Eric R Helms

• PhD
• Research Fellow at Auckland University of Technology

Many nutrition practices often used by bodybuilders lack scientific support and can be detrimental to health. Recommendations during the dieting phase are provided in the scientific literature, but little attention has been devoted to bodybuilders during the off-season phase. During the off-season phase, the goal is to increase muscle mass without...

Physique athletes strive for low body fat with high lean mass and have higher body image and eating disorder rates than the general population, and even other weightlifting populations. Whether athletes with a background or tendency to develop these issues are drawn to the sport, or whether it drives these higher incidences, is unknown. However, th...

The popularity of physique sports is increasing, yet there are currently few comprehensive nutritional guidelines for these athletes. Physique sport now encompasses more than just a short phase before competition and offseason guidelines have recently been published. Therefore, the goal of this review is to provide an extensive guide for male and f...

Individualisation can improve resistance training prescription. This is accomplished via monitoring or autoregulating training. Autoregulation adjusts variables at an individualised pace per performance, readiness, or recovery. Many autoregulation and monitoring methods exist; therefore, this review's objective was to examine approaches intended to...

Purpose: To investigate differences between rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and percentage one-repetition maximum (1RM) load assignment in resistance-trained males (19–35 years) performing protocols with matched sets and repetitions differentiated by load-assignment. Methods: Participants performed squats then bench press 3x/weeks in a daily und...

The inconsistency and disparities in existing functional training definitions have led to confusion when explaining the concept and its potential. The wide range of interpretations suggests that any training approach could be deemed functional, thereby diminishing the significance of the term and significantly limiting its understanding and applica...

Carbohydrate is an important fuel during moderate‐ to high‐intensity exercise. We hypothesised that pre‐exercise carbohydrate ingestion would improve resistance training (RT) volume performance. In a crossover design, sixteen resistance‐trained participants (male = 13 and female = 3) performed 3 sets of back squats, bench press, prone row, and shou...

Perceptual responses may influence how much pleasure or displeasure an individual experiences during or following resistance training (RT). Resistance‐trained males (n = 12) and females (n = 6) completed an 8‐week intervention involving two RT sessions per week. The lower limbs of each participant were randomised to perform the leg press and leg ex...

Individuals often restrict energy intake to lose fat mass (and body mass [BM]) while performing resistance training (RT) to retain fat-free mass (FFM). Therefore, the aim of the present systematic review with meta-regression was to explore (a) the pattern and strength of the dose-response relationship between daily dietary protein intake and FFM ch...

Both resistance training (RT) and long‐duration, high‐intensity stretching induce muscular adaptations; however, it is unknown whether the modalities are complementary or redundant, particularly in well‐trained individuals. A case‐study was conducted on a competitive bodybuilder implementing long‐duration, high‐intensity stretching of the plantar f...

Background While body image dissatisfaction (BID) and eating disorders (EDs) are relatively common in athletes (ranging from 11% to 67% of athletes, depending on the sport) [1], they are also prevalent in weight-class restricted sports (a common format in strength sports), and among physique athletes [2]. These athletes manipulate their nutrition t...

The menstrual cycle (MC) is a series of hormonal fluctuations that occur approximately every 22–35 days in reproductive-age females, often resulting in a range of physical and psychological symptoms at different points of the cycle. MC symptoms range from mild discomfort to debilitating effects. One intervention that may be able to address these sy...

Purpose Physique athletes engage in rigorous competition preparation involving intense energy restriction and physical training to enhance muscle definition. This study investigates hormonal changes and their physiological and performance impacts during such preparation. Methods Participants included female (10 competing (COMP) and 10 non-dieting...

Carbohydrate is an important fuel during moderate-to-high-intensity exercise. We hypothesised that pre-exercise carbohydrate ingestion would improve resistance training (RT) volume performance. In a cross-over design, sixteen resistance-trained participants (male = 13, female = 3) performed 3 sets of back squats, bench press, prone row, and shoulde...

