The muscles on a woman's body can look quite attractive, but sometimes their size can be downright scary. Some athletic girls set themselves the goal of developing muscles to such incredibly large volumes that it is perhaps even difficult to imagine. These girls' biceps are strong as steel, and with their help they can surpass the strength of any gym poser.
Some girls and boys are sure that a bulky, muscular body is not the standard of femininity, however, it is difficult to disagree with the fact that a sculpted body is sexy. Female bodybuilders who work long and hard to achieve the desired shape certainly consider themselves attractive and do not stop there. They are never too lazy to improve their body. And the strength and health of the body can rightfully be considered synonymous with sexuality.
More recently, there were times when there was an unspoken ban on girls showing an interest in bodybuilding. But times and preferences change. Now women of all ages are involved in bodybuilding and some of them can compete with world-class bodybuilders. It would not be surprising if, over time, the current standards of beauty, one of which are thinness and fragility, are replaced by strong, voluminous forms.
Our today's list includes 15 hot female bodybuilders who are not afraid to modify their body and give it powerful proportions. Take a look at them, they will undoubtedly amaze you. These girls are not intimidated by the sight of a barbell; they can easily withstand the heaviest weight loads. Any arm wrestling challenge for girls like them always ends in victory. And even more so, any of them can easily open a can of canned food without the help of their boyfriend. Also pay attention to the article - Bodybuilding: 5 ways to monetize the development of your body.
Irene Andersen
If you think that Sweden is inhabited only by fragile blondes swaying in the wind, then you should reconsider your views. Because it's obvious that you haven't heard of Irene Andersen, a native of Denmark who moved to Sweden at a young age. Andersen was born in 1966, in the season she weighs 84 kilograms, and in the off-season 95. She works consistently and persistently, and the result is not long in coming.
In addition to her achievements in bodybuilding, this curvaceous beauty has three children! Having children who need care and attention does not in the least hinder her desire to improve her body. In addition, Irene manages to run a business (she owns a gym and a hotel). Considering all this, and the fact that Irene began bodybuilding at the age of 36, she has achieved incredible results. You might be interested in the article: 15 Bulky Bodybuilders Who Gone Too Far.
How do ordinary people feel about pumped up muscles?
Have your say. I looked up some statistics and found out that 50% of people think huge muscles are beautiful and a man is masculine. The other 50% are not enthusiastic about this physique.
Imagine a young teacher at a university giving a lecture, and his muscles are flexing under his shirt. What will female students think about? Yes, about the same thing. There will definitely be no problems with attendance here.
And the opposite effect will be caused by a trainer in a fitness club who has ordinary arms instead of muscles. It turns out that everything in life is interconnected - work, appearance, body, attention of others, relationships.
I often see a frail guy walking around, no hobbies, no girlfriend. There are people like him all around. They enjoy drinking beer and doing nothing together. Some kind of push and the guy switches to the gym. You won't know in six months. You look, and the girl is spinning around with him. I'll turn to the girls. Who does your gaze stop at - an ordinary young man or a sexy macho? You don't have to answer. 99% of the answers will be in favor of the second.
I looked at Wikipedia to find out about macho. It turns out macho is a bull. And the man is a sexual aggressor. Isn't it a mistake? Today's machos are of a softer character, and most of them are purposefully engaged in creating such an image. Or I'm wrong?
The search engine returned the following photos of macho men:
Exactly, not aggressors, but external sexuality is associated with a muscular body.
Kim Czyzewski-Nicholls
Kim Czyzewski-Nicholls is so massive and muscular, it's hard to believe she even exists. But she's real, she's 48 years old and she's from Illinois. She easily lifts a weight of 60 kilograms. This strong and sexy bodybuilder has won a ton of Ms. Olympia titles (4 to be exact) and many other bodybuilding awards over the years, but she no longer competes.
According to Chizhevsky, bodybuilding helped her get rid of many complexes - the girl was often laughed at at the institute, and this, of course, could not help but affect her behavior. Immediately after entering the big sport, Kim felt more confident and began to “walk with her head held high and feel great.” She is married with two children and lives in Missouri. Even if you are not interested in female bodybuilding, you may have seen Czyzewski-Nicoll in the famous film “The Cage,” which also starred popular actress Jennifer Lopez.
Nicole Bass-Fuchs
Nicole Bass-Fuchs left us just recently, in February 2020 at the age of 52, but while Nicole was with us, she was a true bodybuilding sensation. She was involved not only in bodybuilding, but also in wrestling, was an actress and a wrestling valet. Over the years, Bass-Fuchs has won awards and even competed in Ms. Olympia, where she placed 14th.
Her husband left her in 1985, and it was rumored that Nicole had been in a relationship with her business partner a year before her death. Nicole Bass-Fuchs' presence in the world of bodybuilding and wrestling was known far and wide. May she rest in peace, and may people remember her achievements and incredible will to win.
If you stop working out, your muscles will turn into fat.
