[cpbell0033944]

http://amaz0ns.com/option,com_smf/Itemid,135/topic,7523.msg85945/#msg85945

Context, dear Sir, context – I was referring solely to her level of conditioning, as this was the topic at hand.  I wasn't referring to her overall appearance or even physique as a whole.

Yes, the IFBB in Europe does test, so why not in the US where steroids are illegal?  I've often wondered how rewarding physiques built on steroid use in a country that bans them for BBing purposes isn't aiding and abetting a crime.

Also, no, not only for the women; men too should be tested in my opinion. 8)

[Dan]

What are you even doing here, then?

I like muscle, just not that extremely striated, no fat- dried out look.

[AlexG]

Here's another thread, again from RX Muscle that tied into the subject, insofar as that it's even still a Pro sport.  8)

Link: RX Muscle Forums: Does a women's IFBB pro card mean anything anymore?

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[Lingster]

Yes, the IFBB in Europe does test, so why not in the US where steroids are illegal?

I think the gist of it is that the only real commercial utility of professional bodybuilding is to sell supplements.  If the bodybuilders were smaller the supplement ads would be less alluring.

Also, obviously, supplements are a lot more effective when a person is also taking steroids or growth hormone.

[cpbell0033944]

I think the gist of it is that the only real commercial utility of professional bodybuilding is to sell supplements.  If the bodybuilders were smaller the supplement ads would be less alluring.

Also, obviously, supplements are a lot more effective when a person is also taking steroids or growth hormone.

Commerce, schmommerce!

[AlexG]

i knew somebody would name lou….but , lets face it, lou made it because of arnold

No, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that.  Lou had a promising career as bodybuilder, as the next Mr O and probably would have kept the title for several yrs running, especially given the penchant for the Weider Mafia to repeatedly reward their number one star(s).  Instead, he chose to take a chance on a television program offering in 1978 (which predated Arnold's breakthrough roles in Conan the Barbarian (1982) and The Terminator (1984)) and through his own talent in that role as the Incredible Hulk, well the rest is history.

Oh, and as for Arnold, his action-hero-actor role model was Steve Reeves, an American.

Lastly, if we're looking for staying power in the area of muscle men actors, we shouldn't overlook the contribution of Christopher Judge / Teal'c of Stargate SG-1 – ten seasons, plus movies etal.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[Philip J Sherman]

Women athletes are leaving the world of female bodybuilding and my heart is still in mourning.

For those of you who may not know (and who doesn’t know by now?) Shannon Courtney–a, it pains me to say, *former* female bodybuilder–officially left the sport back in mid-to-late 2015–and after having waited 2 years for a retraction it looks like unfortunately she won’t be back.

If you look at her instagram shacourtneyx (https://www.instagram.com/shacourtneyx/?hl=en) you can see she’s now only a shell of her former self since going cold turkey on the necessary training. In an August 2016 post she wrote “Weight 142.5 from 170lbs last June, when I stopped competing in bodybuilding. Feeling so good to get my ‘athletic’ body back.”

What a bummer for all of us who were rooting for her as a rising talent on-stage. She apparently quit in favor of her old distance running hobby, subsequently competing in a lot of fun runs, changing her training and burning off most of her glorious, hard-fought-for size.

The worst part is: she isn’t alone. A lot of big-name girls are quitting on us, losing their beautiful size, and moving on to other ventures. You can see from her instagram that Dayana Cadeau, a long-time Olympia mainstay, (https://www.instagram.com/ifbbprodayanacadeau/?hl=en) stopped her training, apparently for health issues, and is practically a twig now. That’s a little unfair. She does admittedly look good and is obviously working her new, slimmer body. It’s our same Dayana and always will be, but to me an incredibly less sexy, less abled version.

Kristie Hawkins (https://www.instagram.com/kristy_hawkins/?hl=en) is another one, if you haven’t seen. She’s no longer bodybuilding. But don’t worry, she hasn’t lost her size. She’s power-lifting now so she’s managed to stay bulky. And interestingly at the time of this writing her profile picture is still her competing on-stage which shows that her heart is still in bodybuilding.

So why the change?

Some argue that these girls can’t keep the training up forever, that the sport, like football or basketball or any other professional sport, has a time limit and is never meant to be sustained forever. But if these girls are retiring, they’re retiring incredibly young with many more years ahead of them in the sport to improve and grow and that’s hinting at something a bit more sinister.

