (row 6, pulldown 3) and 8 for quads (squat 6, leg press 2). That clears the 5 to 9 set band and sits near the 10-plus band, where the meta-regression found larger gains only as a trend (P = 0.074) Schoenfeld 2017.

Sources: ACSM 2009, Helms 2015, Schoenfeld 2016 (rest)

Weekly direct sets in the intermediate plan: chest 10 (bench 4, incline 3, fly 3), back 14 (row 4+4, pulldown 3+3), quads 14 (squat 4, leg press 4, extension 3+3), hamstrings 10 (Romanian deadlift 3, leg curl 3+4), biceps 6, triceps 6. The larger muscles sit inside the 8 to 17 direct weekly sets drug-tested natural competitors reported in prep, and biceps and triceps at 6 sets each sit below it Baz-Valle 2026 and above the 10-set mark where pooled data show larger gains Schoenfeld 2017.

Sets are stopped near failure, not always at it: a 15-study meta-analysis found a trivial edge for training to set failure (effect size 0.19) and no clear edge for momentary failure Refalo 2023. Twice-weekly training per muscle beat once weekly in an earlier meta-analysis Schoenfeld 2016.

Sources: Mr Buff US gym data

Prices vary by club and promotion, and the table is one club per chain read 2026-10-26 Mr Buff US gym data. Check the barbell, a squat rack and free dumbbells exist before you join; that is the only equipment the plans above need.

Sources: Mr Buff US protein data

A 150 g protein day costs about $2.47 on eggs and $5.16 on chicken at those prices (150 x the cents above); whey is a convenience, not a necessity Mr Buff US protein data. Whole foods and whey count the same toward the 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg target Morton 2018.

Sources: Strength Level bench, Strength Level deadlift, Strength Level squat

These are self-reported lifts from lifters who chose to log them, so treat them as a rough compass, not a promise Strength Level bench.

• Month 1: 12 sessions logged (3 a week) and a written baseline for every lift. Most new members quit by month 3, so showing up is the marker Sperandei 2016.
• Month 3: loads up on every main lift. At 0.25 to 0.5% of bodyweight a week, a 75 kg lifter would be up roughly 2.4 to 4.9 kg of scale weight, some of it fat (13 weeks x 0.19 to 0.38 kg) Iraki 2019.
• Month 6: at the novice standard, about 1.0x bodyweight on bench Strength Level bench. Cumulative scale gain would be 4.9 to 9.8 kg if you never stalled, which most people do (26 weeks x 0.19 to 0.38 kg).
• Month 12: progress slows as training age rises, so a smaller surplus is expected Slater 2019. Standards place the 2-year mark at the intermediate level, about 1.25x bodyweight on bench Strength Level bench.

Maintenance of 2,800 kcal is an editorial assumption; find yours by tracking. A 10 to 20% surplus is 3,080 to 3,360 kcal Iraki 2019, and protein of 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg is 120 to 165 g Morton 2018. USDA energy values listed in kJ were converted at 4.184 kJ per kcal USDA FoodData Central.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central, Mr Buff US protein data

Prices come from this site's Kroger data (eggs $1.78 for 18, chicken $9.49 for 1,361 g, peanut butter $2.29 for 454 g), read 2026-10-26 Mr Buff US protein data. Oats, milk, rice and bananas are not in the site data, so the $2.67 is not a full day cost. Split into 4 meals about 4 hours apart; the timing detail matters little Helms 2014.

Drug-tested Spanish competitors self-reported 27.3 to 28.9 weeks of prep and 11.9 to 14.5 kg lost, about 0.44 to 0.50 kg a week by arithmetic Baz-Valle 2026. The 16 to 20 week window below is a shorter editorial plan for someone who starts prep already lean.

Sources: Escalante 2021, Helms 2015, Peos 2019, Garthe 2011, Helms 2014

At a 75 kg start and 0.5 to 1% a week, 16 weeks removes 6.0 to 12.0 kg and 20 weeks 7.5 to 15.0 kg; the upper figures exceed what most lean competitors lose, so stop when conditioned, not when the plan ends (editorial). For a 65 kg lean-mass example, 2.3 to 3.1 g/kg is 150 to 201 g of protein Helms 2014.

• Avoid severe dehydration and electrolyte manipulation: one review calls it dangerous and possibly no help to appearance Helms 2014.
• Avoid stacking diuretics on top of water restriction (editorial): the peak-week review describes herbal diuretics and caffeine only as acute options and warns that too much water loss leaves muscles flat Escalante 2021.
• Do not expect your numbers to match any influencer's: the review states responses vary too much for precise peak-week rules Escalante 2021.
• Plan the weeks after: one natural group regained 7.9 kg in two months Chappell 2021.