And again a common duck. Fortunately, there are hundreds and thousands of former bodybuilders, from whose experience we see that this is all bullshit. In reality, after stopping a sports career, everyone returns to their characteristic body type. The “bubble” will be rounded, and the “dry” will narrow. True, it is necessary to make an adjustment for age. Physiology knows that metabolism slows down with age.
For example, a boy of about 18 years old started training with a “scraggy” physique, but he stopped training when he was half a century old. I doubt he will lose much weight again. The muscle mass of non-athletes degrades over time, and physiology also knows that it is the presence of muscle tissue that accelerates metabolism. Muscles decrease by percentage, but appetite remains the same. As a result, the body weight remains unchanged, but the visual perception from the outside changes, in a “thicker” direction.
By the way, the same applies to former jocks.
Having stopped training, an athlete does not lose the habit of eating heavily. Only if earlier energy was greatly lost during training, regenerating into large muscles, now the calories consumed can only be regenerated into a large belly. One of three options for solving the problem is possible: you can continue training, you can find another, alternative active activity to your liking, or simply run to the refrigerator less often.
Debi Lazewski
Debi Lazewski is a professional bodybuilder originally from Wausau, Wisconsin. She is ranked 3rd among the best female bodybuilders in the IFBB Pro Women bodybuilding rankings. She began her bodybuilding career at the age of 20 and entered her first competition at the age of 24. Lazewski is an official sponsor of Ironville Clothing Company, a retailer of bodybuilding sportswear.
Today, the bodybuilder lives in Jupiter, Florida, where she makes a living as a personal trainer. She is also involved in interior design and home decoration . Lazewski is in a relationship with George Fare, who is not only her boyfriend, but also her nutritionist. He helped her prepare for competitions, where she amazed everyone with her strength, power and amazing athleticism.
Oldest female bodybuilder
In addition to professional female bodybuilders, there are also famous female bodybuilders in the amateur direction of this non-female sport.
For example, one of the most famous women in the world of non-professional bodybuilding is Ernestine Shepard. In 2012, she entered the pages of the World Book of Records at the age of 74! She was noted in this publication as the oldest female bodybuilder. Today Ernestine lives in Baltimore.
Ernestina's form and health amaze all doctors; she can give young athletes a head start. Probably, the words “the main thing is not how old a person is according to his passport, but how he feels” is just about her. No athlete can withstand the intensity of her training.
According to the athlete, ten-mile runs that she does every morning, as well as proper nutrition and training in the gym, help her maintain her health.
During her life, she managed to win two titles and run as many as nine marathons. But, perhaps, her main achievement is her family and marriage, which has lasted for more than fifty-five happy years.
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
Oriken-Garcia is perfect proof that persistence and strength are a winning combination. Yaxeni is now 50 years old, but she still has a slim and toned figure. This dark blonde was born in Venezuela but currently resides in sunny Miami, Florida, where she makes her living as a fitness trainer and nutrition consultant.
Her clients should be proud to receive advice from one of the best bodybuilders in the world. Yaxeni weighs approximately 70 kilograms in season. Oriquen Garcia is the youngest of nine children. She is married and has a teenage son. I wonder if he will decide to follow in his mother’s footsteps?
Joanna Thomas
40-year-old bodybuilder Joanna Thomas was born in Cornwall, England and now lives in Florida. She weighs about 60 kilograms in season. She is the youngest female bodybuilder to ever win the IFBB Pro title, which she received when she was just 21 years old. She studied to be a nurse before she began training the body, and as it turned out, her desire to build a career in bodybuilding surpassed her desire to help the sick.
Her sister, Nicola Shaw, is also a professional bodybuilder, and apparently the desire to improve physical fitness is common among Joanna's family members. Not only is Thomas active in the bodybuilding world, she also works as a model and produces lesbian porn, although she identifies as straight. Thomas is a well-rounded woman with many talents, but by far her most impressive achievement is her muscle size.
Alina Popa
Alina Popa is a stunning 38-year-old brunette originally from Romania. She is ranked 2nd among the best female bodybuilders in the IFBB Pro Women bodybuilding rankings. She lived in Sweden but is now divorced and lives in Arvada, Colorado, working as a personal trainer. She also poses for magazines as a fitness model.
Popa took part in competitions in Miss Olympia, Miss International and a number of other bodybuilding competitions, where, by the way, she performed simply impressively. Alina is still a big competitor in the world of bodybuilding and never ceases to amaze viewers with her well-developed muscles. The butt is pumped up, determined and ready for any challenge. She lifts 140 kilograms and doesn’t even think about stopping!
Male competitive bodybuilding
Evgeniy Sandov. Fig.4
Evgeniy Sandov. Fig.5
IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness). In 1946, the International Bodybuilding Federation was spun off from the International Weightlifting Federation, organized by brothers Joe and Ben Weider. This is the most authoritative federation that organizes and conducts many competitions around the world.
Joe Weider with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ben and Joe Weider
WFF (World Fitness Federation) World Fitness Federation. Created as a federation friendly to NABBA with the goal of attracting more bodybuilding and fitness athletes who, for various reasons, were not included in NABBA. The competitions of these two federations - the World, European and Universe Championships - are held jointly, both among men and among women.