One reason I now believe our girls are shrinking (the whole coming-to-terms thing) is the changing times. In 2015 the IFBB officially announced that they cancelled Ms. Olympia. I’ll link an article here if you haven’t heard -> https://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/death-of-womens-bodybuilding

The article explains how the sport has been losing popularity as the women have been getting larger (I know, crazy right?). Because of multiple factors, not the least of which being the rampant illegal steroid use and women funding their training through religious-taboo sexual fetish pay sites. Women’s bodybuilding has developed a negative stigma and that has ruined it’s reputation with the general public.

It should be noted here that there are trends these days for women to hit the gym more. The feminist movement/”Girls can do anything guys can do” is one. And internet memes i pop culture like “She Squats” and “Strong is the new Sexy” are helping girls see the value of integrating exercise and weight training into their lives. But that just feels like apples and oranges.

Let me explain: the type of training that these movements tote are to give girls that lean, toned look (think Jillian Michaels or… say… the new Dayana Cadeau) which… isn’t a bad thing but to me that’s just not enough. Ms. Olympia in all it’s admittedly imperfect glory still stood as an attainable standard of strength for girls. While the average girl may not be able to relate to the “manliness” of it she would jump at the chance to relate to the “girl power” aspect of it.

I saw the growing size of the Ms. Olympia’s contestants as a normal expression of human nature in that in every aspect of human life we seek to progress and push the boundaries of what’s possible, whether its going to the moon or having a complete computer the size of a phone in the palm of your hand. The loss of Ms. Olympia and what it was created to mean feels like a step backwards for us all.

The worrying question remains: because of this lack of incentive and goal, will good women who would otherwise compete and serve to push the sport forward now refuse to have 20″ biceps? Will the Natalya Kovalyovas go the way of the dinosaurs? Is this a societal message that women are and should be the weaker sex? Or will there be a push once again?

I would love a time machine so I can see the answers. In many ways the loss of Ms. Olympia is another move in the answer to that age-old question: Who is better/stronger/faster, etc.: men or women…? Why should the bar be set lower for women? I’ll leave you with that conflict expressed on the theatrical stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO23WBji_Z0

[TC2]

I know it sounds blasphemous, and though I love my hugely muscled amazons, the physique and figure girls are still quite sexy. Yes, I know. I loved Shannon too when she had huge quads and thick bulging veins pumping out of her swollen biceps. Same thing with Cindy Phillips who had an ass that was to die for and a back that spanned a mountain range.

But at the same time, the slimmed down versions are still pretty sexy too.

I feel confident that women’s bodybuilding will never die. There will always be one girl who dreams of being huge and if she’s not in the contest circuit she will most certainly be on social media. It could be that right now Ms. Olympia is dying out, but it may be replaced by something bigger and better. Ya never know, but I certainly don’t think this is something that will die completely.

[Bane Dorrance]

Hmmm,..ummmm,..okay!
Gonna need a little bit more backstory here,sweetie.
For some reason,..You chose 3 women that never made very long careers outta bodybuilding to begin with
&
T-Nation article is from 2015 in a thread you just made in 2017
I’ll do something most ppl wont do& that’s help out a fellow fan
Here on the Amaz0ns forum is a search function where you can find topics like :
http://amaz0ns.com/forum/Alerts-TV-and-Events/120084-2017-ms-olympia-confirmed-by-wings-of-strength#126685
http://www.amaz0ns.com/forum/Alerts-TV-and-Events/120150-2016-ms-olympia-physique#127043

[cactusjoe]

I totally agree with the_collector_2. The Female bodybuilding of the 90’s/2000’s is over, or almost over. There are still some female bodybuilders who strive to compete in the few bodybuilding shows, but their numbers decreases on a steady pace.

The Physique scene on the other hand is quite interesting in my opinion. It brings women back to the look of the late 80’s/early 90’s which was healthier and less extreme. I think it’s the best compromise : women don’t put their health in jeopardy as much as their predecessors, and are still objectively very big. I’ve always been a fan of NABBA figure look of the same era, and I find that the Physique class is quite close to that, minus the stilettos 😀

[Author]

Posts