I totally get that not everyone wants to look like one of the top male bodybuilders of today. I’ve never aspired to look like that either…a good thing since I’m a woman. So let the myth be officially busted. Women don’t have to look like men to join this sport, and men don’t all have to look like a top male bodybuilder.
The growth of bodybuilding has peaked the interest of many people aspiring to achieve varying degrees of muscular shape and condition. The body building world has been listening. Over the years, they have added categories to allow more opportunities than ever before to hit the stage.
So what are the options?
The categories now offered by the International Federation of Body Building are:
1. Bodybuilding
This is the official ”huge” category. Athletes train to develop all body parts and muscles to maximum size, but in balance and harmony. You see some seriously large men and women here!!!
2. Classic Bodybuilding- (some Canadian/ US shows and IFBB worlds.)
This is for those who prefer to develop their body into a lighter, classic physique rather than developing their muscles to the extreme. Think of a physique like Arnold’s back in his prime. That would be Classic bodybuilding today.
3. Women’s Fitness
This category is for women who prefer to develop an athletic and aesthetically pleasing physique then show their physiques in motion. The emphasis is on a shapely, athletic-looking physique, which is shown through a gymnastic-type routine. Heels are required.
4. Men’s Fitness (Physique)- (amateur launch is 2011)
Athletic and conditioned physique with no excessive muscularity. Competitors present quarter turns and comparisons in board shorts. presentation and poise count for part of the score just like figure and fitness. No routine.
5. Women’s Figure
This category was added in 2002 to open the stage to women who just want to do the physique rounds without the gymnastic routine. Any well-shaped woman working out in the fitness centers and following a healthy training diet can enter. Heels are required.
6. Bikini (new)
This was just added in 2010. It’s the most toned-down division yet. Women must have only slight muscle tone and can carry a healthier degree of body fat. Heels are required.
7. Women’s Physique (new)- (amateur launch is 2011)
Women can carry a higher degree of muscularity and hardness than fitness and figure but not as much as bodybuilding. A one minute open handed routine is required. No heels are allowed.
Websites to visit:
www.nationalphysiquecommittee.com – US divsiion to progress to IFBB Pro status
www.cbbf.ca – Canadian Bodybuilding Federation- Canadian Division to progress to IFBB Pro status
www.ifbbpro.com - IFBB Professional League. Home of the IFBB Pro’s
What brought on the transformation?
Personally, I think it was women. Speaking for myself, anyway, I fell in love with this sport in the 90s. I loved the discipline required. I loved the feeling of being able to change my body through diet and training. Very empowering!
What I didn’t like was how women bodybuilders looked like men. Their hair and skin texture would change, their voices would deepen and they would grow body hair.
YIKES!
There was always natural bodybuilding. It was still a bodybuilder shape and condition…. just smaller. I loved my feminine lines and I wanted low body fat and muscle to work with it not against it.
So, if it weren’t for the new divisions, I would never have competed!
In my first year of university, 1996, I saw my first issue of Oxygen Magazine. It was promoting beautiful, muscular and fit women who were competing in fitness competitions. I loved the Women’s Fitness (Physique) category, where women had to perform gymnastics, a dance routine with fun and flirty costumes. The posing suits had crystals on them and the women wore high heels. It was and is great way for women to display athleticism but still be feminine.
Is it all body building?
Well …technically, yes, it is! All competitors practice intense training and dietary manipulation to create a physique. There is an off-season and on-season. But, yes, the levels of diet and training are most strenuous with Bodybuilder and least strenuous with Bikini.
So…can I call you a bodybuilder?
Ah, no. I’d rather you didn’t.
Most competitors like to clarify their categories. For example, I am an IFBB Pro Figure competitor. Sometimes, the title “bodybuilder” carries the mental image of big, muscular, thick etc. For the ladies in Fitness, Figure and Bikini this could hurt them. Maybe they may want to pursue modelling or TV or sponsorship work.
Point being…if someone introduces them as a bodybuilder without them being there to clarify then it could paint the wrong picture and hurt a potential career offer.
Now that we’ve got those labels all straightened out…stay tuned for next Tuesday’s big update with Team T & E!
Yours in health,
Tammy
