Everyone has either heard of or is familiar with the sport of competitive bodybuilding. The female component, which is known as women bodybuilding, began in the late 1970s as women began to participate in competitions. Now, more than three decades later, women bodybuilding is a large part of the sport and has begun to garner the respect that it has strived for since it’s inception.

Although physique contests for women can actually be documented in the 1960s, they were little more than bikini contests. The first true women bodybuilding competition is regarded as the one held in Canton, Ohio in 1978. Promoted by Henry McGhee, the first United States Women’s National Physique Championship was the first competition where the entrants were judged solely on their muscularity as opposed to how well they looked in swimsuits.

By 1979, more women bodybuilding competitions were being held. The sport, however, did not possess a sanctioning body until 1980. Known as the National Physique Committee, this organization hosted the first women’s nationals and became the top amateur level competition for women bodybuilding in the United States. Additionally, 1980 marked the first Ms. Olympia competition, which is the most honored competition for women bodybuilding professionals.

As the sport continued to grow and increase in overall popularity, competitors found themselves needing to train harder and improve their overall muscular physique. By the 1980s, women bodybuilding was no longer a bikini contest or seeing who could pose in the highest heels. Now, it was becoming a popular sport with championship titles and increasing fan attendance.

With films that have been produced in honor of women bodybuilding competitions, coverage on major television networks and despite some controversies along the way, women bodybuilding has more than proven it’s ability to remain in the ranks of this popular sport. As further proof, the IFBB established a Hall of Fame in 1999, which would honor bodybuilding’s top athletes. To date, 14 women bodybuilding competitors have been inducted. Among them, Carla Dunlap, Cory Everson and Rachel McLish, Bev Francis, Lisa Lyon and Abbye Stockton, Kay Baxter, Diana Dennis, Kike Elomaa, Laura Combes, Lynn Conkwright, Ellen Van Maris, Stacy Bentley and Claudia Wilbourn.

In late 2004, the IFBB introduced a new rule that required women bodybuilding participants decrease their amount of muscularity by 20%, which is now referred to simply as the ’20% rule.’ The rule applies to those whose physique requires the decrease. In 2005, another rule was introduced that would abolish the weight class system beginning with the 2005 Ms. Olympia.

In addition to women bodybuilding, there are two additional categories that are closely related and often held as part of the same event. The fitness competition includes a swimsuit round, along with a round that has the entrants judged on their performance in aerobics, dance or gymnastics. The second category is a figure competition, which is a newer format, and has the participants being judged exclusively on their symmetry and muscle tone. This category focuses less on muscle size than does women bodybuilding.

Although women bodybuilding has continued to grow in popularity, the prize money remains significantly less than is awarded to male bodybuilders.

When we think of bodybuilders, we often automatically think of men with large, sculpted muscles competing for titles. But when it comes to the sport of bodybuilding, women have taken a larger role than ever – working to build their own muscles and compete on the same level as the men. Subsequently, bodybuilding for women has become increasingly popular for participants and fans alike.

Bodybuilding is significantly easier for men than it is for women based on one simple fact; the hormone testosterone is responsible for the building of muscle in our bodies. And while both men and women have levels of testosterone in their bodies, men have significantly higher levels. Therefore, the ability to build muscle comes much easier to men. Bodybuilding for women can be more difficult but the results are just as spectacular.

Whether taking on the sport as a hobby or in order to participate in competition, bodybuilding for women can be a terrific way for women to achieve optimum fitness and nutrition. And for a gender that is often held to higher standards for physical appearance, bodybuilding allows women to revel in their physical power as well as their femininity.

Bodybuilding for women – just like bodybuilding for men – requires a strong commitment to diet and exercise. For most women this means a weekly workout routine that combines cardiovascular exercise, core work, and weight training. But, unfortunately, when it comes to this sport some women, in an effort to increase the levels of testosterone in their body and thus increase their ability to build muscle, will turn to anabolic steroids to enhance their performance. The effects of steroid use can be disastrous on many levels and result in a bevy of physical repercussions – including hair loss, acne, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, and, in some cases, the taking on of male physical characteristics.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to bodybuilding for women is that intense workouts and dieting will significantly reduce the body fat percentage in a woman’s body. While this can be beneficial to a certain extent, body fat should ordinarily be kept at balanced levels in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Dangerously low body fat can result in a loss of the menstrual cycle and a number of physical manifestations.

Bodybuilding for women – done safely – can result in beautifully sculpted muscles and overall physical health – a fantastic reward for hard work and sacrifice.

The challenge for female fitness and bodybuilding is that, well, it doesn’t seem quite the feminine thing to do to lift weights and look muscular. ‘It’s really a mans sport’, was the cry and for a long time, women just weren’t taken seriously at all, even by themselves.

Nowadays, all this has changed and there are thousands of followers in the female fitness and bodybuilding genre. Many women take part in regular competition, looking fit, glamorous and beautiful, all at the same time.

Female Fitness And Bodybuilding – It’s About Repetitions, Not Crazy Weights

So, if you’re a woman, female fitness and bodybuilding might just be what you need – if you want to look and feel really good about your body. The secret is to ensure that by getting a great physique and well as looking feminine, you have to be clever about the way you take up your particular exercises.

