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Shelf life? Really? You're using the phrase "shelf life" to describe human beings?
Sadly, you're not the only one on this site with this perspective. It's amazing to come to a site that specifically celebrates strong women, but take pot shots at them for PED use, "risks outweighing the benefits," and this absurd fake vs. natty thing. Even if a woman is like 230lb of pure muscle, she'll still get demeaned by some dudes looking to criticize her and pick her apart. It's f--ing sad.
To answer your question: there are a ton of female athletes who are in the game for a long time. It takes like 10 years of pretty consistent training to have a champion physique, so many of them are doing the sport for much longer than it seems.
Some of them move on to other things. Some have children and have to alter their lifestyle. I wouldn't say that the male side of the sport is any more consistent. It's something that people do enter and exit at will. And like any sport, age is eventually going to be an issue.
Shelf life? Really? You're using the phrase "shelf life" to describe human beings?
Sadly, you're not the only one on this site with this perspective. It's amazing to come to a site that specifically celebrates strong women, but take pot shots at them for PED use, "risks outweighing the benefits," and this absurd fake vs. natty thing. Even if a woman is like 230lb of pure muscle, she'll still get demeaned by some dudes looking to criticize her and pick her apart. It's f--ing sad.
To answer your question: there are a ton of female athletes who are in the game for a long time. It takes like 10 years of pretty consistent training to have a champion physique, so many of them are doing the sport for much longer than it seems.
Some of them move on to other things. Some have children and have to alter their lifestyle. I wouldn't say that the male side of the sport is any more consistent. It's something that people do enter and exit at will. And like any sport, age is eventually going to be an issue.
Take it easy, Capt. Save.
Sadly, you're not the only one on this site with this perspective. It's amazing to come to a site that specifically celebrates strong women, but take pot shots at them for PED use, "risks outweighing the benefits," and this absurd fake vs. natty thing.
I don't see it as pot shots in this case. They have a point - female bodybuilders don't last long, especially compared to their male counterparts. Girls will come on the scene fully Hulk'd out, then disappear just as fast. Personal reasons play a part, but progressing too fast and being unable to maintain those physiques could be a factor, too. That might change considering how easy it is to access more bodybuilding information nowadays, so people, especially women, have a better idea of what their progress should look with the proper diet, training, and supplements. Sooner or later, we may see more women with better longevity.
That depends on the FBB. Some of them -- the Shannon Courtney types -- go hard on the PED use, blow up quickly, then throttle way back or quit altogether so they still have a functioning liver in their 30s and 40s. (Plus they still want to land a (non-schmoe) man and have kids.)
Others are much more judicious in their PED use. They train hard, but they more slowly and methodically build up their physique, year after year, and can stay in the game a long time. These are much rarer, as you say, because like any athlete, bodybuilders want to chase that fleeting glory at almost any cost.
Then there are the ones who quit competing, but still go to the gym and stay hard into middle and old age, and active in the community. Your Betty Pariso, Bev Francis, Melody Spetko, Lenda Murray types.
Then there's Kristy Hawkins, the exception to all the rules in fbb. Been lifting for 25 years, during which she pretty much conquered bodybuilding, conquered powerlifting, and now may be eyeing a return to bodybuilding. Because, you know, Kristy Hawkins.
So yeah, an fbb's career may be short. Her time as a popular fbb may be shorter still. That's a good observation. But please say "bodybuilding career", not "shelf life".
I feel like we should hold a bodybuilding show that's exclusively made up of "Girls With Muscle" members.
Dudes here are insanely well informed on steroids and training and the overall bodybuilding career path. Surely they've got to be huge themselves. I bet it's impossible to even find sleeves that fit.
After a lot of these girls see just how JACKED and ALPHA everyone is, they'll most likely come begging for advice and guidance. I think if we all work together, we can help them to radically extend their shelf life! I mean, provided that we still find them hot and all, amirite?
I don't see why you're getting bent out of shape when this is something the women themselves have even said. Theresa Ivancik recently did an interview with John Romano and talked about how most girls aren't well-advised when it comes to training and PED usage, resulting in them competing for "maybe two years, then they just fall off".
There's another interview Romano conducted with Donna Salib where she talks about doing her research in regard to training and PED's because longevity is important to her.
