The process of maximising the muscle mass of the human body through systematised physical training and weight lifting exercises are popularly known as bodybuilding. The person who engaged in this activity of muscle mass development is called a bodybuilder. While some involve in this activity only for the fun sake, some others take it more seriously with an intention to participate in the competitions.

Serious bodybuilding activities fall under four categories i.e. Professional, natural, teenage and female bodybuilding.  A professional bodybuilder is the person who has acquired ‘pro-card’ from the IFBB after qualifying the different competitions as an amateur in the field.

The term natural bodybuilding indicates one of the different styles of this activity. As the very name suggests the professional bodybuilders who adopt this type of bodybuilding activity are not allowed to use any of the illegal or banned performance enhancing drugs such as steroids or human growth organs to improve their performance or physical appearance.

The persons who participate in natural bodybuilding competitions will have to undergo routine physical examinations to rule out the possibility of the use of the illegal or prohibited drugs by the natural bodybuilding organizations by them.

The testing will normally be done by examining the urine samples taken form them. Some times the authorities even go for a less expensive polygraph test to get the truth out of them.  What all drugs amount to be an illegal drug to be used by a bodybuilder is totally dependent upon the decision taken by the controlling authorities of each federation. A drug prohibited by a federation need not be a prohibited drug for another federation.

The banned drugs for body builders need not always be confined to the drugs declared as performance enhancing agents under the law of the state. The natural bodybuilding organisations such as NANBF and NPA have all the rights to add any other drug under this list of banned drugs, if they think that it is necessary.

Drug testing will normally be organised at national level and the drug testing body will be the body engaged by the sanctioning or controlling authority of each state. These bodies that come under the auspicious of World Anti-Doping Agency include Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency and New Zealand Sports Drug Agency.

Just like IFBB, a non natural bodybuilding organisation, natural bodybuilders also have a number of organisation such as WNBF, INBA, NPA and NGA and competitions exclusively meant for them. By participating in the competitions organised by these organisations one can acquire the rank of natural body builder.