NAC International (National Athletic Committee International) National athletic committee with international status. The organization was founded by an admirer and popularizer of bodybuilding and fitness, Harald Hoyler (Germany). The World Championship and the Mr/Miss Universe tournament are held annually.
Categories of men's competitive bodybuilding
- Men's Bodybuilding (male bodybuilding).
- Classic Physique (classic bodybuilding, literally - classic physique).
- Men's Physique (beach bodybuilding, literally - male physique)
Men's Bodybuilding (male bodybuilding)
Category "Male bodybuilding"
- up to 70 kg inclusive,
- up to 75 kg inclusive,
- up to 80 kg inclusive,
- up to 85 kg inclusive,
- up to 90 kg inclusive,
- up to 95 kg inclusive,
- up to 100 kg inclusive,
- over 100 kg.
- up to 60kg (in Asia),
- up to 65kg (in Asia).
Junior male bodybuilding
- up to 23 years – up to 80 kg,
- up to 23 years – over 80 kg.
- up to 23 years – up to 75kg,
- up to 23 years – over 75kg.
Bodybuilding among male veterans over 40 years old
- veterans 40-49 years old: up to 70kg, up to 80kg, up to 90kg, over 90kg,
- veterans 50-59 years old: up to 80kg, over 80kg,
- veterans over 60 years of age – one absolute category.
Classic Physique (classic bodybuilding)
Athletes with hypertrophied muscles. Fig.1
Athletes with hypertrophied muscles. Fig.2
Therefore, in 2005, the leadership of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) decided to create a category of classical bodybuilding.
Classic bodybuilding
The athlete's maximum weight in kilograms must be equal to his height in centimeters minus 100 plus the permissible weight gain.
- up to 168 cm: 168-100=68kg
- up to 171 cm: 171-100=71kg+2kg=73kg
- up to 175 cm: 175-100=75kg+4kg=79kg
- up to 180 cm: 180-100=80kg+7kg=87kg
- up to 190 cm: 190-100=90kg+9kg=99kg
- up to 198 cm: 198-100=98kg+11kg=109kg
- over 198 cm: 198-100=98kg+13kg=111kg
- up to 168 cm: 168-100=68kg
- up to 171 cm: 171-100=71kg+1kg=72kg
- up to 175 cm: 175-100=75kg+2kg=77kg
- up to 180 cm: 180-100=80kg+3kg=83kg
- up to 190 cm: 190-100=90kg+4kg=94kg
- up to 198 cm: 198-100=98kg+4.5kg=102.5kg
- over 198 cm: 198-100=98kg+5kg=103kg
Classic bodybuilding competitions consist of three rounds.
- The first round is qualifying, in which you need to demonstrate the required poses: double biceps in front, latissimus dorsi in front, chest, biceps in the side, double biceps in back, latissimus dorsi in back, triceps in the side and abs.
- In the second round - free program.
- In the third round, free and compulsory poses are demonstrated.
Men's physique (beach bodybuilding)
Men's physique (beach bodybuilding)
International competitions are held in six different categories. The classification is based on the height of the athletes: up to 168, up to 171, up to 174, up to 178, up to 181 and above 184 centimeters.
- up to 170 centimeters with a maximum weight in kg = height – 100;
- up to 174 centimeters with a maximum weight in kg = height – 100 + 2 kg;
- up to 178 centimeters with a maximum weight in kg = height - 100 + 3 kg;
- from 178 to 190 centimeters with a maximum weight in kg = height - 100 + 4 kg;
- over 190 centimeters with a maximum weight in kg = height - 100 + 5 kg.
- from natural forms with developed muscles;
- to the craze for anabolic steroids and hypertrophied muscles;
- the emergence of classical bodybuilding in an effort to get away from anabolic steroids and muscle hypertrophy;
- the emergence of beach bodybuilding with its natural, harmonious proportions.
Helle Trevino
Helle Trevino is a fantastic Danish-born female bodybuilder who has left her mark on bodybuilding history with her impressive musculature. She is now 41 and weighs 74 kilograms. Before venturing into the world of professional female bodybuilding, Trevino was actively involved in other sports, such as shooting, ballroom dancing, swimming, martial arts, boxing, ballet, yoga, athletics and much more.
She loves to compete and win and was obviously born to do it. Trevino is a personal trainer and currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, California. As can be seen in her recent photos, Helle continues to improve her figure and reaches a new level of development every day.
Popular questions
Many people are very interested in the question: how do they become jocks? In other words, how do other people gain muscle mass and build strength in their muscles? How do they manage to carve out such an ideal, sculpted figure for themselves? Hormones? Motivation? Balance in nutrition? The answer is simple and at the same time quite complex - you need all of the above. Indeed, in order to build huge muscle mass and develop a sculpted figure, you need to follow certain requirements, which include various elements, from proper nutrition to a certain training technique. We will tell you about all this in order.
