natural bodybuilding it means gaining muscle without using adjuncts like drugs or dietary supplements to bulk up.

For centuries, bodybuilders have gone above and beyond in their quest for bigger, stronger muscles. Some were even willing to risk their safety and health by using drugs and supplements to add bulk to their physique, not caring about the long-term effects of such practices on their body and health.

In the modern era, this trend still holds, but it has been overshadowed by the movement towards safe and healthy bodybuilding. Natural bodybuilding happens without the need for performance-enhancing drugs or metabolism-altering dietary supplements.

So what are the basics of natural bodybuilding?

1. Exercise

2. Nutrition

There is no role in this model for injecting materials that are the substrate for muscle growth, or taking hormones like anabolic steroids that help the body redirect the building blocks of muscle growth to the appropriate areas that the bodybuilder wants to build.

Natural bodybuilding is a fairly exclusive term with strict definitions. Let’s say you start with just exercise and good nutrition, gain muscle, and then hit a plateau. If that person now resorts to a brief period of dietary supplements or other artificial aids to gain more muscle, the term “natural bodybuilding” no longer applies. They are disqualified!

No aids or props allowed?

The equipment, tools, and machines that will help build muscle are part of natural bodybuilding programs. Workout routines often require specific types of exercise equipment. That doesn’t make it “artificial” bodybuilding. Certain types of “plugins” are even allowed without violating the rigid guidelines that determine whether a program is natural or not.

What matters is adhering to the principle of building muscle without having to reach for artificial aids or unhealthy performance enhancers along the way.

Why is all bodybuilding unnatural?

There are different reasons for wanting to gain muscle. In many cases, it is a competitive instinct. Whether bodybuilders train for sport, to enter contests, or simply to look better than their peers, this competitive instinct drives them to seek results. And in professional bodybuilding, such results translate into financial advantages because the prize money at stake in contests and competitions is often significant.

When natural attempts to build muscle stall at a certain point, there is a temptation to try other methods to accelerate growth. Of course, sticking with the natural approach will eventually achieve the same goal, but it takes time, persistence, and sustained effort. The lure of taking a pill, shot, or drink to help you get over the bump often seems appealing.

There are several bodybuilding workouts and diets designed specifically to help those who are dedicated to the natural approach. And the extensive use of these resources indicates that there are still a considerable number of bodybuilders who continue to avoid artificial enhancements to gain muscle.