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Why Bodybuilders Quit?

Nov 18, 2021 - permalink

Every bodybuilder (female bodybuilders only) begin their bodybuilding journey with the idea of being the best version of themselves. They all train to be the best amongst the best and continue on that path for a long time. But suddenly, out of nowhere they either quit the field of bodybuilding citing various reasons.

Why does this happen? Is it because they've achieved what they intended? Or because they did not enjoy the bodybuilding lifestyle anymore? Share your views, opinions on the same.

Nov 18, 2021 - permalink

I think there's another post about this most of the user's in it agreed that girls who rush into the sport (get big quick) experience burnout fast then quit others said that steroid use takes it's toll on them after a while and they're not ok with the effects.

Wish I could remember the name of this post it's a good read. ☺

Nov 18, 2021 - permalink

There's a similar thread on here about girls who quit early on. But there's plenty of reasons why. For most, it's because bodybuilding as a lifestyle is hardly sustainable, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

There's been a lot of deaths in the bodybuilding community this year, and many speculate it has to do with the intense performance-enhancing drug use that comes into play. You won't last long constantly abusing them.

In terms of finances, for women there's almost no money in it. You'll see many women create an OnlyFans or herbicepscam account to scrape up enough money to support their lifestyles. Some are lucky enough to have a partner that can help, but even then, that's not always enough.

Another reason is scrutiny. Because of spaces like this, it's easy to forget that muscular women are still considered odd by normal standards. There was a write-up sometime ago about Emery Miller being judged for her muscles so badly that she cried. There was a young bodybuilder (Georgia something) who apparently gave it up after her boyfriend was mocked for dating her. Keep in mind, we're not talking about a fitness model here. This girl was BEEFY. You would have thought Schwarzenegger himself was her trainer.

Paige Sendgren was another young bodybuilder who stopped for a time because her boyfriend wasn't fond of her packing on size. She's slowly making her return, though.

A big reason that maybe gets overlooked because we don't like to talk about it much... the fans. Female bodybuilding can attract a weird bunch sometimes. Maybe it's because some people are used to this being a private fetish. Maybe it's because, like most fanbases, there's always going to be a few who take it to the extreme. But some women end up having bad experiences with admirers, and it turns them off from that world entirely. Tarna Alderman was a bodybuilder who sited that as one of the reasons why she stopped competing.

There's probably plenty more reasons I didn't mention, but those are the ones that I can think of right now that are usually the biggies.

Nov 18, 2021 - permalink

A big reason that maybe gets overlooked because we don't like to talk about it much... the fans. Female bodybuilding can attract a weird bunch sometimes. Maybe it's because some people are used to this being a private fetish. Maybe it's because, like most fanbases, there's always going to be a few who take it to the extreme. But some women end up having bad experiences with admirers, and it turns them off from that world entirely. Tarna Alderman was a bodybuilder who sited that as one of the reasons why she stopped competing.

The disrespect.. I wish this was talked about more it's too noticeable at times and makes us all look like incels.

Nov 18, 2021 - edited Nov 18, 2021 - permalink

The fanbase can be rough, and then the rest of the world can sometimes see them as considerably less than desirable (look at some of the negative comments you can see on the Instagram page of someone like Kristen Nun) .

To sustain it as a woman, I think you have to have a serious commitment to the sport as an ideal or even some kind of genderfluid/muscle fetish thing going on (for instance, Paige Dumars wants to present as more masculine, and Chelsea Dion definitely strikes me as someone who gets off on seeing her own growth).

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

In addition to what people have said about the dangers and expenses of drug use, the social opprobrium, and the weirdo fan base ...

Maybe, at some point, especially the older they get, they just get tired of spending their lives in the gym?

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

Physical, financial and emotional tolls. A combo of all three

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

Another big reason is family planning. Not very compatible with getting pregnant and having kids.

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

The biggest reason is they don't want to take roids anymore.

Most other reasons are sort of excuses to cover up this one, whether we like to admit it or not.

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

I think it's simply a temporary phase of life. I'm talking about bodybuilding with focus on competitions. That's simply no life, the competition lifestyle is not really that healthy in the long term. But there's something in between, most women will keep staying active going to gym with a softer approach regarding diets and schedule. Some completely quit maybe cuz their experiences into BB world were not so good. Also our bodies are keep changing, even more on women, and you're gonna feel you need a different lifestyle. Pretty sure there's not a general and only one reason but many ones and they can be different for each other.

