History Of Women Bodybuilding

Female bodybuilding is a competitive sport that began in the later portion of the 1970s when women began to sign up for bodybuilding competitions alongside men. Contest regarding women bodybuilding physiques date back into the 1960s, however, with contests such as Miss Americana as well as Miss Physique. Those contests were more like bikini contest whereas modern women bodybuilding is much different.

By 1979, more contest started to appear on the scene and the sport became more popular. Though the early contests were considered bodybuilding events, women would wear high-heeled shoes and they would not pose in the same manner they do today.

The modern era of women in the bodybuilding sport began in 1980 when the first Nationals event for women was held. 1980 was also the first year that Ms. Olympia was held. This contest is the most prestigious for women bodybuilders. Contestants have to send in pictures and resumes in order to be chosen to compete.
As the sport has grown over the years, the level of training for women has also increased. The earliest competitors did not do much weight training, but the sport has evolved towards more muscular appearances.

While the sport picked up steam, it also started gaining mainstream exposure. Competitors caused stirs in the media by showing off their muscles and talking about the sport. There have been many rule changes over the years and women now have to go through things like drug testing to ensure that they are not cheating by using drugs to acquire their physiques.