Sources: IFBB Pro League, WNBF Amateur Worlds 2026, WNBF Pro Worlds 2026

I could not read NPC membership or per-show NPC entry fees on a federation or promoter page, so none are quoted. Posing coaches, tanning and suits were also not priced from a verified page. Ask each promoter for a written fee list before you commit.

Sources: Mr Buff US protein data

• $29.97BulkSupplements creatine, 1 kg: 200 days at 5 g, $0.15 a dayBulkSupplements 2026
• $20.49Optimum Nutrition creatine, 60 servings of 5 g ($0.34 a serving)Optimum Nutrition 2026
• 3-5 ga day of creatine monohydrate once stores are fullISSN creatine 2017
• 3-6 mg/kgof caffeine, about 225 to 450 mg for 75 kg, taken about 60 minutes beforeISSN caffeine 2021

• Creatine: ISSN calls it the most effective supplement for high-intensity capacity and lean mass; loading is 0.3 g/kg a day for 5 to 7 days, then 3 to 5 g a day, or 3 g a day for 28 days without loading ISSN creatine 2017. At $29.97 per 1 kg and 5 g a day, it costs about $55 a year (200 days x $0.15 is $29.97; 365 x $0.15 = $54.70) BulkSupplements 2026.
• Caffeine: doses of 3 to 6 mg/kg improve performance, 2 mg/kg may be enough, and the commonest timing is 60 minutes before; very high doses such as 9 mg/kg raise side effects, and the stand advises watching sleep ISSN caffeine 2021.
• Protein powder: counts toward the same 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg target as food Morton 2018. Costco whey is 4.5 cents/g against 1.6 cents for eggs Mr Buff US protein data.
• Beta-alanine also had beneficial effects relevant to prep in one review; others warrant more study Helms 2014. I did not price it.

• Day 1: fill out the PAR-Q+ page 1; if you answer no to all seven, you are cleared for unrestricted activity PAR-Q+ Collaboration.
• Day 1: pick a gym with a rack, a barbell and dumbbells. Budget plans cost $180 to $240 in year one Mr Buff US gym data.
• Day 2: do workout A (squat 3x8-12, bench 3x8-12, row 3x8-12, press 2x8-12, curl 2x10-12) with light loads and write down every set.
• Day 3: weigh yourself on waking and eat to a 120 to 165 g protein target, which is 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg for 75 kg Morton 2018.
• Day 4: workout B (Romanian deadlift, pulldown, incline press, leg press, pushdown). Rest 2 minutes on the big lifts Schoenfeld 2016 (rest).
• Day 5: optional: start creatine at 3 to 5 g a day with any meal ISSN creatine 2017.
• Day 6: workout A again. Add weight only if you hit 12 reps on every set ACSM 2009.
• Day 7: compare your bodyweight average to day 1. For the bulk, hold calories until you know maintenance (editorial).

The PAR-Q+ has seven general health questions on page 1; any yes means complete the follow-up pages, and any yes there means medical-exercise screening or a qualified exercise professional PAR-Q+ Collaboration.

• Fits if you can train 3 to 4 days a week for years and weigh your food. Bodybuilding had the lowest injury rates among weight-training sports in one review Keogh 2017.
• Think twice about contest prep if you have a history of disordered eating: competitive bodybuilders showed disordered eating, exercise addiction and body-image problems in a 2026 study Moro 2026.
• Know what prep does: one drug-free competitor's resting metabolic rate fell 519 kcal and free T3 was clinically low across 18 weeks Ritson 2024.
• Not a fit if you want fast, guaranteed size: no study in this guide follows people from first lift to a set physique size.

A 2026 meta-regression pooled 67 studies and 2,058 participants (79% male, mean age about 25). Muscle gain kept rising with weekly set volume but with diminishing returns, and the flattening was clearer for strength than for size Pelland 2026. Frequency showed effects compatible with negligible for hypertrophy, but a consistent benefit for strength Pelland 2026.

An earlier meta-analysis of 10 studies found twice-weekly training beat once-weekly training for size when sets were equated (effect size 0.49 vs 0.30). It could not say whether three sessions beat two Schoenfeld 2016.