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

Im pretty sure many FBBs get demotivated after placing low in competitions. Sooner or later they quit.

Nov 21, 2021 - edited Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

Physical, financial and emotional tolls. A combo of all three

Very true Rob on all three!

My own wife herself is an amateur bodybuilder for fun. She loves the sport after when I introduced her to it in Russia where she is from. I'm a bodybuilder as well but also personal trainer and I work as a bank investor full time. So I'm well off financially to cover the expenses to go into bodybuilding for me and my wife. We currently live in Las Vegas where we set up our own home hardcore gym just like what Gold's Gym has in Venice Beach where I used to work many years ago. Also my wife cannot have children due to a car accident she was involved in in Russian. So our expenses are basically with each other and we can enjoy it on our incredible interest. But this is not the same for a lot of fbb's out there who are, and let's face it, not financially well off. Some fbb's have to strip in strip clubs to make a comfortable living for themselves and only themselves and from what me and my wife personally saw when we were moving from Chicago to Las Vegas. We stopped by clubs here and there just to ease the tensing and stress of moving. Emotional we are very happy with our bodies because we succeeded in getting our bodies to huge level. And honestly a lot of the neighbours love our look. But bodybuilding in all is a total devotion. People should know what they are getting into when it comes to bodybuilding.

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

Another big reason is family planning. Not very compatible with getting pregnant and having kids.

Exactly what happened to Katy "Anabolic Angel" Cook.

Nov 21, 2021 - permalink
Deleted by damagecontrol
Nov 21, 2021 - permalink

We agree with most of the reasons here, but the most applicable reason is missing…. IT’S HARD!

The lifestyle is 24/7, 365 days a year. You have to watch what you eat all the time and train 6 days a week, day in and day out. If you have a partner to share this lifestyle with it’s a bit easier but doing it on your own is brutal. The people who stay in this sport for more than 8-10 years are either truly dedicated to the sport and love it, or are OCD.

Absolutely right. Devotion and dedication is really the key to bodybuilding.

Dec 29, 2021 - permalink

Most quit become it takes a lot of money to stay in the game. Secondly, finding a sponsor is difficult. Lastly, the motivate to compete(let along modeling work) declines quickly. Sometimes, FBB just want to be a normal person again.

Dec 29, 2021 - permalink

Most quit become it takes a lot of money to stay in the game. Secondly, finding a sponsor is difficult. Lastly, the motivate to compete(let along modeling work) declines quickly. Sometimes, FBB just want to be a normal person again.

True. Bodybuilding is an extremely expensive to sport to keep up with. Women hardcore bodybuilders finding sponsors is difficult for them because nutrition companies and other types of companies in the bodybuilding industry don't to want to be associating with them because customers would find them way too gross.

Dec 29, 2021 - permalink
  • bodybuilding is an extremely demanding lifestyle with very little reward. It requires a lot of gym time, strict dieting (especially when they’re on prep for a competition,) and drugs. While there are ways to cycle with minimal harm, when athletes get to the IFBB level they have to take a LOT of compounds to be competitive, and as we have seen with a lot of bodybuilders dying relatively young, that can have serious health consequences. A lot of retired bodybuilders still lift, but without the drugs. Plus, if they want children, those compounds they take can prevent them from getting pregnant.

  • I think the above is especially true for the younger athletes who burst red-hot into the scene. Katy Cook and Hayley McNeff are just two examples of bodybuilders who emerged into the scene out of nowhere, was super prominent in the industry for a short while, then disappeared. The way to longevity in this sport (and other strength sports) is to not burn out too quickly.

  • finally, they get chased away by negative attention from both men who are grossed out by buff women, AND those who fetishize them. I am in my local fitness community, and there are no shortage of athletes who really, really despise schmoes. And by schmoes, I don’t mean the dudes who are simply attracted to muscular women, but rather those who act like total creeps and bombard their DMs with bullshit. It can get tiring if not downright disturbing, and there are women who cited that as reasons that they stop and disappear.

Dec 29, 2021 - permalink
  • bodybuilding is an extremely demanding lifestyle with very little reward. It requires a lot of gym time, strict dieting (especially when they’re on prep for a competition,) and drugs. While there are ways to cycle with minimal harm, when athletes get to the IFBB level they have to take a LOT of compounds to be competitive, and as we have seen with a lot of bodybuilders dying relatively young, that can have serious health consequences. A lot of retired bodybuilders still lift, but without the drugs. Plus, if they want children, those compounds they take can prevent them from getting pregnant.

