All about female bodybuilding and categories

Oddly enough, however, female bodybuilding has long been considered an absurd phenomenon, and the concepts of “woman” and “bodybuilding” are mutually exclusive: why should a woman take iron to lose weight, if you can just go on a diet?

Over time, the fair sex ceased to be content with just getting rid of fat, and now women all over the world strive to become beautiful not only due to weight loss, but also building a body – embossed, elastic and sexy.

Physiological predisposition

Nevertheless, prejudice is still strong and many girls are afraid to learn bodybuilding training.

Women have long been considered weaker than men, and the reason for this is simple – hormones. Men have a much higher level of testosterone, a hormone that helps build muscle, while women have a higher level of estrogen, which can contribute to the accumulation of excess fat.

Even this information should be enough to distract women from fear of strength training, and to convey that it is much more difficult for them to build muscle than for men.

Another reason for women’s reluctance to perform strength exercises is that they simply want to “lose weight and be in good shape,” but not muscle.

bodybuilding pictures female

Let us return a little to the history of this movement.

The history of female bodybuilding

When it comes to actual sports bodybuilding, we can proudly say that over the past few years, women have made great progress in mastering female bodybuilding and fitness in the gym and on the stage.

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The first competitions were held in the 1960s, but it was hardly a full-fledged bodybuilding competition. “Miss Build” stood on a par with “Miss America” and were more associated with the external attractiveness of women, and less muscular.

The first competition that judged women by bodybuilding standards was held in 1978. 1980 was marked by the opening of the first national competitions by the National Committee for Physical Development (NPC), in the same year the first women’s nomination was held in the most important competition among bodybuilders, Mr. Olympia.

Since then, many girls and women have been passionately working to achieve this world title – Miss Olympia.

Female Bodybuilding Categories

Over time, the following categories stood out:

Fitness
The goal of women’s fitness competitions is to have an athletic appearance, judges look at the figure from different angles.

Bikini Fitness
In this category, girls of smaller physique participate. Judges evaluate differently from other categories and do not look for the same muscle mass.

Women’s Physique
Participants in the Vumen physicist (formerly Female Bodybuilding – Women Bodybuilding) mainly work on muscle volume and bright relief.

Bodyfitness (Women Bodyfitness)
The category of bodybuilding, where special attention is paid to the proportional and harmonious development of the body.

female bodybuilding

Differences in Female and Male Bodybuilding

Consider two key types of differences, physiological and professional.

Physiological differences

A training program for girls, if you really want to get the result, and not waste time, will clearly differ from the male version.

The differences between conventional male and female bodybuilding workouts are mainly in the emphasis on the muscles being worked out, the frequency and intensity of the exercises.

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Otherwise, male and female organisms respond equally to training, and muscles are formed using the same methods.

Professional differences

The differences between regular workouts for those girls who just want to stay in shape and professional female bodybuilding workouts are also insignificant.

A training program for women who just want to “tighten” their muscles and stay in overall good shape, and for bodybuilding will be similar.

The process of forming a beautiful body, bringing the elastic buttocks, abs and hips to the beach season and the bodybuilding format are practically the same. Bodybuilding – this is the process of creating the perfect figure, just professional bodybuilders do it longer and stronger.

For women who just want to get their body in good shape, there is a main tip: do not be afraid to form too many muscles. After all, the formation and especially muscle building is a slow process. You cannot just wake up one day and discover that your muscles have suddenly become too large.

Female bodybuilding workout

Your workouts should be aimed at building muscle mass and fat loss, this will help improve shape, increase muscle elasticity and tone, and help maintain the seductive curves of the female body.

Nutrition for girls in bodybuilding

Training in the gym is only part of the process of creating the perfect figure. Its climax is happening in the kitchen, because what we eat can either enhance the effect of training, or reduce it to zero.

In the morning, it is advisable to consume complex carbohydrates. They provide you with energy for the whole day. As for the afternoon, there is an advantage in protein food. You need to eat about 5-6 times a day in small portions. The main meals are 3-4, the rest are snacks. Two hours before training, do not consume food, the exception is sports nutrition. Also, after classes for 1.5 hours, try not to eat anything but sports nutrition. And do not forget about water! Drink plenty of water during training and throughout the day. About 1.5-2 liters.

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However, be prepared for the fact that in order to achieve maximum results during intense training, you may need to take sports supplements.

workouts for women

Sports supplements

The most common sports supplement is protein, which is also a concentrated protein. The functionality of the protein is wide: it will help burn fat, provide muscle growth, and simply maintain a healthy physical condition.
The intake of the vitamin-mineral complex is very important, because with physical exertion and diet the body does not receive the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals. And amino acids will help muscles recover faster!

Protein isolate
It features a deep degree of purification from impurities. It contains less lactose and fat, but more pure protein. The intake of isolate is recommended for those who want to lose weight.

Fat burner
Designed to reduce excess body fat. Accelerates the breakdown of fat molecules and turns fat into free energy, increasing its consumption.

Glucosamine and chondroitin
Fills joints, ligaments and tendons with essential substances for prevention or recovery from trauma.

Vitamin and mineral complex
During intense physical exertion – vitamins and minerals are consumed by the body faster. They are also responsible for protein synthesis and are the engine of metabolic processes.

Amino acids
To quickly restore muscle fibers and provide the body with a sufficient amount of essential proteinogenic amino acids.