Tina Chandler
Blonde and Louisiana native Tina Chandler is 42 years old. She amazes with her muscles and magnificent figure. Her weight is only 56 kilograms. Before starting professional women's bodybuilding, Chandler trained in gymnastics and also played in a number of other sports such as track, volleyball, basketball, cycling, cheerleading and tennis.
It is no wonder that this girl has become so slim and muscular, because she has developed her body from a young age, since school. When she first attended Ms. Olympia in 2009, she placed 10th, but that didn't stop her. She did not give up and continued to participate in many additional competitions and performed impressively in many of them. Chandler currently lives in south Houston, Texas. And in the near future, Tina may surprise the world with impressive achievements in bodybuilding.
Lyudmila Kolesnikova
Lyudmila is the absolute bodybuilding champion in Russia. She became famous not only for being an outstanding athlete. She is not against an erotic photo shoot. At the moment, erotic photographs of her with a sword are widespread.
If we compare, Russian female bodybuilders are inferior in almost all respects to the most famous world-class athletes. They are much smaller in size and also look more feminine. Often, women's bodybuilding in Russia is mixed with body fitness and fitness bikini. Probably, Russian girls are not yet ready to look like monsters competing in bodybuilding competitions abroad.
Iris Kyle
Iris Kyle, like Tina Chandler, is 42 years old. She's originally from Michigan but now lives in Katy, Texas... so don't mess with Texas, as they say! She is considered the most successful professional bodybuilder of all time, regardless of gender, having won ten Ms. Olympia titles and seven international competition titles . She is the top female bodybuilder in the IFBB Pro Women's Bodybuilding rankings.
Before taking up bodybuilding, Kyle stayed in shape and competed in a variety of sports, including basketball, cross country and softball. She weighs 71 kilograms in season and 80 in the off-season. She received the nickname "Chocolate Chip".
Kyle is a sponsor of PNP Nutrition and co-owns No Mercy Gym in California. She is also a real estate agent with ERA Realty. Damn, is there anything in the world that this woman can't handle?
“He should carry the packages”: stories of 5 female bodybuilders
Olga Shcherbatykh
Olya VKontakte
It all started in 2010. As happened with many women, I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that I needed to do something with myself. Before that, I didn’t play sports. At school, where I graduated with a gold medal, I was a nerd and didn’t like physical education. And so I went to the gym, lost weight, got involved, went to a competition as a spectator and realized that I also wanted to go on stage.
I started preparing for competitions, and then I started teaching people, because girls ran up to me and asked for advice. Now bodybuilding for me is both a hobby and a job.
The hardest thing in this sport is discipline. You have to eat, train, and perform at certain times. Training is always a pleasure for me. It can be difficult to stick to a strict diet during competition, but you get used to it.
It’s sad that the category of bodybuilding is not well understood even by athletes. It bothers me a little when junior boys and bikini girls are inundated with awards, and female bodybuilders are told: “There are not many of you, why should you pay attention.” About three years ago, they even tried to photograph girls with massive figures less at competitions, because it was supposedly unwatchable. But now women’s bodybuilding is being treated better, and more beautiful girls have appeared in this category. It’s no longer possible that we won’t be photographed at competitions.
I encountered public criticism already at the first competitions, when they told me: “Ugh, you look like a man! Why do you need that?" What hurt the most was the lack of understanding on the part of close people and relatives who mean a lot to me. At first they were hostile to my hobby. But when they realized that I was serious, they began to support me. And I gradually began to treat the opinions of strangers much more simply, now it doesn’t bother me. If a person on the street tells me that I am over-pumped, then it will be parallel to me. To each his own.
What hurt the most was the lack of understanding on the part of close people and relatives. This means a lot to me. At first they were hostile to my hobby, but when they realized that I was serious, they began to support me.
I think that femininity does not depend on the amount of muscle mass. I know athletes who look quite stern and impressive, but who are distinguished by extraordinary grace and behave femininely.
Femininity is a natural trait and at the same time a certain internal state.
But I noticed that our sport is changing its character, bringing it closer to what is considered masculine. Bodybuilding removes female airiness, tears and snot. The character becomes tougher, more purposeful, and overall emotionality decreases. When preparing for competitions, you generally become some kind of biorobot: you begin to treat everything more coldly, you have no time for romantic impulses.
It happens that young people who are just starting to play sports feel awkward next to a pumped-up woman. Does the girl push harder than you? How so?! This is considered a blow to the male psyche. But, in my opinion, these are just cockroaches in the heads of men.
As I said, muscles do not affect femininity. But it’s important to find a person next to whom you will flourish. Any woman wants to be weak next to a strong man.
We can be pumped up, lift enormous weights and solve everyday problems on our own, but we always want a strong man nearby who will hug you and say: “Everything is fine, my bunny.” Moreover, I’m talking not so much about a physically strong person, but about a psychologically strong person.
My man is stronger than me, so I don’t need to show my physical strength in everyday life. We met him in the hall. He saw me when I was still in unsportsmanlike shape and always supported me.
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Now I am resting and almost not training, because we are planning to have a child. I don’t think that after pregnancy my psyche will change so much that I won’t want to do bodybuilding. If I have money and time, I can quickly get back into sports shape. I am sure that I will return to the sport hungry for victories and I will want to prove to myself that I can win.
