ARE FEmale Bodybuilders on HERE??!!

I know that many people (and I sometimes find myself guilty of this) see female bodybuilders as gross or very non-feminine. To be honest, I don't at all think male bodybuilders are attractive either, but for some reason I still feel bad when I think that way about the women.
What I'd like to know is if you're a female bodybuilder, why do you like to do it? Does it make you feel beautiful, or more confident? Is it just plain fun? I of course don't mean for any of these questions to be hurtful, and if they are I apologize for my poor wording.
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[–]PancakeGenocide 8 points 8 days ago
A friend of mine is a professional powerlifter. She is currently one of the strongest women in the world.
She does it because she thinks it is fun. While she is not beautiful in the "traditional" sense, she has no problem finding smoking hot men interested in dating her and I, personally, find her beautiful as well. The girl is built like a tank, but she is one of the kindest, most loving people I've met.
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[–]khuddler[S] 3 points 8 days ago
Thanks for answering. It's difficult for me to envision people who do stuff like this outside of the performance sphere, because I never see them in real life, so I appreciate your point of view. :)
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[–]twincakesable 2 points 8 days ago
I wish I could get into powerlifting...alas, I have a ways to go before I'm anywhere near that! How did she get into it (if you know)?
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[–]PancakeGenocide 1 point 8 days ago
We have some male friends that are really into it. One of them was a roommate of ours, and he got her involved. From there, it was love!
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[–]sensory_overload 1 point 7 days ago
Check out /r/fitness. They generally focus on weight based strength training.
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[–]sensory_overload 1 point 7 days ago
I think with power-lifting you really see the results of healthy is beautiful showing where the focus is on performance rather than attempting to isolate ideals on the physical form and apply them universally like you see in bodybuilding.
Body-building seems (for both sexes) to require people to work towards an ideal that has become rather exaggerated, while training for strength leads to a more individually ideal form.
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[–]jjm22 7 points 8 days ago*
I started lifting weights after a battle with anorexia. It was the only thing that kept me from relapsing. It's strange - I weigh more than I ever have in my life right now, but the STRENGTH I feel is incredible. The first time I did a pull up was so empowering. And unlike the cardio I did for years in the depths of my problem, I feel like I need to eat to fuel muscle growth as opposed to the constant fear of not being in enough of a calorie deficit when I was just doing cardio. Not sure if that makes sense. Anyways... while it makes me feel strong and confident, there are some times when I feel a bit strange. Like I don't fit in women's shirts anymore because my lat (back) muscles have gotten too large. So sometimes the old eating disorder thoughts creep in and tell me that's wrong. But ultimately I know it's the healthier choice. If I didn't have this, I might feel like I had nothing and go back to where I was a few years ago. So yes, I do feel beautiful still. Also I think a lot of people have misconceptions about female body builders. What you see when we compete is not representative of what we look like in real life. When we get up on stage, we've been cutting carbs for a week and we've dehydrated ourselves to make the muscles stand out more. We also put on a shit-ton of self-tanner (ugh - some parts I just don't get). A couple weeks after the competition when things have softened up a bit I think it looks fantastic. I suppose I have to clarify that I don't do "bodybuilding" but "figure" - it's one step "below" body building in terms of muscle mass and body fat composition. So while bodybuilding females might have around 8% body fat, figure competitors have around 12-14% and have less muscle mass in total. But I look in the mirror and think "WOW that is a fucking hot woman!"
So this would be a body builder: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBX0zJz6-8fQ4Ne74zhEG2f66XLebG7g49CRxWvO_KomRmlU_Gy8Ui7mTe66nhYQ3sieqIX8uQVJvdXvx8VveiTflYaL1Z3SvV4oArpLVikFzKoE2vsbkRqJA6ut1H6xkmnyj0FLhhcnc/s400/Female-Bodybuilers-Sexy-or-Not-Sexy-01.gif
And this is closer to what I do: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuS3fYm5pN4YNWWxtiu4urDdnIMgND_oApz6-QLtKXa8iKFBAx1iOQo8oBOoCe4j-k7pNEfrXhg_166NwZKZFwiuyECDrbZH6IkFaA4ZQbFgXFmz2CD04ouRo6iiiShk4SPFg16sBIL6O/s1600/Jamie+Eason+2.jpg
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[–]khuddler[S] 3 points 8 days ago
Thank you for your honest response. I feel like I have a much better understanding of at least one of the mindsets of female "bodybuilders," and I also learned something- I had no idea "figure" existed, and I think it looks incredibly healthy and uniquely womanly. :)
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[–]jjm22 2 points 8 days ago
Yes there's even a step "below" figure (I don't really like to use the word below because it implies they don't train as hard, but I really just mean it in terms of the type of muscle they choose to work for) called bikini. Those girls train with lower weights but higher repetitions with those weights for endurance, some strength, and overall toning. Here's a pic of what that might look like: http://ngamountainstates.com/images/Bikini%20Group%200798.jpg
But they really don't do what you were asking about (body building), it's something very different with a very different resulting appearance :)
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[–]jjm22 2 points 8 days ago
I should also add there's a fourth category with some training similar to what I described earlier when I talked about what I do "figure". These ladies do what's called "fitness" competitions. They will have roughly the same muscle mass as the "figure" girls (bodybuilding>figure/fitness>bikini) but their competition is quite different. I don't know much about it but here's an article explaining it. I think it more about showmanship, "Not every female athlete is blessed to have the foundations of gymnastic or formal dance. Women across the world grew interest in competing in fitness but lack the agility and skill to perform the mandatory moves of the fitness competitions.".
