Bikinis and biceps: the world of female bodybuilders

Female bodybuilding used to be big – like female bodybuilders themselves – but it was a craze that wasn't built to last. Now its devotees are an endangered species.

We've been speaking barely 10 minutes when Sarah Bridges shifts her enormous upper body in the doll's-house dimensions of her chair and takes in a young man, kit bag in hand, framed in the doorway of the Dartford pub she runs with her husband, Bill.

'That's my three o'clock,' she says, waving at the newcomer, who it transpires has travelled from Dover for a physical appraisal from Sarah, one of the world's most experienced female bodybuilders. Ten minutes later in the pub kitchen the 26-year-old is ordered to strip and stand posing in his pants while Sarah points out his strengths and weaknesses. At the bar a trio of locals sip Kentish ales and pass around a bag of pork scratchings as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

But Sarah's dedication to bodybuilding is out of the ordinary. Fewer and fewer women in Britain are taking part in the sport; of those who do the majority are opting to adhere to more conventionally feminine classes like 'figure' and 'body fitness', seeing the bulkier frames of women like Sarah as a throwback to the heyday of bodybuilding in the 1980s, when bigger was better and Arnie was king.

Women & Winstrol

Overview
Winstrol, or "winny", is one of the steroids most commonly suggested for women, (along with anavar and primobolan). Winstrol comes in both oral and water-based injectable form (or as water-based, you can actually drink it). It is attractive to women or recommended for women because it is an oral, it has a relatively short half-life and detection time (i.e. it clears the system relatively quickly, reducing the duration of any undesired sides following completion of a cycle), and promotes lean muscle mass without water retention. It is most commonly viewed as a "cutter" for physique competition. Winstrol is also attractive as it tends to be both cheaper and more readily available than anavar or primobolan. Also because of this, it is less likely to be faked.

Winstrol is often grouped with Anavar as good steroid for "beginners" or those who don't want to go into the more aggressive compounds (i.e. injectables), however, it is more androgenic than anavar and sides are less predictable and more unique to the individual, with the potential of being very androgenic. Because of this, anavar would generally be the better recommendation, but winstrol is seen as a viable alternative.

Raye Hollitt

Raye Hollitt was born on April 17, 1964 in the small town of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.  Raye developed the competitive spirit by participating in sports such as softball, volleyball, hockey, basketball, track & field, powerlifting, bodybuilding, and fitness!  The discipline of being a competitive bodybuilder has helped her to obtain and succeed many goals

Raye has made quite a remarkable career for herself over the years starting with competing in bodybuilding competitions and going on to work as a magazine model, acting in television shows like Jag, Baywatch and the Muppets, appearing in appearing in 9 feature films, including starring in Skin Deep (1989), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), and The Last Hour (1991).

Bikinis and biceps: the world of female bodybuilders

Female bodybuilding used to be big – like female bodybuilders themselves – but it was a craze that wasn't built to last. Now its devotees are an endangered species.

We've been speaking barely 10 minutes when Sarah Bridges shifts her enormous upper body in the doll's-house dimensions of her chair and takes in a young man, kit bag in hand, framed in the doorway of the Dartford pub she runs with her husband, Bill.

'That's my three o'clock,' she says, waving at the newcomer, who it transpires has travelled from Dover for a physical appraisal from Sarah, one of the world's most experienced female bodybuilders. Ten minutes later in the pub kitchen the 26-year-old is ordered to strip and stand posing in his pants while Sarah points out his strengths and weaknesses. At the bar a trio of locals sip Kentish ales and pass around a bag of pork scratchings as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

But Sarah's dedication to bodybuilding is out of the ordinary. Fewer and fewer women in Britain are taking part in the sport; of those who do the majority are opting to adhere to more conventionally feminine classes like 'figure' and 'body fitness', seeing the bulkier frames of women like Sarah as a throwback to the heyday of bodybuilding in the 1980s, when bigger was better and Arnie was king.