Valentina Mikheeva
Valentina VKontakte
I joined the gym in 2013, I was 36 years old. What brought me there was dissatisfaction with my figure and a tribute to fashion. Before that, I had never played sports, at most - physical education lessons at school. After some time, I began to understand that I liked the gym: I liked doing the same exercises, increasing the load each time. Watch my body change. Soon people began to notice my figure.
People came up to me and asked if I was going to compete. Then I trained just for myself. Over time, I found myself a mentor who helped me improve my form. Since 2020, I started competing in the body fitness category and at the same time studied to become a trainer. 2020 brought me three “golds”: I became the champion of the Central Federal District, the champion of the Belgorod region and the champion of the Chernozem Region Open Cup. In my experience, it's never too late to start doing what you love.
“Face your fears” is a call to action I often see on the Internet. So I went towards my fears. I was ashamed to go on stage in a swimsuit, I was tense and did not smile. My friends and colleagues shouted to me from the audience: “Valya, smile!” I had to pull myself together and tell myself before going on stage: “If you build your body, you should show it.” Viewers come to see a show of beautiful bodies, and we must not only simply show the result of our work, but also in some way make the viewer fall in love with us. Therefore, on stage you need to try to convey to the maximum all the beauty of this sport. To be honest, I still haven’t completely gotten rid of stage fright. Many of my friends still joke about this topic and use the hashtag “Valya, smile.” But the emotions that you experience behind the scenes and on stage are amazing.
“Face your fears” is a call to action I often see on the Internet. So I went towards my fears. I was ashamed to go on stage in a swimsuit, I was tense and did not smile. I had to pull myself together and tell myself before going on stage: “If you are building your body, you must show it.”
Another problem of mine is that I have a sweet tooth, I can’t live without sweets. However, I know one recipe that makes many people laugh, but it saves me. When I dry off before a competition, I put a bar of chocolate or a piece of cookie in my mouth. I'll hold it in my mouth and then spit it out. I feel better.
At first, when I was just gaining muscle mass, I seemed huge and experienced slight discomfort. But it quickly passed, and now I like it when people on the street turn to look at me.
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In the summer I try to wear clothes that highlight the advantages of my figure, otherwise why am I building such a body. In Belgorod at the moment I am the only representative of body fitness. The future competition season in my city may bring a new leader in this category. There should be competition, that's right. She pushes me to improve my form and be better.
If I show up at a party, people come up and say that they saw me, they know me. It is very nice. One day I left the solarium and walked down the street. It was Airborne Forces Day. I was wearing leggings and a T-shirt that exposed my rather large upper body. A crowd of cheerful men from the ranks of the Airborne Forces was walking towards me. Of course, I tensed up when I had to walk through this crowd. And they stopped and said: “My God, how beautiful you are! Respect, sister! Not a single man has ever said to me: “How terrible you are!” Many men compliment my back, calves, or shoulders—the things that make me different from other women.
In this regard, men are more tactful than women. Sometimes women came up to me and said: “Why does a woman need such a top?!” I’m not offended by such behavior, I laugh it off: “To make the rocker more comfortable to wear.”
I like any strong emotions, and negative statements energize me even more than positive ones. I remember one day I went on stage, happy with my form. I started my speech and heard phrases like “Don’t f*** yourself” from the audience. It was a flurry of profanity expressing delight, and for me it was the best compliment at that time.
It was Airborne Forces Day. I was wearing leggings and a T-shirt that exposed my rather large upper body. A crowd of cheerful men from the ranks of the Airborne Forces was walking towards me. Of course, I tensed up when I had to walk through this crowd. And they stopped and said: “My God, how beautiful you are! Respect, sister!
Despite my muscles and slightly rough voice, I am feminine. Recently, one colleague said to me: “You are still such a girly girl.” You can build a beautiful muscular body and still remain feminine. I am a woman, albeit a strong one. I always give men the opportunity to show their strength. The powers that be should not be deprived of their status.
However, I do not believe that there is a stronger and weaker sex. There is a strong and a weak person. I mean inner strength. There is no gender in this issue. I am pleased to be with a man who has an inner core. The size of his biceps and his passion for sports don’t matter to me.
Many people strive to ensure that they and their partner have the same interests, so that they go to the gym together, or fish, or fly paragliding. It seems to me that people may have different interests, but the most important thing is mutual understanding and mutual support.
Natalya Batova
Natalia VKontakte
In 1988, when I was 12 years old, I saw a report on TV from an international bodybuilding championship. I saw musclemen on stage, smeared with brown paint. These happy, smiling people had incredible bodies. I was shocked by what I saw, because there was nothing like that in the Soviet Union at that time. I didn’t yet know whether I liked it or not, but it sunk into my soul.
Nine years later, I again saw a bodybuilding competition on TV, but with the participation of Krasnoyarsk bodybuilders. I jumped off the couch, ran to the mirror and tried to do a double biceps. I realized that if there are jocks in Krasnoyarsk, then I can become one of them. The next day I took my bag and went to the gym.
