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The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

believermag.com

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Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#11

Post by CydeWeys »

rubyn00bie wrote: post #8
bluecalm wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, in case of bodybuilding you need very hefty dose of hormones to even start looking like low level competitors. The bodybuilding physique isn't good for any particular activity. It's neither useful nor healthy. It's all organized so you need to grow yourself like cattle (bodybuilders even take steroids designed for making cattle killed for meat muscular). This is already terrible enough for men but for women it'…

Truly. I do not think most people are aware of prolific steroid usage is... It mostly boils down to people pumping themselves full of steroids up until a week or so before the competition so they test clean. With almost zero body fat, most drugs are metabolized and removed from the body really quickly. It was pretty depressing to realize that body-building is totally gamed and drug based. Not because I was ever into…

I think people are quite aware of how prolific steroid usage in bodybuilding is. It's the movie actor physiques that people aren't as aware of.

Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#12

Post by simonbarker87 »

rubyn00bie wrote: post #8
bluecalm wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, in case of bodybuilding you need very hefty dose of hormones to even start looking like low level competitors. The bodybuilding physique isn't good for any particular activity. It's neither useful nor healthy. It's all organized so you need to grow yourself like cattle (bodybuilders even take steroids designed for making cattle killed for meat muscular). This is already terrible enough for men but for women it'…

Truly. I do not think most people are aware of prolific steroid usage is... It mostly boils down to people pumping themselves full of steroids up until a week or so before the competition so they test clean. With almost zero body fat, most drugs are metabolized and removed from the body really quickly. It was pretty depressing to realize that body-building is totally gamed and drug based. Not because I was ever into…

Pretty much every federation is untested, steroid use isn’t a dark secret in BB (like it is in strongman) it’s the way to compete.

Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#16

Post by simonbarker87 »

orasis wrote: post #2

Every display sport has a consensus aesthetic that is being optimized for. Don’t expect to be judged well if you’re showing parkour steez at a gymnastics competition. It doesn’t mean the sport is wrong, it just maybe means you should pioneer an alternative sport or category to suit your target aesthetic.

BB is more an art than a sport, Steve Cook articulates this idea very well and is partly why he has moved more toward CrossFit and other activities.

BB is primarily a competition with yourself for months and months with an expression of that work at the end that you hope is arbitrarily considered better than everyone else’s on stage by the judges (some of who may be trainers of other competitors on stage so good luck overcoming that)

Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#17

Post by bluecalm »

CydeWeys wrote: post #11
rubyn00bie wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truly. I do not think most people are aware of prolific steroid usage is... It mostly boils down to people pumping themselves full of steroids up until a week or so before the competition so they test clean. With almost zero body fat, most drugs are metabolized and removed from the body really quickly. It was pretty depressing to realize that body-building is totally gamed and drug based. Not because I was ever into…

I think people are quite aware of how prolific steroid usage in bodybuilding is. It's the movie actor physiques that people aren't as aware of.

Movie actors, fitness/underwear models, basically everyone on the cover of Men's Health or on a movie poster. Hell, very significant % of not so impressingly looking guys in your local gym are on steroids. Just Google for stats on steroid usage, estimate how many people go to a gym and think what it means. The mystery of Hollywood diet and training to lose 10kg of fat and to put 5kg of muscle in 60 days starts to make sense as well.

In many areas of the world it's completely risk-free as well as you won't get busted for possession of Testosterone or even stuff like Trenbolone.

Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#18

Post by Jtsummers »

jdthedisciple wrote: post #15

So whats the TLDR of this?

TL;DR: It's more of a narrative than an article so it's not really feasible to abbreviate it. Best abbreviation, but it tells you nothing useful: Woman becomes interested in female bodybuilding, pursues it, and discusses the history and trends of female bodybuilding over the years intermingled with her own pursuit.

Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#19

Post by alwmder »

orasis wrote: post #2

Every display sport has a consensus aesthetic that is being optimized for. Don’t expect to be judged well if you’re showing parkour steez at a gymnastics competition. It doesn’t mean the sport is wrong, it just maybe means you should pioneer an alternative sport or category to suit your target aesthetic.

I'm confused as to who your comment is meant to address - the author describes how she pursued that consensus aesthetic, under guidance from various trainers that adhere to it. Her placement in competition isn't the point or the essay - the focus is on introspection about the thoughts that lead her to bodybuilding, the history of the sport that lead to the particular "consensus aesthetic" that she crossed paths with, and reflections on the toll that adherence takes on body and mind.

I found the tone remained neutral to admiring despite laying bare its rather gruesome flaws and crass backers, so if it reads as an indictment, I think it says more about the realities of the sport than the author's priorities.

Re: The Feminine Physique: On Women's Bodybuilding

#20

Post by bluecalm »

DC1350 wrote: post #13

Off topic but do female body builders also use testosterone injections for muscle building?

Testosterone is popular among women as well. Injections are in general safer than oral (because of liver health). Most women start with Anavar though as the risk of developing masculine features is reduced with it and the pill form makes it more palatable for many beginners.

Most fitness girls/celebs/models probably stop at Anavar as keeping feminine features is very important for them.

There is even a term for it in the fitness world. "Anavar girls". It's widely popular.

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