Andrea Shaw talks about the differences between Men’s Open and Women’s Open bodybuilding – and how much more of an emotional impact bulking has for women.
It’s generally understood that the gaze and expectations on female bodies are far different than they are for men. So how does that play out in the world of bodybuilding? A sport where the perfection of a physique is judged by audiences and judges alike? There has often been a controversial discussion about “femininity” for the bigger female divisions such as Women’s Open. But that challenge also finds its way beyond just the stage. Much like any other athlete in the sport, female bodybuilders need to bulk during the off season. In our latest GI Exclusive, 2x Ms. Olympia Andrea Shaw opens up about the emotional impact of bulking during the offseason for women.
Andrea Shaw discussed previously with us about the concept of femininity in the female divisions of bodybuilding. She believes that a Women’s Open bodybuilder can certainly be feminine at the same time as successfully competing. That being said, she also thinks that femininity should not be a judging factor on the stage. That should be a personal choice. At the end of the day, the physique should be judged in the same way the Men’s Open division.
That being said, just like Men’s Open, women also need to go through the same kind of cycles during prep each year. That mean’s they also have to go through a bulking off season stage. This is to build more muscle with the plan to eventually cut down and become conditioned before a competition.
But for those women who value their femininity, the bulking phase can be a much more emotional challenge than it is for men. Or at least, that’s what Andrea Shaw believes based on her personal experience and discussions she has had with other female competitors.
This is in part because of a personal desire to maintain a certain feminine look. But it’s also because of the systemic gaze and expectation put on women in culture. If a man bulks up, there’s less of a chance that he will receive comments or criticism – depending on how much weight we’re talking about. For women, it can be a game changer in how they are perceived and even treated.
“Women handle it way more emotionally. Way more,” Andrea Shaw states in our interview. She continues:
“Because it does start to kind of wear on you that ‘Oh my gosh a month ago I was no where near this heavy.’ I mean you know, I put on twenty pounds. Especially bodybuilders. I think the more muscle mass you have, you’re going to see the increase in pounds a little faster. Like even now I’m already up twenty pounds from the show… but you know, I reversed out. I took my time. But still that’s naturally what my body wanted to do… so when you get into the acceptance phase of, you know, you’re going to have that happen then it’s okay.”
Andrea Shaw went on to say that she speaks with many other fellow competitors who have trouble coping with off season bulking. Their clothes stop fitting and they feel like they are losing a part of their physique that they identify with. But Shaw maintains that acceptance of this part of the cycle is necessary.
The reason it’s necessary is due to the harsh reality that no competitor can really stay that conditioned 365 days a year. It wouldn’t be healthy. And with the pressures put on women to look a certain way – it can become dangerous if a woman doesn’t accept the bulking phase and succumbs to outside pressure. That can lead to health dangers.
You can watch Andrea Shaw go into full detail about bulking in Women’s Bodybuilding and more on contest prep in general by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