http://www.guambodybuilding.com/fitness
:)
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[–]jjm22 2 points 8 days ago
Ah it appears I may have been only half right! "And what makes figure different from fitness again? The judging criteria for figure competitors are more critical as stated earlier. More emphasis is on femininity rather than the athleticism. Fitness competitors, on the other hand, can get away with lower body fat percentage and more muscular physique. Because of the routine round in Fitness, less emphasis naturally is placed on femininity and poise. There are only so many points to work with. The routine round is more prominent when judging Fitness because of the acrobatic movements on stage and the intricate dance routine, all of which demands strength, flexibility, balance, and creativity. "
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[–]khuddler[S] 3 points 8 days ago
I have to say, I like the woman you showed me in the figure example more, I think she's gorgeous. :)
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[–]jjm22 1 point 7 days ago
That's Jamie Eason :) She is sort of famous in the figure world!
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[–]ElementZero 1 point 8 days ago
I believe there is also different levels of bodybuilding as well, and usually for women at the highest level theres a lot of supplements and breast augmentation that goes on.
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[–]jjm22 3 points 8 days ago
Also yes - it is very, very fun. I feel so powerful and awesome while lifting. It's empowering to know I'm stronger than most women (and some men).
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[–]seethreepeeoh 4 points 8 days ago
Hi there, not a body builder here, but a gym fanatic. I have always been fit/healthy. I participated in sports as a child and ran track in highschool, took up yoga at some point as well. I also have a very high metabolism even during periods of inactivity, so I'm prone to becoming "too thin".
About two months ago I noticed that a couple pairs of my pants were fitting too loosely again. I was pissed... I'm 5'4", I feel best between 120 and 125 pounds, but somehow I had slipped back down to 117.
When this happened I decided to build muscle because my body wouldnt just burn through it the same way it could burn through fat reserves. I've been working with free weights and under the bar, but instead of doing light weight with many reps I've switched it to heavier weights.
In the just under two months time since I began this, I have been working out 5-6 days a week, increased my protein and iron intake, doubled the weight I do for ALL freeweight activities, and gained 8 lbs.
Seeing the transformation in my body has been incredible. I feel more feminine now with bigger biceps and cut legs than I ever did being rail thin. I feel strong, healthy, and empowered. I love when other women in the gym ask me what my regimen is, compliment my shape, or ask for exercise tips. It's great that my hard work is starting to show. Now my goal is to get up to 135-140 pounds, which obviously will take a ton of work.
So, not really body building, at least on any major level, but putting on muscle is the biggest rush ever.
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[–]khuddler[S] 2 points 8 days ago
That's really inspiring, I don't know if I could get the willpower and motivation up to do that kind of hard work. I guess the first step is taking the first step, but getting the initial push to do it is difficult. Thanks for your input :)
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[–]seethreepeeoh 2 points 8 days ago
Thank you :) Getting to the gym is 90% of the battle, once you're there the workout will just come to you. I've never regretted going to workout, but I always regret it when I decide to take an extra off day. Exercise is really gratifying! :)
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[–]jjm22 1 point 7 days ago
That being said off days are good, too :) I find it difficult to take them, but I took one yesterday and felt so ready to go again today!
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[–]seethreepeeoh 1 point 7 days ago
So true! I think the reason they're so gratifying is because you KNOW you've earned them. Then the next day's workout is incredible! What is it that you do? Sorry if you've already posted it elsewhere; I'm redditing from my phone at the moment so it's a little difficult to scroll through everything!
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[–]jjm22 1 point 7 days ago
I agree it is totally the biggest rush!
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[–]sheeplessinseattle 1 point 8 days ago
Check out /r/xxfitness.
Do you mean the bodybuilders in competitive bodybuilding? Or anyone who lifts regularly?
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[–]khuddler[S] 1 point 6 days ago
Mostly competitively, because it seems that the emphasis is really on muscle appearance, and that's what I'm curious about