Most of us don't claim to be experts, rather we go by what the ladies themselves have said and things we've seen that back up their claims.
@Muscles_Toez Easy there. I believe we're talking more about the competitive career of a physique competitor/athlete, not a human being's worth.
@Sluggo I'm not sure how relevant the fake natty discussion is here. I feel like anyone who seriously competes will soon understand and accept that having good genetics being enhanced is required. However many supplements they choose to take in a given time frame is up to them.
Muscle toez thinks u needa be 300lb shredded to be informed on steroids. Lel.
Called research and observation champ. Just observe the amount of FBb and males that burn out going their hardest before theyre even 35. Not exactly an "old" age by standard definition.
All the person said was the profession has a shelf life to it. Not humans like you got all worked up over. Chill lol
From casual observation, here are some women who have been bodybuilding pros for 10 years or more (some of them over 20 years). These are all women who still compete or at least maintain their muscle mass:
And I'm sure there are many others, but this is off the top of my head. Even if you go through retired bodybuilders... Iris Kyle, Lenda Murray, Denise Masino, Debi Laszewski, Dayana Cadeau, etc., all of whom got their start in the late 80's/early 90's when the women started getting truly massive... they lasted several years.
I only point this out because it's likely either a case of genetics and/or they have/had better knowledge in terms of what is safe to use for longevity. I guarantee in another 5-10 years there will be another generation who can say they've been at it for over a decade. Angela Yeo, Natalia Kovaleva, Kristina Mendoza, Andrea Shaw, etc.
EDIT
This is why the fake natty discussion is so relevant.....it teases young up and comers that they can be stars if they just go all in on the needles.....
I agree with this.
From casual observation, here are some women who have been bodybuilding pros for 10 years or more (some of them over 20 years). These are all women who still compete or at least maintain their muscle mass:
- Yaxeni Oriquen
- Helle Trevino (once Helle Larsen)
- Heather Armbrust (once Policky)
- Margie Martin
- Theresa Ivancik
- Branka Njegovec
- Alina Popa (now seemingly retired only recently)
- Sheila Bleck
And I'm sure there are many others, but this is off the top of my head. Even if you go through retired bodybuilders... Iris Kyle, Lenda Murray, Denise Masino, Debi Laszewski, Dayana Cadeau, etc., all of whom got their start in the late 80's/early 90's when the women started getting truly massive... they lasted several years.
I only point this out because it's likely either a case of genetics and/or they have/had better knowledge in terms of what is safe to use for longevity. I guarantee in another 5-10 years there will be another generation who can say they've been at it for over a decade. Angela Yeo, Natalia Kovaleva, Kristina Mendoza, Andrea Shaw, etc.
EDIT
I agree with this.
You listed a lot of the exceptions I was thinking of….and I almost listed them but to keep it short, I dropped the idea. Again, they are the exceptions. Many of the “it” girls or “Champions” of just a few years ago, now evaporate. Sure, the door keeps revolving them in and out but now it seems more accelerated than in the past.
I think the OP erred a little in saying the shelf life of a competitive FBB was 3-5 years max. It would probably be more accurate to say it was 3-5 years on average - with some outliers (listed by other posters above) competing for more than a decade and others appearing in one or two shows and then hanging up their posing suits. This is normal for any athletic endeavor, particularly one which is an all-encompassing lifestyle like bodybuilding.
Also, there are a lot of factors that make competitive bodybuilding (or physique, figure, what have you) a difficult thing to maintain year after year - not just drug use. You've got a diet to maintain, body fat to look after, the workouts themselves, plus the mental grind of all of the above. In addition, with female competitors you have the factor of possibly wanting kids, which typically happens in one's physical prime and can interrupt or put an end to competitive bodybuilding interests. Their male counterparts don't have to carry kids, so this problem doesn't really arise for them.
Has anybody else noticed recently that the shelf life of a popular FBB is about 3-5 years max? As I have seen many contest videos from the past, it seems like the whole dais changes over to new women pretty quickly. The PED use has to catch up to them along with the winnings being so low. What woman would dive into this game for such little return and a chance on their health? Sure, it's been said it is their marathon and they won't do it forever but the risks outweigh the benefits to be in this sport. This is why the fake natty discussion is so relevant.....it teases young up and comers that they can be stars if they just go all in on the needles.....