Homer, KA, Cross, MR, and Helms, ER. A survey of resistance training practices among physique competitors during peak week. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2024—Physique athletes are ranked by their on-stage presentation of muscle size, proportionality, and leanness. To acutely maximize muscle size, competitors manipulate resistance training (R...

There has been an increased interest in the effects the menstrual cycle (MC) may have on sports performance. As a part of the MC, many females experience a wide range of symptoms related to hormonal fluctuations and menstrual bleeding, including physical pain and mood disturbances. Currently, there is a lack of data on the MCs of females who partic...

Background Physique athletes are subjectively judged on their on-stage esthetic per their competition division criteria. To succeed, competitors look to acutely enhance their appearance by manipulating nutritional variables in the days leading up to competition, commonly referred to as peak week (PW). Despite their documented wide adoption, PW stra...

INTRODUCTION: To acutely enhance appearance and thus performance, bodybuilders implement carbohydrate (CHO) loading protocols in the week before the competition (known as peak week [PW]) to increase muscle size through the supercompensation of muscle glycogen. While the use of such strategy is seemingly prevalent, experimental designs in the contex...

Most resistance training research focuses on inference from average intervention effects from observed group-level change scores (i.e., mean change of group A vs group B). However, many practitioners are more interested in training responses (i.e., causal effects of an intervention) on the individual level (i.e., causal effect of intervention A vs...

Background: There is mixed evidence on how the menstrual cycle (MC) affects sports performance, with many studies showing variations in performance during different phases of the MC, while other evidence shows that the MC's effects on performance may be trivial. Therefore, this exploratory longitudinal monitoring study was designed to investigate...

Systemic resistance training aims to enhance performance by balancing stress, fatigue and recovery. While fatigue is expected, insufficient recovery may temporarily impair performance. The aim of this review was to examine evidence regarding manipulation of resistance training variables on subsequent effects on recovery and performance. PubMed, Med...

Establishing a relationship between repetitions left in reserve and the mean absolute velocity (RIR‐velocity relationship) during resistance training (RT) could allow for objective monitoring, prescription, and real‐time adjustment of the training load and set‐volume. Therefore, we examined the goodness of fit and prediction accuracy of general and...

This study examined the influence of resistance training (RT) proximity-to-failure, determined by repeti- tions-in-reserve (RIR), on quadriceps hypertrophy and neuromuscular fatigue. Resistance-trained males (n = 12) and females (n = 6) completed an 8-week intervention involving two RT sessions per week. Lower limbs were randomised to perform the l...

Purpose Nutrient timing is a concept that emphasizes the intentional ingestion of whole or fortified foods, and dietary supplements, to adequately fuel for, and recover from, acute and chronic exercise. The nutrition strategies used by powerlifters around training sessions have not been previously investigated. This study explored the self-reported...

Bodybuilding is characterized by high-rates of sport supplementation. This is the first study to compare the supplementation patterns of winners (WB) and non-winners (NWB) among international natural bodybuilders during contest preparation. Fifty-six natural bodybuilders (5 women) (age = 28.85 ± 8.03 years; final body mass = 71.50 ± 10.28 kg), 19 W...

Background Physique athletes are ranked by a panel of judges against the judging criteria of the corresponding division. To enhance on-stage presentation and performance, competitors in certain categories (i.e. bodybuilding and classic physique) achieve extreme muscle size and definition aided by implementing acute “peaking protocols” in the days b...

Purpose: This study examined the effect of proximity to failure on hypertrophy, strength, and fatigue. We hypothesized strength gains would be superior in non-failure groups compared to those that include sets to momentary failure, while hypertrophy would be similar in all groups. Methods: 38 men were randomized into four groups (4-6 rating of perc...

Refalo, MC, Remmert, JF, Pelland, JC, Robinson, ZP, Zourdos, MC, Hamilton, DL, Fyfe, JJ, and Helms, ER. Accuracy of intraset repetitions-in-reserve predictions during the bench press exercise in resistance-trained male and female subjects. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2023—This study assessed the accuracy of intraset repetitions-in-reserve (...

