10 Most Extreme Female Bodybuilders.
Number 10.
Brigita Brezovac is a professional bodybuilder from Slovenia.
She knew that what she wanted to do at the age of 14, when she saw posters of classic
female bodybuilders on the wall of her boyfriend's home gym.
In 2001 at the age of 22, she competed in her first amateur bodybuilding competition
and came in fourth.
Her first Ms. Olympia was in 2010, where she placed tenth, but returned the next year and
came in third.
Though she never won the title of Ms. Olympia, she won multiple other competitions and finished
within the top six competitors at every subsequent Ms. Olympia she competed in.
Before her retirement in 2013, Brigita was named the fifth best female bodybuilder by
the International Federation of Body Builders (IFBB) Pro League.
Number 9.
Colette Guimond is a French Canadian professional IFBB female bodybuilder.
She started training at the age of 26 and began competing in amateur competitions after
only two years of training.
She won the Montreal Championship in 1989, but wasn't able to break into the professional
competitions.
Her career was unfortunately put on hold due to an accident in 1997.
For this reason Guimond was only able compete in three professional competitions over the
course of her career, and she may have reached greater heights had she been able to stay
healthy.
Number 8.
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia is one of the most decorated professional bodybuilders in the sport.
Hailing from Venezuela, Oriquen started her professional bodybuilding career in the late
1980s.
She earned her pro card in 1993 after winning the Central American Championships and moved
to the United States.
Her most notable victories are her five Ms. International titles and one Ms. Olympia title.
At the age of 50, it's not clear when Oriquen is going to hang it up.
She's clearly still passionate about the sport, and trains other bodybuilders in the craft
at her gym in South Beach, Florida.
Number 7.
Virginia Sanchez is a professional bodybuilder and personal trainer from Madrid, Spain.
She started training for competitions at the young age of 17, and competed in her first
amateur competition when she was only 19.
She's now in her 40s but looks bigger and stronger than ever.
Her biceps are pushing 17 inches and her quads are a whopping 27 inches.
It's hard to imagine how hulking she'd be in person, but that's before you consider
the fact that all of this muscle is packed on a 5 foot 3 inch frame.
The saying "big things come in small packages" has never been more appropriate than when
discussing the physical physique of Virginia Sanchez.
Number 6.
Iris Kyle is an American bodybuilder, who is widely recognized as one of the best bodybuilders
in history.
She is the most decorated bodybuilder with 10 Ms. Olympia titles, 7 Ms. International
titles, and countless other professional decorations.
She was inspired to get into the sport when she moved to Orange County, California, and
saw all of the fit bodies walking around.
She got into the gym and the rest is history.
Kyle is one of the legends of the sport and ranked first on the IFBB Pro rankings.
Kyle retired from bodybuilding after her tenth Ms. Olympia title in 2014, but announced that
she would soon return to competing.
Number 5.
Kristy Hawkins shows that you don't need to ditch your brains or your pretty face to become
a professional bodybuilder, as she has both.
Her natural beauty combined with hulking muscles is something to behold, and when you consider
the fact that Harkins is also has a masters in Chemical Engineering you begin to believe
that there's truly nothing she can't do.
Hawkins' bodybuilding efforts came as a result of wanting to lose weight.
She was actually heavyset when she started, and even had eating disorders before she started
training seriously.
Working out began as a way for her to burn calories but it turned into a passion and
a profession.
She turned pro in 2007 and competed in four professional competitions in her career.
Hawkins actually quit bodybuilding and transitioned into professional powerlifting.
Number 4.
Lisa Giesbrecht is a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the women on this list.
Instead of beginning training at an early age, this mother of two picked up bodybuilding
in her thirties.
She was always fit, but since she started taking it seriously she has had a complete
body transformation.
Giebecht is a true testament to what can occur when a fit person decides to take things to
the next level.
While she's likely past her prime in terms of ability to put up weight, Giesbrecht is
still competing and hopes to take a championship in her still-young career.
Number 3.
Debi Laszewski had a tumultuous path to her professional bodybuilding dream, which was
almost lost at multiple times in her career.
She started training at the age of 20, and by 24 she had won her first amateur competition.
In 2000, though, she was disheartened by the judges placing her seventh, and her dedication
declined as a result.
She eventually stopped competing and focused on personal training with no plans to return
to the sport.
In 2005, with the addition of the light heavyweight class, Laszewski returned to bodybuilding
and went pro a year later.
Since 2009, Debi has placed in the top four of every competition she's entered, including
two second place finishes in Ms. International and one second place finish in Ms. Olympia.
Number 2.
Natalia Trukhina, unlike many on this list, is not an IFBB professional bodybuilder.
She's competed in amateur events, but focuses much of her effort on powerlifting instead
of just bodybuilding.
At 25, though, there is still a large window in front of her should she decide to pursue
a change in scenery.
Right now she coaches other bodybuilders and trains for professional powerlifting competitions.
She is the current European bench press and deadlift champion, and holds the world record
for the bench (375 lbs) and the armlift.
Number 1.
Alina Popa is a Romanian professional bodybuilder.
She started her physical transformation at the age of 12, when she began competing in
track events in order to lose weight.
At 19 she was inspired to begin weightlifting when she saw another woman at the gym preparing
for a competition.
She was weightlifting for two years recreationally before her trainer suggested she start competing.
Popa competed in the heavyweight division and eventually earned her IFBB pro card in
2008.
She's competed in multiple Ms. Olympia and Ms. International events since her professional
debut, placing as high as second.
She took a break in 2015 due to injury, but returned to competitions in 2016, placing
third in the IFBB Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix World Championship.
Popa has been known to be one of the strongest women alive, with the ability to squat 400
pounds.