  • I think the above is especially true for the younger athletes who burst red-hot into the scene. Katy Cook and Hayley McNeff are just two examples of bodybuilders who emerged into the scene out of nowhere, was super prominent in the industry for a short while, then disappeared. The way to longevity in this sport (and other strength sports) is to not burn out too quickly.

  • finally, they get chased away by negative attention from both men who are grossed out by buff women, AND those who fetishize them. I am in my local fitness community, and there are no shortage of athletes who really, really despise schmoes. And by schmoes, I don’t mean the dudes who are simply attracted to muscular women, but rather those who act like total creeps and bombard their DMs with bullshit. It can get tiring if not downright disturbing, and there are women who cited that as reasons that they stop and disappear.

Completely agree with all your points. The last one in particular. It must be frustrating to be in between those who consider them gross and those who are crossing the line of just an healthy admiration, to fall into an obsessive kind of fetish getting a total creep. I'm 49 and for most women I knew in my past years, the gym thing was a temporary phase of their life, for many different reasons, mostly been said before. I guess those who are staying in the gym are women who don't have to compete, who take it as a life style, and train without caring that much about the aesthetic part of the game but just themselves health, muscles then are the results of years of training and healthy habits.

Dec 29, 2021 - permalink

Let me explain the case of the young and famous German fitnessinfluencer Sophia Thiel. She was so extremely pushed, like she was the only woman in the world who achieved to loose weight and get muscular. She had her own DVDs, merch, had TV appearances... she was always observed by the media. She has/had eating disorder which caused her to gain weight very quickly. Due to her presence in the media, she got torn apart for gaining weight. The media asked what's wrong with her, are her training methods right? How is this possible? She had one or two comebacks where she managed to get her toned body back but after a while she decided to take a break from social media and disappeared. This year she appeared back in the media and is now a complete different person. Not ripped but a bit chubby. She told about her eating disorder and that she tried to reach an wrong body ideal.

Dec 30, 2021 - permalink

Let me explain the case of the young and famous German fitnessinfluencer Sophia Thiel. She was so extremely pushed, like she was the only woman in the world who achieved to loose weight and get muscular. She had her own DVDs, merch, had TV appearances... she was always observed by the media. She has/had eating disorder which caused her to gain weight very quickly. Due to her presence in the media, she got torn apart for gaining weight. The media asked what's wrong with her, are her training methods right? How is this possible? She had one or two comebacks where she managed to get her toned body back but after a while she decided to take a break from social media and disappeared. This year she appeared back in the media and is now a complete different person. Not ripped but a bit chubby. She told about her eating disorder and that she tried to reach an wrong body ideal.

Thank you for referencing her. I looked her up and read her story along with her hiatus from social media, and it made me think:

Granted, body image issues have always been a part of human nature, especially in the fitness world, but social media has definitely amplified them. It’s easy to forget (I forget as well!) that sometimes bodybuilding is the opposite of healthy living. There’s gotta be an incredible amount of pressure if you’re a fitness influencer to look and perform a certain way, and I can certainly see why it affected her mental health.

And looking at her current photos and her instagram activity, she looks healthy, and most importantly happy. It’s obvious she still works out, but she doesn’t do it to the extreme that she previously did.

cgsweat
Dec 30, 2021 - permalink

There is unfortunately a very large number of people who casually browse social media and do nothing but drop the most hurtful, disgusting comments you can think of without any regard for the person(s) behind the account. It takes little to effort at all to leave comments like that, but those comments (when enough have rattled the "influencer" to a breaking point) can destroy a passion and/or career for certain people.

Dec 30, 2021 - permalink

Katy Cook and Hayley McNeff are just two examples of bodybuilders who emerged into the scene out of nowhere, was super prominent in the industry for a short while, then disappeared.

I'm Katie Cook's case, she quit when she got pregnant.

Dec 31, 2021 - permalink

Well bodybuilding is super hard work looking at the workouts these women do I don't blame them for quitting I could not handle such a life.

M76
Jan 02, 2022 - permalink

Quitting competition is one thing, I can understand that. What I don't get is completely quitting working out and going back to average housewife look

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