Women Body Building after 40 or 50

[Merrida]

I've seen my fill of books and articles of many great men, some natural, some not, who have phenomenal physiques and continue to bodybuild well into their 70's and 80's.

I've done some research on my own trying to locate women who bodybuild past the age of 40 but I'm finding my access quite limited. What I've come across is a few juicers who give me nightmares,...but with women, the challenges are so different.

In my interview I fully admit how much harder it is to build your physique after 40, but I'm not talking about maintaining an athletic appearance, I'm talking about a bodybuilding physique.

There's a great deal of support, plenty of articles here on DF and on the net, but most of them direct us towards the productivity of men. How about women?

Do women lose interest in that intensity (is that a survey?) over a certain age? Is it the considerably greater intensity of workout required to get the bodybuilder's physique at that age that comes along with,...admittedly at that age, so many of life's issues come up, that maintaining the BB lifestyle (especially with kids) isn't as easy.

So what's your take on female bodybuilders over the age of 40 or 50? I can find endless info on men, but when it comes to women I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel (again unless I'm looking for gear heads).

.

[Lady C]

The only ones I can think of are the mother, daughter team - Kelly & Colleen.
http://www.agelesstraining.com/indexx.htm

There is a personal trainer in my gym who still competes as a bodybuilder and she is in the age range of your thread title. I'll try to see if she has a website or some photos posted when I see her next week.

She is in the cutting stages right now getting ready for an event. And she is natural as best as I can tell. She tells me she was a gymnast growing up. We have a date we keep missing to see who can hold longer in a handstand position. I'm sure she can whup me.

[Merrida]

Wow, Mr. P that would be awesome. I'd love to see pics of her.

And Lady C, thank you for that link.

It's a man's world with bodybuilding beyond a certain age, and "they" make it seem so simple. Fitness, shape, conditioning,,...yes, I can certainly argue that as an ageless event we choose to maintain. But in particular, the bodybuilding aspect for females, I see such a sudden drop off, and I'd like to learn and understand more about how and why this happens,....and how much is within our control (lifestyle, age, family, energy?),....and what influence hormones have (very specifically in relation to bodybuilding, NOT in relation to fitness and healthy conditioning).

.

[mesomorph]

G'Day Merrida,
There have been some scientific articles written that may give you clues about the mechanics and chemistry of training and age.
I've been studying articles and data regarding weight training in older adults for a while now. In summary, regardless of gender, if training is consistant and there are no physical barriers, hypertrophic adaptations will occur. Older men and women can get bigger, stronger, more powerful. Keys points seem to be - consistancy in training and diet, intensity, avoiding injury, economic supplementation.
A good start point is the Journal of Applied Physiology (search "older women")

OK Merrida, this is for you.

Joan Lopez trains at my gym and I chit-chat with her every morning. She is peaking now for an upcoming competition and looks as good now as the photo in the link below. One of these days I am going to have a handstand hold contest with her, knowing that she will whup me. I believe I can outrun her though. A very pleasant person who I am glad to know:

Here is a website with a photo of Joan Lopez:

http://www.wnbf.net/amchamp.html

Here is a short youtube video excerpt from a recent cable WE TV program "Secret Lives of Women":

http://youtube.com/watch?v=E3r-1j9h1CU

Joan tells me that most of the women in her federation are masters (age 40+) but they all compete in the open division as her federation does not have a master division.

[Lady C]

No, offense but I don't find those women attractive (except Leah). Too masculine and not very sexy. Those are usually the stigma images that are carried for most women when the words "bodybuilding" enter their minds. Hence "bulky" conversations arise.

Here is a link that Joan sent me. She is featured at about 2:30 in the video:

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/se...t-2/1385969323

It is refreshing to have a conversation with Joan and hear a very feminine voice.

[.V.]

Sounds like an interesting topic for a "member submission" article for the next newsletter.

hint...hint...somebody...anybody...hint...hint.

[westside24]

Originally Posted by Lady C

No, offense but I don't find those women attractive (except Leah). Too masculine and not very sexy. Those are usually the stigma images that are carried for most women when the words "bodybuilding" enter their minds. Hence "bulky" conversations arise.

same here... and yea joan and leah was the only two who was attractive because they were most symmetrical, and evenly shaped.