Wednesday, May 29, 2019

The Birth of Female Bodybuilding Contests :

The first women bodybuilding contests were the Miss Physique and Miss Americana Contests of the early 1960s. During these early contests, emphasis was on the "pleasing" female form, so the contests were really more like the bikini contests of today. Women who were serious bodybuilders rarely won because the judges preferred to see seductive curves.

In 1978, the 1st US Women's National Physique Championship was held in Canton, Ohio. This was the first contest where the competitors were judged on musculature as well as poise. Although considered to be the birth of the true female bodybuilding competition, many consider women bodybuilding competitions to be officially inaugurated with the establishment of the National Physique Committee in 1980 and the launching of the 1st NPC National Competition.


That same year gave birth to the Ms. Olympia contest, which is now the most prestigious contest among professional bodybuilders. It must be noted that during these times, the entrants were mostly naturally endowed with their muscular bodies and the winners of such contests had very little weight training experience. This trend was to change in 1983 when the more muscular contestants resulting from intensive weight training programs started appearing in the contests.

In 1986, the American Federation of Women Bodybuilders was founded and along with the Ms. International contest - the first one sanctioned by the International Federation of Bodybuilders and aired on national television. These developments triggered a national awareness of the women bodybuilders in the US and from these humble beginnings, women bodybuilding competitions evolved into the global sport that is known today.
The Birth of Female Bodybuilding Contests
 The Birth of Female Bodybuilding Contests
The Birth of Female Bodybuilding Contests
The Birth of Female Bodybuilding Contests
The Birth of Female Bodybuilding Contests

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