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Bodybuilding is extremely hard. i could never get myself to work as hard as these women do. it's expected that most give up after a few years .but some seem to keep going forever until they are old .but most don't and that is ok. this is very hard work for sure. Only the most devoted and motivated people can handle it. Most people would give up very quickly.
I'm glad that you brought that up because I have to remember that as well. Bodybuilders don't mind if you find them attractive, but they definitely hate guys who fetishize them and treat them as basically nothing but an object to be aroused by. I always try to remember that, and if a bodybuilder decides to downsize and/or get off the PEDs, it's for their own health and well-being and that takes priority over selfishly wanting to see them at their most biggest and ripped.
In a way, it almost makes me feel a bit guilty for being attracted to buff women. I feel bad that the majority of physiques that, well, turn me on are those that can only be achieved by PEDs. Or, in a more personal example, a situation that my girlfriend is going through. We met at CrossFit, and something that attracted both of us to each other was that we both were into CrossFit and strength sports. She is also very aware, and ok with the fact that I like women who lift. However, as of recently she has had some health issues that caused her to gain weight, and because of those health issues she is unable to (for the moment) to do CrossFit, heavy weight training or really any kind of high intensity exercise. It's really bumming her out and depressing her, and I try to comfort her best I can, but she is upset she is losing all her muscle and strength, and while she didn't say this directly I think some of it is because of how she knows I am into physically strong women. Make no mistake, I'm not going to leave her just because she can't lift (she has so many other things that I love about her,) but I feel so guilty that I am physically attracted to what I am especially because she is unable to do that for the time being. Even if I stopped looking at buff women online, the knowledge of my "preference" will always be there. And there are honestly times that I hate myself for it, if I am being honest and vulnerable.
Your post has again reminded me of the things that are really important. It's cool to find a certain look or physique attractive, but we should never forget the human element behind those strong women. Unfortunately, sometimes being that muscular and "fit" leads to a whole other set of negative issues that are rarely talked about, and stepping away from that might be the best thing for their mental and physical health.
I think a lot of these ones also suddenly realize the damage the drugs are doing and have a wake up call.. tbh
Surely. Idk how it’s like for guys but I can certainly imagine that a lot of women around 30 who want kids may want to protect their future health if using gear is a threat to that (and also just a longer career in general).
A couple of years ago I had a friend reach out asking if I could connect her with someone who had some egg preservation. She was starting to compete in bikini and wanted to take it seriously enough that she wanted to freeze some healthy eggs prior to going on this road so that they would be available when she thought it was done.
Same girl also told me that she sometimes thought about removing all of her guy followers because she only wanted to make content for women and train women and it made her uncomfortable at times that over half her followers were men.
It’s easy to look at photos and not really consider any of this
Maybe a little more serious topic than usually pops up, but in the midst of my own personal struggles and online activity, and seeing some comments here and on social media, it's something I've been thinking about for a little bit.
Was interesting to run into this post by Alyssa Muoio that she posted today--though I no longer follow her on socials. Here's the text:
It struck me pretty hard as I've been going through something similar, but when I was younger I never considered that something profound like this could happen to me, and maybe if you're under 30 you might read that quote and wonder what she's on about (especially the kind of oversaturated "wake up" usage that gets thrown around these days). And maybe if you're older it's far enough in the past that you remember it fondly, or differently, or not at all. Or maybe it never happened.
Anyways, it feels like she wants to hang it up, as we've seen many, many competitors do. I think many of us, myself included, are so quick to lament someone retiring, often blaming it on boyfriends that arrive or getting into weird spiritual stuff or, with more understanding, more serious life changes like having children or a health scare that forces them to make changes.
Why do I bring this up, then? I dunno--I see this most with people like Shannon Courtney or Dani Reardon (and I do it too): wishing they were as they had been years ago, wishing they hadn't quit or they had stayed on a little bit longer. As I've gotten older and seen some things I realized this: wishing you or someone else was in the state that YOU preferred for your own reasons is pretty selfish and denies them of any personal growth they may have experienced (and this includes the women who got into the woo woo stuff). Even if I think their current interests are weird, I still feel the same.
I have a friend that I was obsessed with for a while. We are close but we used to be really really close, and in proximity. We used to train together, texted super frequently. She got buff, flexed for me a few times until she didn't feel comfortable posing anymore (vs being on camera during a workout), then kind of made a hard turn into some other interests that diverted her life in a different direction. I find myself constantly wishing that I could turn back the clock 3, 4, 5 years to be in THAT MOMENT again, but I see her now as healthier, happier, overall in a way better place than that time frame, and I wouldn't wish that on her again.
Same goes for these women. Appreciate the windows that they are active in now, as you'll never know when they'll close. Lurking comment sections there's always a contingent of accounts asking if/when they'll return to bodybuilding or whatever hobby made them buff in the first place, and disregard whatever is making them happy right now.
I dunno--feel free to discuss, no idea where this thread will go, if anywhere. i promise I'm not high lol, but just some things bouncing around in my head.