• 67 studiespooled in the 2026 volume and frequency meta-regression (2,058 participants)Pelland 2026
• 4.7-4.8sessions a week reported by 56 drug-tested Spanish natural competitors in prepBaz-Valle 2026
• 8-17direct weekly sets per muscle group in that survey, hamstrings lowest, back highestBaz-Valle 2026

The survey is self-reported and cross-sectional, so it shows what these competitors say they do, not what works. Amateurs and professionals did not differ significantly Baz-Valle 2026.

A meta-analysis of 15 studies in healthy adults compared sets taken to failure with sets that stopped short. Training to set failure had a trivial edge (effect size 0.19, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.37). Training to momentary muscular failure showed no clear edge (0.12, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.37) Refalo 2023.

Sources: Refalo 2023

The authors point to a possible non-linear relationship: extra proximity may not always add growth Refalo 2023. The Spanish competitor survey said sets were typically taken to or near failure, but its authors declined to measure reps in reserve because self-report lacks objectivity Baz-Valle 2026.

In the Spanish survey, amateurs reported 28.9 weeks of prep and 14.5 kg lost, professionals 27.3 weeks and 11.9 kg. These are self-reports, and about 0.5 to 1% of bodyweight a week would not fit that length of prep neatly Baz-Valle 2026.

A randomized trial of 24 athletes (not described as bodybuilders in the abstract) compared a target loss of 0.7% a week with 1.4%. Intake fell 19% vs 30%. Over 5 to 9 weeks the slower group gained 2.1% lean mass while the faster group's was unchanged (-0.2%) Garthe 2011.

One drug-free bodybuilder was followed for 18 weeks. Bodyweight fell 5.1 kg, resting metabolic rate fell 519 kcal, free T3 reached a clinically low 2.7 pmol/L and total testosterone 9.1 nmol/L. Squat, bench and deadlift 1RM fell 5.4%, 2.6% and 3.6%. Mood held until the last 2 weeks Ritson 2024.

A systematic review of 11 case studies (15 ostensibly drug-free athletes, 8 men and 7 women) found marked changes across body composition, hormones and mood, with large differences between individuals and between sexes Schoenfeld 2023.

In four drug-free British competitors, mean bodyweight fell 8.6 kg from five months out to the contest and rose 7.9 kg in the two months after. Resting metabolic rate was 1,899, 1,897 and 1,797 kcal at the three time points. Many psychological measures had returned toward baseline by two months Chappell 2021.

In 60 competitors (29 men, 31 women), post-contest binge eating was described as common in both sexes. Reduced libido and sleep problems were reported by both, and menstrual irregularity by women Moro 2026. The abstract gives no percentages.

A scoping review of 12 studies found three proposed recovery strategies: raising intake gradually, eating freely, or returning to maintenance at once. It could not say how long full recovery takes Chica-Latorre 2022.

A meta-analysis of 187 studies and 271 lifetime-use rates put pooled anabolic steroid use at 3.3%: 6.4% in males and 1.6% in females, with very high heterogeneity. Athlete samples scored higher Sagoe 2014. A 2026 meta-analysis of 34 studies using indirect-estimation methods found about 22.6% lifetime use in multi-sport competitive athletes and 15.5% past-year use in single-sport recreational athletes. Neither figure is bodybuilding-specific Sagoe 2026.

An Endocrine Society statement notes that most users are nonathlete weightlifters, often taking high doses and several drugs together Pope 2014.

Sources: Baggish 2017, JAMA Netw Open 2025

Both studies are cross-sectional, so they show association. In a 1995 sample of 157 male athletes (83 users), non-users' fat-free mass index reached 25.0 while many users exceeded it Kouri 1995. It is a screening observation from a small, older sample, not a proof of any natural limit.

A review of 20 weight-training sport studies, only five at low risk of bias and four prospective, found bodybuilding had the lowest injury rates and strongman the highest. Shoulder, lower back, knee, elbow and wrist or hand were the common sites Keogh 2017.

In a 9-month prospective cohort of 381 recreational weight trainers (62% women, mean age 31.9), 22% reported at least one injury, 1.86 per 1,000 training hours. Lower back (24%), shoulder or neck (20%) and knee (17%) led. Prior injury raised later risk 3.74-fold and training with a partner lowered it by 70% Naderi 2026.

• No study here follows people from first lift to a set physique size, so years to a given size is not sourced.
• Competitor surveys and case studies are small (n = 1 to 60); they cannot give a typical response.
• Drug prevalence among competitive bodybuilders was not found in the studies read.
• Whether regain after prep is fat, water or muscle was not resolved by the abstracts read Chappell 2021.