Background Many perform resistance training (RT) to increase muscle mass and strength. Energy surpluses are advised to support such gains; however, if too large, could cause unnecessary fat gain. We randomized 21 trained lifters performing RT 3 d/wk for eight weeks into maintenance energy (MAIN), moderate (5% [MOD]), and high (15% [HIGH]) energy su...

The changes in steroid hormones are more pronounced in male than female physique athletes during competition preparation Ville Isola, Juha Hulmi, Eric Helms, Keijo Häkkinen, Heikki Kyröläinen, Juha Ahtiainen Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Neuromuscular Research Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland; Sports Performance Research Institute...

Most resistance training research focuses on group-level outcomes (i.e., group A versus group B). However, many practitioners are more interested in training responses on the individual level (i.e., intervention A versus intervention B for individual X). In order to properly examine individual response variation, multiple confounding sources of var...

Purpose This study aimed to quantify the potential variability in the volume of work completed after reaching different velocity loss (VL) thresholds and determine the effects of sex, training status and history, as well as psychological traits on the reliability and magnitude of the amount of work completed after reaching different VL thresholds u...

Purpose To characterise self-reported nutrition practices and beliefs of powerlifters. Methods Actively competing male (n = 240) and female (n = 65) powerlifters completed a cross-sectional online survey of self-reported nutrition practices across the competitive cycle, within specific competitive phases, and hard and easy training days. Data are...

Individual muscle contributions to the acceleration of the centre of mass during the barbell back squat in trained females. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2023—The squat is used to enhance performance and rehabilitate the lower body. However, muscle forces and how muscles accelerate the center of mass (CoM) are not well understood. The purpose...

INTRODUCTION The barbell squat is used to enhance athletic performance and rehabilitate the lower body. Several studies describe muscle function during the squat [1,2] but in general most investigations to date ignore the ability of muscle forces to accelerate all joints, limb segments and the whole-body centre of mass (CoM) simultaneously [3]. The...

Background A goal of many who perform resistance training (RT) is to increase muscle mass and strength. An energy surplus is commonly advised to support such gains; however, if too large, it could cause unwanted fat gain without augmenting adaptation. Thus, we randomized 21 trained lifters into maintenance energy (MAIN), 5% (MOD), and 15% (HIGH) en...

In this study we investigated whether the accuracy of intraset repetitions in reserve (RIR) predictions changes over time. Nine trained men completed three bench press training sessions per week for 6 weeks (following a 1-week familiarization). The final set of each session was performed until momentary muscular failure, with participants verbally...

Bodybuilding is a sport where coaches commonly recommend a variety of nutrition and exercise protocols, supplements, and, sometimes, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The present study sought to gain an understanding of the common decisions and rationales employed by bodybuilding coaches. Focusing on coaches of the more muscular divisions in the...

The present paper aimed to systematically review case studies on physique athletes to evaluate longitudinal changes in measures of body composition, neuromuscular performance, chronic hormonal levels, physiological adaptations, and psychometric outcomes during pre-contest preparation. We included studies that (1) were classified as case studies inv...

The aim of this study was to examine the goodness of fit and prediction accuracy of general and individual relationships between the maximum number of repetitions completed in a set (XRM) and the fastest repetition in the set (XRM-velocity relationship) in the free-weight back squat exercise. The effects of sex, training status and history, as well...

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the goodness of fit, prediction accuracy, and stability of general and individual relationships between velocity loss and the percentage of completed repetitions out of maximum possible (VL-% repetitions ) in the free-weight back squat exercise. The effects of sex, training status and history, as well as...

Background: This study examined the influence of proximity-to-failure in resistance training (RT), using subjective repetitions-in-reserve (RIR) prediction, on neuromuscular fatigue and perceptual responses. Methods: Twenty-four resistance-trained males (n = 12) and females (n = 12) completed three experimental trials in a randomised order, each...

