Do you ever wonder why the first “prep” or even for non-competitors, the first “body-fat reduction” diet phase seems easier? Over the years, I have always said in bodybuilding that the first contest prep is kind of like a free pass when it comes to getting results. It is like for many, the body just responds really well and usually the individual gets a good response that they are pleased with as they often are able to see their physique in the best shape of their life. But, then the next prep becomes more difficult to achieve the same results.
Now there are several reasons why, but I want to focus on a physiological reason as to why that could be as I came across a new research article that could possibly shed some light on this phenomenon.
The article titled “Fat loss and muscle gain: The possible role of striatal dopaminergic tone in determining the efficacy of physical exercise” by Abdullah et al. (2024). See link at the bottom of this writing to access. It is a short read as it is more a brief overview of their study and there does need to be more research done in this area, but this connection has been generated.
What they were showing was that individuals who have dopamine imbalance, such as ADHD, tend to show a more significant dopamine increase at the end of exercise versus individuals who did not have a dopamine imbalance. They go onto highlight the physiological connections of what dopamine does in the body, such as; the effects it has on metabolism processes related to insulin, insulin sensitivity, HbA1c, and lipids.
When you look at your sleep cycle, dopamine is active to help you hit a REM sleep state. If you miss this sleep state at night by having a poor quality sleep, dopamine remains active and it is thought to attach to ghrelin which then signals the brain to seek food, so you naturally wake up sleepy, tire with an elevation of cortisol which results in an increase in food cravings. When you have a good nights sleep, you wake up in the morning, cortisol is low and can then naturally increase which then increases dopamine and this starts the natural process of releasing insulin to activate the transport of energy to your body to get going (very brief overview). But when you think about this general idea, if dopamine is increased after exercise, especially in those who have a natural imbalance of dopamine, than you can see this connection to a possible increase in fat loss from being more insulin sensitive as the mentioned article highlights.
Going back to the first-time contest prep competitor., could it be hypothesized that when you go through a prep for the first time, that this individual is so motivated, that dopamine is so strong for seeking that first time stage goal, that not only are they more accountable and committed to reaching their goals but they also have an improved metabolic state such as an increased insulin sensitivity that gives them a natural greater improvement in fat burning compared to future preps where I think for most, they find that their body does not respond as easily in future preps as it did in the first prep. Of course there are other variables such as aging too, hormones and the list go. But, I think this idea of increasing dopamine through exercise and I am going to add that just by increasing dopamine through motivation is going to improve the metabolic pathways in the body, is likely going to improve just our physiological abilities to burn fat when dieting.
What can you do after the first “free-pass” when it comes to dieting? Think about motivation, think about how to create dopamine through goal setting. But also, just think fact that going to the gym and training is increasing dopamine so seeing strength progress in workouts, cardiovascular exercise getting easier or the overall ability to just be “fitter” is going to also help maintain the dopamine response from training that can help you progress in your fitness/physique goals.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664624003000
