Associations Between Weekly Training Load, Recovery Status, and Lean Body Mass in Amateur Bodybuilders
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Weekly training load is a central programming variable in bodybuilding, but its association with lean body mass is difficult to interpret without accounting for recovery status and the broader nutritional and sleep context. This cross-sectional field study examined associations between weekly resistance-training load, recovery status, and lean body mass in amateur bodybuilders. A mixed-sex sample of 240 amateur bodybuilders (120 women and 120 men; age 25.8 +/- 4.2 years) completed a seven-day training and recovery log, nutrition screening, readiness and soreness ratings, and standardized body-composition assessment. Weekly training load was calculated from session duration multiplied by session rating of perceived exertion and summarized alongside weekly hard sets. Lean body mass and lean body mass index (LBMI) were used as primary outcomes. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Training load showed a positive but curvilinear association with LBMI, with the strongest profile observed in athletes completing high but not excessive weekly loads. Recovery status was independently associated with LBMI after adjustment for age, sex, training experience, protein intake, sleep duration, and training load (beta = 0.26 kg/m2 per recovery point, 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.37, p < 0.001). The training load-by-recovery interaction was significant (p < 0.001), indicating that higher load was most strongly associated with lean mass when recovery ratings were moderate to high. Athletes in stronger recovery profiles had greater odds of achieving a sex-specific high lean-mass profile. Associations were similar in women and men. These findings support a balanced interpretation of bodybuilding adaptation: greater weekly loading is associated with higher lean body mass, but recovery status helps determine whether that load is likely to support adaptation rather than accumulated strain.
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