I became a fan of bodybuilding. I wanted to compete and win. I didn’t think then whether I would look like a man, or an alien, or someone else. I wanted to succeed. And for the sake of success, a female bodybuilder sacrifices her feminine principle: your waist disappears and your chest disappears, and you admire your sculpted muscles in the mirror and evaluate yourself as an athlete. As an athlete you look cool, but as a woman you look lame. But I realized that this is my path.
To succeed in sports, you need to sacrifice your personal life. I was often given examples of other athletes who have children and husbands. But it always turned out that these girls could not win even the smallest championships. And the reaper, and the reader, and the player on the pipe - it doesn’t happen! If you want to achieve everything in one area, then in another you will most likely achieve nothing.
But the people who come to the gym develop character. But 60% of bodybuilders end up in the gym due to lack of self-confidence. I came to the hall as a deeply complex person. Now I have no complexes, and my character has become tough. This happened due to the fact that I went through my entire sports journey alone. I became irreconcilable with my enemies, but at the same time I learned to value human relationships.
60% of bodybuilders end up in the gym due to lack of self-confidence. I came to the hall as a deeply complex person. Now I have no complexes, and my character has become tough. I became irreconcilable with my enemies, but at the same time I learned to value human relationships.
I believe that our destinies are sealed. At the age of 38, I achieved a wonderful figure and won international recognition. I remember in 2014 in America everyone was simply stunned by my form. It seemed to me then that my journey in bodybuilding had just begun, but in fact I was destined to leave it. But in 2020, I met a person who made me quit sports. When this man left my life, almost destroying it, I was faced with a difficult choice; usually in such a situation, people either drink themselves to death and sink, or rise and achieve success in another area. I didn’t see any point in returning to sports. I decided that I should become a mother. Now I am raising my daughter and starting to develop my own business.
Bodybuilding was not widespread either in the USSR or in Russia. Doing bodybuilding in Russia is like skiing in Africa. This sport receives more negative assessments than positive ones; I would call it a rogue sport. The fact is that for a long time, the ideal of female beauty has been considered a busty, busty woman with rosy cheeks. More than 60% of Russian men prefer women in body.
When a person sees muscles on a woman (and muscles are considered a property of men), the woman instantly receives a mental kick or slap in the face. In our society, seven out of ten people will say that a muscular girl is ugly. One in ten would call it cool. Another will say that he doesn’t like it, but he respects the athlete for her work. The third person will not be able to say whether he likes it or not.
In our country there is a very strong division between men and women. It is in Europe that a singer can go on stage in a dress and with a beard; they mixed the masculine and the feminine. But in our country, it seems to me, there will never be equality. Maybe it's for the best.
Women's bodybuilding has always been persecuted. It was believed that male bodybuilding was good and female bodybuilding was bad. Women have always been accused of gaining more muscle mass, and women who were too massive were at one time not even allowed to compete.
Female bodybuilding is still rarely encouraged, but massive athletes are starting to take the stage again. It's impossible to contain the excitement! If a woman starts to swing, then she wants to achieve greater and greater results. This is fine.
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We all strive for better. I am against judging women for being too heavy - leave them alone! Let's evaluate them not as women, but as athletes. If a woman was able to do this, then her body was capable of it. If a girl wants to build huge muscles, let her build them. Although now I don't like it anymore.
Female bodybuilding is still rarely encouraged, but massive athletes are starting to take the stage again. It's impossible to contain the excitement! If a woman starts to swing, then she wants to achieve greater and greater results.
But I remember myself at 20 years old. I trained with men, braided my hair and wore jock-style clothes. I was doing what I loved, and I didn’t give a damn whether anyone liked me or not. Over time, I realized that I no longer wanted to kill the woman in myself, and then I put on a dress and returned to the female image. But I did it for myself. A person achieves true freedom when he does not care about the opinions of others. If I comply with the law and moral and ethical standards, then that’s it - get away from me. I live as I want!
Nadezhda Petrova
Nadezhda VKontakte
In 2014, I realized that I needed to somehow take a break from my work, and the gym became such a place of rest for me. At first I trained for fun, without a specific goal, and then I got a coach who motivated me to go on stage. Everything worked out naturally and quite successfully. Before that, I didn’t do any sports at all: I happily ate my butt while sitting at the computer at my job.
I remember I was very afraid to go on stage, and I had to fight this fear. Six months before the performance, I put on a swimsuit and went to the gym to pose. And before going on stage every time I told myself: “You only have two minutes to show everything that you did in the hall. If you fail now, then all your work will be in vain.” I tried not to show my fear and prepared myself to be a champion. And I must say, it worked out great for me.
My category is body fitness, where muscles play an important role. I tried to gain as much weight as possible. During the day I didn’t always get the calories I needed, but in the evening I happily ate a huge amount of food. I felt bad from this, food was difficult to digest, but in three months I was able to gain 13 kilograms. My bottom is naturally wider than my top, so fighting genetics has turned into hellish work for me. I had to expand my back and shoulders, and dry my legs and buttocks.
