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International Federation of Bodybuilding WA says bodybuilding more than a hobby for m

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International Federation of Bodybuilding WA says bodybuilding more than a hobby for men

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Brigidene O'Shaughnessy (39, disability program coordinator), Tyson Smith (37, personal trainer), Dr Sally Yamamoto (32, Vet) and Barbie Heng (34, beauty therapist). Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Sunday Times



PREPARING for summer used to be as simple as lying luxuriously on a beach getting a tan.

But for a growing number of women it now involves hitting the gym and pumping some serious iron.

The rise of bodybuilding as a fitness regime has seen the sport become more than just a niche hobby for men.

International Federation of Bodybuilding WA division director Mike O'Mara said bodybuilding competitions had been overhauled to include categories such as "best bikini body" to cater for less ostentatious looking participants.

"It's brought our bodybuilding world into the mainstream," Mr O'Mara, who trains hundreds of Perth gym junkies, said.

Fan numbers have grown so rapidly in Perth that last weekend's IFBB state championships had to be moved from the WA Italian Club to the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, to cater for crowd numbers that had surged into the thousands.

Figures released by financial management firm Ezidebit show 57 per cent of all Australians paying for personal training sessions are women, and that in the last financial year Australians spent close to $1 billion to maintain their physiques.

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Brigidene O'Shaughnessy (39, disability program coordinator), Tyson Smith (37, personal trainer), Dr Sally Yamamoto (32, Vet) and Barbie Heng (34, beauty therapist). Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Sunday Times



"The girls who were competing before with the bigger muscles have now gone back to smaller muscles and bikinis," Mr O'Mara said. "Women go, 'I want to be like her' and men say, 'I want to meet someone like her'."

Brigidene O'Shaughnessy, 39, competed in the recent championships. In the weeks leading up to the event she spent 18 hours a week in the gym, having to juggle her workouts with raising three children and her job as a support teacher for disabled students.

Ms O'Shaughnessy said the popularity of bodybuilding was being fed by a generation obsessed with taking pictures of themselves.

"People are more aware of their body and selling themselves," she said. "There's just an explosion of media and people are wanting to look good all the time for photos."

Veterinarian Sally Yamamoto, 32, took up bodybuilding after watching her partner personal trainer Tyson Smith fall in love with the sport.
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Barbie Heng (34, Beauty Therapist). Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: The Sunday Times



"You learn about disciplining yourself," Dr Yamamoto said. "You learn about how to set goals. You learn about how to focus yourself and that can be transferred into the rest of your life."

The couple eat a high-protein meal every three hours during the day. They also train together several times per week. "It's been really good for the relationship-building side of things," Dr Yamamoto said.

Sticking to a strict diet and eating six meals a day has been challenging for bikini model Barbie Heng, 34, but she said the routine had now become second nature.

The Fernwood Fitness beauty therapist said: "I love the gym. I love the training. I love the lifestyle."

Curtin University physiotherapy and exercise science lecturer Kevin Netto said part of the popularity of bodybuilding came from sharing health goals with other athletes.

"Exercising with people with the same mindset definitely promotes the social side of it," he said. "We know the physical aspects of sport but I think a lot of people don't realise the mental health benefits."

Dr Netto said there were a lot less drugs in the sport than there were a decade ago.

"I think the focus is really now on tone and fitness rather than big muscle," he said. "There's been a lot of this misinformation that if women go and work out they'll get these big muscles it's just an impossibility."

But he cautioned that bodybuilding could become addictive, with athletes suffering withdrawal symptoms if they put down the weights.

"If you do it on a very regular basis your body does build up dependence and if you stop you get exercise withdrawal," he said.

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