Physique athletes lose substantial weight preparing for competitions, potentially altering systemic metabolism. We investigated sex differences in body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), and appetite-regulating and thyroid hormone changes during a competition preparation among drug-free physique athletes. The participants were female (1...

Deloading refers to a purposeful reduction in training demand with the intention of enhancing preparedness for successive training cycles. Whilst deloading is a common training practice in strength and physique sports, little is known about how the necessary reduction in training demand should be accomplished. Therefore, the purpose of this researc...

Background and Objective: This systematic review with meta-analysis investigated the influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on muscle hypertrophy. Methods: Literature searches in the PubMed, SCOPUS and SPORTDiscus databases identified a total of 15 studies that measured muscle hypertrophy (in healthy adults of any age and resistance...

Background Velocity loss (VL) experienced in a set during resistance training is often monitored to control training volume and quantify acute fatigue responses. Accordingly, various VL thresholds are used to prescribe resistance training and target different training adaptations. However, there are inconsistencies in the current body of evidence r...

Purpose This study aimed to quantify the potential variability in the volume of work completed after reaching different velocity loss (VL) thresholds and determine the effects of sex, training status and history, as well as psychological traits on the reliability and magnitude of the amount of work completed after reaching different VL thresholds u...

Davies, TB, Halaki, M, Orr, R, Mitchell, L, Helms, ER, Clarke, J, and Hackett, DA. Effect of set structure on upper-body muscular hypertrophy and performance in recreationally trained men and women. J Strength Cond Res 36(8): 2176–2185, 2022—This study explored the effect of volume-equated traditional-set and cluster-set structures on muscular hype...

Background Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion has an ergogenic effect on endurance training performance. Less is known about the effect of acute CHO ingestion on resistance training (RT) performance and equivocal results are reported in the literature. Objective The current systematic review and meta-analysis sought to determine if and to what degree CH...

Resistance training variables such as volume, load, and frequency are well defined. However, the variable proximity to failure does not have a consistent quantification method, despite being defined as the number of repetitions in reserve (RIR) upon completion of a resistance training set. Further, there is between-study variability in the definiti...

While proximity-to-failure is considered an important resistance training (RT) prescription variable, its influence on physiological adaptations and short-term responses to RT is uncertain. Given the ambiguity in the literature, a scoping review was undertaken to summarise evidence for the influence of proximity-to-failure on muscle hypertrophy, ne...

Background The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of cluster (CS), rest redistribution (RR) and traditional (TS) set configurations on acute neuromuscular performance, and to determine the viability of using CS and RR as alternatives to training prescription based on velocity loss (VL). Methods Thirty-one resistance-trained men perfo...

Kwan, K and Helms, E. Prevalence, magnitude, and methods of weight cutting used by world class powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res 36(4): 998-1002, 2022-Powerlifters compete in the squat, bench press, and deadlift, with winners determined by the highest 3-lift total in each weight class. As a weight class-based sport, athletes often compete in classe...

The purpose of this study was to examine the agreement between Kinovea video analysis software and the previously validated Open Barbell System (OBS) for assessing average concentric and eccentric velocity, eccentric duration, peak concentric velocity, height of peak concentric velocity, and concentric and eccentric range of motion. Sixteen resista...

Spence, AJ, Helms, ER, Sousa, CA, and McGuigan, MR. Range of motion predicts performance in National-level New Zealand male powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res 37(1): 123-128, 2023-Previous research established that male powerlifters have less range of motion (ROM) in several movements about the shoulder and hip compared with sedentary male subjects....

Barbell placement and stance width both affect lifting performance in the back squat around the sticking region. However, little is known about how these squat conditions separately could affect the lifting performance. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of stance width and barbell placement upon kinematics, kinetics, and myoelectric ac...

The aim of this multi-experiment paper was to explore the concept of the minimum effective training dose (METD) required to increase 1-repetition-maximum (1RM) strength in powerlifting (PL) athletes. The METD refers to the least amount of training required to elicit meaningful increases in 1RM strength. A series of five studies utilising mixed meth...

