The high demand for health clubs is often related to aesthetics and in most cases to increase of muscle mass, especially by practitioners of bodybuilding. There is a belief among athletes that additional protein (LWA) increases strength and improves performance. This study aimed to evaluate the protein consumption of bodybuilding practitioners aiming muscle mass increase, in a health club from Rio Grande do Sul. The sample consisted of 23 male bodybuilding practitioners, aged between 19 and 33 years. Bodybuilding practitioners who trained to gain muscle mass with minimum frequency of three times per week and had experience in endurance training for at least twelve weeks participated in the study. A form with personal information and some specific data concerning training and nutrition was filled out. Food record was held for three days. The anthropometric measurements were taken from the physical evaluation software database of the health club. Nutritional status was also assessed by the calculation of the Body Mass Index (BMI). Average protein intake was 1.7 g / kg. The current lean mass (61.7 kg) presented values higher than the initial lean mass (59.9 kg), which was lower for the three LWA intake classifications (low, recommended and above recommended).Statistically significant difference was detected for the classifications within the recommended range (p <0.001) and higher than recommendation (p <0.05), where, in both situations, the current lean mass was significantly higher than the initial lean mass. The findings in this study suggest that the sample is not characterized by the consumption of LWA above or below the recommendation, and presents hyperprotein diet feature.
health clubs; food intake; hypertrophy; food supplements