To perform, I had to sacrifice absolutely everything. If you don’t sacrifice something, it will inevitably result in a joint during preparation. I changed my usual routine: I stopped communicating with friends and skipped holidays. It took all my time to prepare.
I also had to sacrifice my appearance: in this sport you have to have a certain shape, and it’s not entirely feminine.
I understood this perfectly and agreed to it. By the way, now I plan to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass. Over time, the muscles grow, and I don’t want to be a huge aunt. Large mass does not solve anything; the body must be proportional and aesthetically beautiful.
To perform, I had to sacrifice absolutely everything. If you don’t sacrifice something, it will inevitably result in a joint during preparation.
I had to work because I needed huge amounts of money to feed myself, train and transport myself to competitions. But I don’t regret it at all. Because then I was taking care of myself, and when you take care of yourself and give 150%, then everything works out for you. If you are distracted by your family, children and borscht on the stove, then you cannot fully prepare for the competition.
I tried not to notice misunderstandings, angry looks and dissatisfied statements addressed to me. I have a purpose for which I live. I don't care what others think. I don't pay attention to other people's words and actions.
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What I say and do is what really matters. I never adapt to others, I never ask anyone for advice. Trials and errors, achievements and results - everything depends only on me. My only advisor and guru is my coach.
I have a purpose for which I live. I don't care what others think. I don't pay attention to other people's words and actions. What I say and do is what really matters.
People don't like the bodybuilder lifestyle or the athletic bodies that hurt the eyes - bodybuilding makes our people angry. This is not accepted here. In Russia, people are lazy in this regard; it is better for them to sit at the computer and chew sausage sandwiches. In addition, the Russian people do not like to praise and do not like to be happy for others. When I come to other countries, the locals react differently to my appearance: they come up, take an interest, take pictures and treat me with great respect. A beautiful, athletic body is valued there.
Men want to see a woman weak. When a woman with biceps is next to him, and even - God forbid! - with bigger biceps than him, he subconsciously perceives this as a challenge. A man must dominate in everything: appearance and gender differences - this is inherent in nature. Female bodybuilders do not fit into the usual framework, and few people think about the spiritual qualities of such women. Maybe she wears pink blouses, plants flowers, and besides, she is the most gentle, affectionate and loving mother in the world. Everyone sees her as just a jock.
I do not share the gender stereotypes that exist in our society, but at the same time I do not want to impose my idea of right and wrong on anyone. Outside the gym, I don’t consider it necessary to demonstrate my strength. And if I go to the store with a man, then he should carry the bags.
Maria Zorina
Maria VKontakte
I had many health problems: back, kidneys, bronchial asthma... I was very weak, and the doctors recommended that I go in for sports. I chose bodybuilding because I liked it physically. At the age of 27, I took up sports full-time, became a coach and began competing in competitions. On the advice of doctors, I turned sports into a way of life.
My first competitions were unsuccessful, although I was in excellent shape. My coach was shocked by the judges' decision. But a year later I already became a champion in my body fitness category. By that time, I had worked out my body, learned to be more confident on stage and successfully chose my image, because the judges evaluate not only the body, but also the hairstyle, makeup, and swimsuit.
I don't like to show myself on stage. You have to smile, but your teeth are shaking. At first I was nervous backstage, in such cases I sat down and reminded myself that twirling my butt on stage is part of my job. Go out, work, and then be shy.
The first year I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to stick to the diet. But already in the second year, proper nutrition became habitual: the addiction to sweets disappeared and I no longer wanted to overeat. I just convinced myself that I had to live like this all my life. If you want to be a professional, you need to do everything right.
The first year I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to stick to the diet. But already in the second year, proper nutrition became habitual: the addiction to sweets disappeared and I no longer wanted to overeat. If you want to be a professional, you need to do everything right.
What is the most unpleasant thing in our sport? It’s not pleasant to give your all in training, only to lose water before a competition and lose the muscle you’ve built up over the course of a year or two. After the competition, you stand in front of the mirror so dead and realize that everything has to start all over again. You need to survive this moment in order to get back on track and gain what you lost. Self-discipline is very important in bodybuilding.
Fortunately, I have never disappointed my coach yet. It is important to me that he is proud of me. I used to think that I could study on my own, but now I understand how little I can do without him. It is important for me that an authoritative person is nearby and guides me. For me he is probably like a father.
I have never encountered rudeness or disrespect from strangers. On the contrary, people admire me, praise me, ask me to take a photo, and ask questions. I only have problems with colleagues who, it seems to me, were unable to realize themselves in their profession. This applies mainly to men. The older a man is, the more bitterly he teases you and shows his displeasure. They try to do it in a friendly manner, but in reality they mean it.
I never demonstrate my strength advantages. Sometimes men feel shy when they are around me. But I agree to consider men the stronger sex, because they realize themselves in this. Why would I break nature and show that I am stronger than a man? If a weak man feels my strength, he will begin to develop complexes within himself. And I don't want to contribute to this.