And the really important part of female fitness and bodybuilding, is that women want to retain their femininity without the fear that they are going to look like, or even (goodness forbid), turn into a man!

Be assured – it won’t happen! It cannot happen. Because genetically, women just aren’t built to get to the same stature of men, however much they work out.

It’s almost impossible to become as big as a man, however much your muscle mass increases and the exercises that you do.

In fact female fitness and bodybuilding is an ideal way for many women to develop a wonderful physique that is feminine and attractive to men, whilst building self-confidence and feeling good about yourself generally.

Women typically, will not be able to manage such heavy weights as men, so using reps as an important component in their development is vital. Slight bodies will find using smaller weights regularly is a much more effective way to develop the muscles than potentially damaging heavy weights.

What’s Female Bodybuilding All About Then?

Nowadays, female fitness and bodybuilding is pretty well organized, from the casual amateur who just wants a better toned and developed body, to the really serious professional who sees competition as their goal. It’s come a long way from the days when a female bodybuilder was just a shiny, glamorous object of drool, in a skimpy bikini.

In fact it’s over 30 years since the first competitions began and it wasn’t until the early 80′s that they became a regular feature. Like all emerging sports, in a number of competitors emerged as the frontrunners from those early days.

As you might imagine a selection process began, where potential candidates for progressing professionally were picked up by sponsors.

Pretty soon national and international bodies, just for women bodybuilders, became established, shortly followed by major national and international competitions too.

As the opportunities to compete increased, more and more women took female fitness and bodybuilding seriously, so the competitions became more intense too.

It was the inception of the American Federation of Women Bodybuilders, in the 1980′s, that paved the way for serious recognition that the sport was here to stay, for female bodybuilders.

How To Become A Serious Player in the Female Bodybuilding World

If you are thinking of stepping up to the plate in the female fitness and bodybuilding arena, what do you need to do?

Well, you’ll need to get a few things just right.

– Nutrition is a vital component of any bodybuilding routine and for women, this is particularly important, both because of the varying hormone levels you experience each month and that bodybuilding is quite demanding..

– Timing and dedication to the sport are vital too, though some women really struggle with this as they are often strongly pulled towards their motherly responsibilities

– Exercise is, of course, a part of female fitness and bodybuilding – remember, reps work better than maxing out on weights alone, true for any bodybuilding activity, female or otherwise.

See, it’s not much different from the activities that your male counterparts will focus on. If you decide to take up female fitness and bodybuilding in a big way, there is now, literally, nothing to stop you.

The level of commitment and work involved, just to be competitive, requires a lifestyle for women especially, that centers around intense training and a strict nutrition regime.

The rules for competition include somewhat pedantic categories such as ‘femininity.’ The prize money is also a quarter of what male bodybuilders can win.

So Why Is Female Bodybuilding So Popular?

For many, the point is not to get as big as possible but to attain a level of fitness and strength not often seen in women. The challenge you present yourself, when as a women you decide to pursue a female bodybuilding style of exercise and development is probably a lot of the reason women do it.

To push yourself and attain such lofty goals even when not for competition is admirable. So, challenge to show that ‘you can’ and the real benefit of feeling toned and strong are the major drivers

Bodybuilding for Women – Myths Exposed

There are some myths that must be confronted about female bodybuilding.

The first myth is that exercise can increase chest size. Oh, if only that were true, all the plastic surgeons would be broke! But, it is not. Women’s breasts are composed of fatty tissue for the most part so building muscle will not grow that part of the body.

Female bodybuilding myth #2, training with weights turns fat into muscle. This is not accurate. You can only burn fat through cardiovascular activity and you can only gain muscle by weight training. No doubt these will not be the only myths that need to be addressed in the future.

Male vs Female Bodybuilding – What Are The Differences?

Female bodybuilding is still an evolving sport that is fighting myths and perception problems. Unfortunately women cannot gain the kind of mass that men can due to women’s inability to produce as much testosterone as men.

To gain the bulk needed to be competitive, alternative measures are usually taken. That’s why anabolic steroids are a problem in female bodybuilding – a controversial topic we are sure to continue to hear more about.

No women should fear female bodybuilding. You need not look like the oversized competitive bodybuilders you see in picture or on tv. You can train hard with weights and sculpt your body how you want – it does not mean you even need to go beyond basic definition on your body.

Women need to remember that if they only do cardio their bodies burn both fat and muscle to use for fuel, so a weight training program, even if you are not interested in a female bodybuilding regime, can benefit you in and out of the gym.

Bodybuilding For Women – What’s The Future?

There is clearly room for growth in the female bodybuilding industry. The competitions will begin to focus on the right things and the prize money will surely grow. There are many varying opinions out there about female bodybuilding, but you can’t deny the drive and dedication women show when they train for competition.

It is impressive and many women would love to be able to do it – more and more are, every day.

For whatever reason some women catch the competition bug and others don’t, but for those of us who don’t, we can still, in our own way, participate for the good of our own fitness.