Plus, you need mesomorphic genetics to build really big muscles and many of the first women in the sport didn’t really have this kind of potential. It takes a long time to fully develop a competition physique, and most competitors have only a few years of training under their belt. One very basic problem that faced the early female bodybuilders is how quickly the sport evolved. She was wearing a top that showed her arms and she turned to me and said, “I would never go around in public dressed like this back in Detroit.” I remember stopping at a 7/11 in Los Angeles with Lenda Murray in the early 1980s.

They often took pains to wear jackets or long-sleeved shirts when out in public. Some avoided wearing a bikini at the beach or pool because of how “freakish” people thought they looked. Many of these women faced critical opposition from family, boyfriends, and husbands, as well as the media and the general public. They were “something new under the sun.” Women with huge amounts of muscles and who were very attractive were nonetheless often accused of “looking like men.” Because these women have been around for decades now, younger people will not remember what a shock they caused when they first came on to the scene. Charles Gaines, author of Pumping Iron, has called these women a “new archetype” - something never before seen in any culture at any point in history. There are multiple champion female bodybuilders who retired because of breakdowns due to stress.įemale bodybuilders face all the same obstacles as the men - and more. Not only is this physically demanding, often resulting in physical injury, but it can take a serious psychological toll as well. It requires years of hard, consistent workouts and extreme diets. Female bodybuilding is one of the toughest sports out there.

Older fitness models