10 Most Extreme Female Bodybuilders.
Brigita Brezovac
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.
Colette Guimond
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.
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
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.
Virginia Sanchez
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.
Iris Kyle
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.
Kristy Hawkins
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.
Lisa Giesbrecht
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.
Debi Laszewski
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.
Natalia Trukhina
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.
Alina Popa
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.10 Most Extreme Female Bodybuilders.
Brigita Brezovac
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.
Colette Guimond
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.
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
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.
Virginia Sanchez
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.
Iris Kyle
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.
Kristy Hawkins
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.
Lisa Giesbrecht
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.
Debi Laszewski
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.
Natalia Trukhina
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.
Alina Popa
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.