Hypertrophy can be operationally defined as an increase in the axial cross-sectional area of a muscle fiber or whole muscle, and is due to increases in the size of pre-existing muscle fibers. Hypertrophy is a desired outcome in many sports. For some athletes, muscular bulk and, conceivably, the accompanying increase in strength/power, are desirable...

Abstract: Barbell placement can affect squat performance around the sticking region. This study compared kinematics, kinetics, and myoelectric activity of the safety‐bar squat with the high‐bar, and low‐bar squat around the sticking region. Six recreationally resistance‐trained men (26.3 ± 3.1 years, body mass: 81 ± 7.7 kg) and eight women (22.1 ±...

Spence, A-J, Helms, ER, and McGuigan, MR. Range of motion is not reduced in national-level New Zealand female powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Some research suggests male powerlifters have less range of motion (ROM) in several directions about the shoulder and hip compared with sedentary men. In addition, those differences may...

The aim of this multi-experiment paper was to explore the concept of the minimum effective training dose (METD) required to increase 1-repetition-maximum (1RM) strength in powerlifting (PL) athletes. The METD refers to the least amount of training required to elicit meaningful increases in 1RM strength. A series of 5 studies utilising mixed methods...

Bodybuilders are judged on the subjective visual assessment of their muscular size, proportion, and leanness. This case series tracked four drug-free bodybuilders (3 male) during the off-season, pre-competition and recovery phases. This study aimed to comprehensively profile key biopsychosocial changes occurring pre/post competition in a group of B...

Davies, TB, Halaki, M, Orr, R, Mitchell, L, Helms, ER, Clarke, J, and Hackett, DA. Effect of set structure on upper-body muscular hypertrophy and performance in recreationally trained men and women. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-This study explored the effect of volume-equated traditional-set and cluster-set structures on muscular hypert...

Athletes undergoing energy restriction for weight/fat reduction sometimes apply ‘diet breaks’ involving increased energy intake, but there is little empirical evidence of effects on outcomes. Twenty-six resistance-trained athletes (11/26 or 42% female) who had completed 12 weeks of intermittent energy restriction participated in this study. Partici...

Odgers, JB, Zourdos, MC, Helms, ER, Candow, DG, Dahlstrom, B, Bruno, P, and Sousa, CA. Rating of perceived exertion and velocity relationships among trained males and females in the front squat and hexagonal bar deadlift. J Strength Cond Res 35(2S): S23-S30, 2021-This study examined the accuracy of intraset rating of perceived exertion (RPE) to pre...

Introduction: Can intermittent energy restriction (IER) improve fat loss and fat-free mass retention compared with continuous energy restriction (CER) in resistance-trained adults? Methods: Sixty-one adults (32 women) with mean (SD) age 28.7 (6.5) years, body weight 77.2 (16.1) kg and body fat 25.5 (6.1)% were randomized to 12 weeks of (1) 4 x 3...

Background The acute effects of resistance training (RT) set structure alteration are well established; however, less is known about their effects on chronic training adaptations.Objective The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesise the available evidence on the effectiveness of traditional (TS), cluster (CS) and rest redi...

Background: The alteration of individual sets during resistance training (RT) is often used to allow for greater velocity and power outputs, reduce metabolite accumulation such as lactate and also reduce perceived exertion which can ultimately affect the resultant training adaptations. However, there are inconsistencies in the current body of evide...

The aim of this study was to compare 6-RM muscle activation and kinematics in back squats with low and high barbell placements. Twelve resistance-trained males (23.5 ± 2.6 years, 86.8 ± 21.3 kg, 1.81 ± 0.08 m) with a minimum of 2 years of squatting experience performed a 6-RM using high and low barbell placements while muscle activation of eight mu...

Spence, A-J, Helms, ER, and McGuigan, MR. Stretching practices of International Powerlifting Federation unequipped powerlifters. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-Stretching practices in powerlifters. The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the stretching practices of competitive powerlifters. Powerlifters (n = 319) from 51 cou...