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Freak Fitness

Darren Mehling BA, CSCS

As a strongman competitor, Darren has pulled 50,000 lb trucks and dead lifted 805 lbs. As a competitive bodybuilder, he has won Provincial Super-heavyweight & Overall titles. As President & CEO of FREAK Fitness, he has coached his clients to hundreds of Novice, Provincial/State, National, and IFBB Pro titles. Having been involved in the sport of bodybuilding for over 20 years, Darren has his finger on the pulse of the local and international bodybuilding scenes, and will be keeping you informed through his column, “Freak Fitness."

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The Evolution of the Female Divisions in the IFBB Pro League

In every competition season, I have the opportunity to travel to cities across Canada and the USA for various shows, ranging from regional level to IFBB Pro. Because of my exposure to so many regions and levels of competition, I get great insight into the many aspects of the sport. In particular, I’ve seen some interesting trends in various female divisions.

I’m sure many of you reading this will agree that the bikini division appears to be the more versatile in terms of which bodies are being awarded top spots. What most people don’t realize is that bikini is unique among all divisions.

Bikini Division 

Bikini is judged as part physique competition and part beauty contest; it’s the best balance of the elements of body, glamour, and presentation that consistently wins. Most “traditional” opinions look only at conditioning and physique development, while the judges are now also giving equal consideration to how hair, makeup, tan, posing, and stage presentation all fit together.

Figure Division Division

In the figure division, things have been on a roller coaster for the past few years, but I think they’re starting to get more established again since the women’s physique division has been added. A few years ago, bigger and bigger figure competitors were winning. Judges can only judge what’s in front of them, so as competitors wanted to gain an edge over their competition, we started to see bigger delts and back and more striated quads and glutes. It got so out of hand that the IFBB had to send out a directive to all athletes and judges that a 10 percent reduction in size and conditioning must be observed, and anyone who was on the extreme end of things would be heavily penalized. Unfortunately, it never really took effect as I think there was too much of a gap between women’s bodybuilding and figure. Once the women’s physique division was introduced, things changed. Figure has now become more about shape and conditioning than just the biggest women winning. A great example is IFBB Pro Azaria Glaim, who won the 2014 CBBF Nationals weighing a mere 118 pounds. She wasn’t the biggest onstage, but she had the best balance of shape, development, conditioning, and presentation.

Women's Bodybuilding

In regard to women’s bodybuilding, I predict a surge of new interest. A number of women’s physique competitors, Maria Mikola and Nicki Chartrand (both IFBB Pros), have sparked new life into this division. These women still bring great size and conditioning, but they also bring small waists and beautiful femininity that hasn’t been seen in this division since Lenda Murray. It may never become as mainstream as bikini, but with great promoters such as the Wings of Strength group, there is a growing fan base that will continue to enhance demand and interest.

Overall, through adding additional divisions such as women’s physique and men’s classic physique, I applaud the IFBB amateur and pro leagues for their continued diversification of both male and female categories. Individuality and expanded opportunities for competitors to become the best version of themselves are great things, not just for the athlete but also for our sport. Let’s continue to embrace the evolution of the sport and celebrate excellence in all its forms onstage!

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