## 4 Discussion  
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a 31-week preparation training phase on body composition and several biochemical markers of a natural male bodybuilder. The main findings of the study were that (a) daily energy intake reduced during preparation, which led to a reduction in total body mass; (b) fat mass, bone mineral density, and lean mass decreased during the preparation phase; (c) testosterone decreased during the final 18 weeks of training with a concomitant increase in cortisol levels; and (d) liver enzymes, kidney function, uric acid, and creatinine increased during the final 18 weeks of training. During the preparation phase, the energy intake was decreased while the daily physical activity (as measured with daily steps) was increased to maintain a weekly energy deficit. These results suggest that a natural bodybuilder may benefit from the slow rate of body mass loss during the preparation phase, and this strategy may lead to a lower lean mass loss before competitions. The athlete implemented a nutritional strategy emphasizing a gradual body mass loss rate, aiming for a reduction of approximately 0.5 to 1% per week [5; 19; 20]. This approach was crucial for alleviating the negative impacts of extended hypocaloric diets on hormonal balance and muscle mass during contest preparation. At the core of this strategy was a high daily protein intake, ranging from 2.5 to 2.9 g-bodymass\({}^{-1}\). This recommendation aligns with previous guidelines for natural-physique athletes, which suggest an intake of 2.3 to 3.1 g-bodymass\({}^{-1}\). Additionally, [PERSON] et al. [19] identified an intake range of 1.8 to 2.7 g-bodymass\({}^{-1}\). While the athlete prioritized minimizing muscle loss while pursuing competition objectives, no resting metabolic rate test was performed. As a result, practical adjustments had to be applied in an attempt to effectively monitor caloric deficits and track progress throughout the preparation period [5; 19; 20; 21]. As in previous bodybuilding case studies, body mass decreased, but the muscle-to-fat ratio differed. Specifically, in the study of [PERSON] et al. [3], the athlete decreased his body mass by \(-\)11.7 kg over a 14-week training period, of which 5 kg was lean mass, while in the study of [PERSON] et al. [8], the athlete decreased his lean mass by \(-\)6.6 kg and fat mass by \(-\)10.4 kg. The decrease \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{4}{c}{**Weeks Until Contest**} \\ \hline  & **W31** & **W18** & **W1** \\ \hline Urea (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 58 & 52 & 56 \\ Glucose (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 93 & 84 & 86 \\ Cholesterol (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 151 & 143 & 154 \\ Triglycerides (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 57 & 52 & 47 \\ Uric acid (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 3.7 & 4.5 & 5 \\ Creatinine (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 1.34 & 1.32 & 1.58 \\ SGOT (U.L\({}^{-1}\)) & 23 & 20 & 30 \\ SGPT (U.L\({}^{-1}\)) & 30 & 21 & 48 \\ GGT (U.L\({}^{-1}\)) & 17 & 12 & 12 \\ CK (U.L\({}^{-1}\)) & 271.1 & 324.6 & 632.5 \\ Magnesium (mg.dL\({}^{-1}\)) & 1.9 & 1.9 & 2.2 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* SGOT = serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase; SGPT = serum glutamic-pyruvate transaminase; GGT = gamma-glutamyl transferase; CK = creatine phosphokinase.  
\end{table} 
Table 5: Biochemical markers—lipid panel, blood panel, and liver panel changes during the three-time points of 31, 18, and 1 week before the contest. in lean mass is a common phenomenon and often irreversible for natural bodybuilders. Still, the reductions in the above studies may be due to the increased rate of body mass loss [3], which corresponds to 0.98% of body mass per week. Compared to the current study, the athlete had a weekly rate of body mass loss of approximately 0.66% of body mass per week. An increased intake of carbohydrates during preparation likely reduced lean mass loss. The athlete's average carbohydrate intake was 243 \(\pm\) 55 g\(\cdot\)day\({}^{-1}\), while [PERSON] et al. [3] reported an average carbohydrate intake of 100 \(\pm\) 56 g\(\cdot\)day\({}^{-1}\) for their athlete.