My husband has been involved in sports for about 20 years. He will always help me, support me, advise me. Once a week we definitely work out together. I constantly gain experience from him. I can tell him: “I need a new exercise,” and he immediately selects an exercise, helps me complete it and change my training plan. I don’t feel sorry for myself during training, so my husband usually makes up my program so that I don’t get tired.
My sports career is the coolest time for me. Every day I rejoice that I came to bodybuilding. I have never regretted it. And I like to attract people to fitness, training and coaching has become the meaning of my life. For me this is not a hobby and even more than a job. This is something akin to service: being a coach and achieving results.
The interview was published on February 22, 2020. From the Time Out archive
Betty Parisot
The breathtaking Betty Parisot from Kentucky is one hell of a muscle woman with bronze skin and lustrous golden hair. She is 61 years old and weighs 66 kilograms during the season (at the time she participated in the competition). At the time she was active, she was the oldest active female bodybuilder in the world. She retired at the age of 54. Parisot grew up very athletic due to her life on the farm.
She also enjoyed participating in sports such as ping pong and volleyball. It was her passion for fitness that brought her into the world of women's bodybuilding. Parisot has been married twice and is still married to her second husband, Ed Parisot. She has two adult children, a daughter and a son, and two grandchildren. The grandchildren have a grandmother who is not like the rest, but there is no doubt that underneath the layer of bulky muscles, Betty has a tender and loving heart.
Mode
The path to pumping up muscles usually begins with proper nutrition - breakfast, lunch and dinner are required, with at least one more meal in between. And if for men there are usually no problems here, then female bodybuilders should be careful - they need to eat not a lot, but often. The most effective regime will be in which five to six hours will pass between main meals, in order to insert snacks into these periods of time.
Nikki Fuller
Blonde bodybuilder Nikki Fuller is 49 years old and originally from Dayton, Ohio. The heaviest weight she lifted in her career was 90 kilograms. However, Nikki went to this achievement for a very long time and persistently. Before getting into professional bodybuilding, Fuller was a high school track star and water polo champion.
She has competed in various high level bodybuilding competitions including Ms. Olympia, Ms. International, IFBB and many others. After taking a break from bodybuilding, Fuller began pursuing acting and moved to Los Angeles. There she took part in various television shows. Fuller had a stellar bodybuilding career, but beyond that, she seemed to excel in every area she set out to conquer.
Tonya Knight
Tonya Knight is a 50-year-old ex-bodybuilder from Missouri. She retired in 1993, but since she left quite a mark on the bodybuilding world, we couldn't help but include her on this list. She has competed in Ms. Olympia, Ms. International and a number of other major competitions over the years in the women's bodybuilding scene and has done so quite impressively.
Knight was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2011. Today, Tonya lives in Overland Park, Kansas, and is divorced from John Poteat, a bodybuilder with whom she has a son. You may have seen Knight compete on the hit TV show American Gladiators from 1989 to 1992. In the program she had the nickname “Golden”. However, she had to leave the show due to a knee injury. But the entire sports career and participation in competitions certainly brought great pleasure to this amazing muscular blonde.
Valentina Chepiga
Miss Olympia 2000 was born in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov in 1962.
As a child, she loved skiing. Twenty-five-year-old Valentina took up bodybuilding in 1998. She trained under the guidance of Yuri Kapustnik. Her champion's path began with winning the Ukrainian Championship. In 1997 she participated in the European and World Bodybuilding Championships and won gold medals.
These victories allowed the Ukrainian to receive the status of a professional athlete. Without thinking twice, she decided to take part in the Miss Olympia competition, the most famous champion competition. And then, in 1998, she took 12th position. She then moved to the United States of America.
Already in 2000, she managed to win the long-awaited victory in this competition. At the same time, experts note that she was able to maintain a female body constitution behind a pile of muscles: with a height of 165 cm, her weight fluctuated around the sixty-kilogram mark during competitions.
Sharon Bruno
A muscular and tall brunette with an impressive curves, Sharon Bruno is a successful female bodybuilder and amazing fitness competitor hailing from Ontario, Canada. She is 53 years old. She retired from bodybuilding in 1995, but while she continued to bodybuild, she took part in various competitions, including Miss Olympia, Miss International and many others, and received remarkable results there.
She started out as a model, but that didn't last long until she decided to focus solely on her bodybuilding career. Bruno also played cameo roles in films and graced the covers of sports magazines.
Melissa Coates
Blonde Melissa Coates was born in Ontario, Canada. At the moment she is 45 years old, and she lives in Georgia. She is famous as a bodybuilder, wrestler, fitness model and actress. She was initially set on becoming a tennis player, but decided to focus on bodybuilding after realizing her capabilities in this field. You may have seen Coates on TV on Extreme Dodgeball. Coates weighs 68 kilograms.
Melissa's mother was a bodybuilder and, apparently, Melissa decided to follow in her footsteps. Coates had cameo roles in the films Pray for Another Day, The Story of Ian and Ultimate Death Match 2. No matter what area Melissa wanted to develop in, she became outstanding. The power and beauty of her body made her a real star.
