Female Bodybuilding Divisions: Bikini, Figure, Physique, or Bodybuilding

This article will discuss some of the decision-making criteria we use at 3D Muscle Journey whenever we’re helping an athlete decide on which female bodybuilding division would be best for them.

We’re going to identify the four most-common divisions, then we’ll talk about the basic considerations that identify what is or isn’t included in them. We’ll also talk about the continuum from as leanest to softest physiques, and the amount of contest prep time that is generally required. Lastly, we’ll discuss the things you should think about on an individual basis in regards to your personal preferences.

This article is useful for athletes making this decision for themselves, as well as many coaches who have to facilitate this process with any of their female clients.

While I discuss these points at length in the video below, you can also scroll down for a full-text version of the material.

The four main divisions in most natural bodybuilding shows right now (2016) are bikini, figure, female physique, and female bodybuilding.

There are a lot of bodybuilding organizations and some have different names for these categories (i.e. fit body in the WNBF or sports model in the INBA). Whatever their names are, they tend to be very closely related to the ones we’re discussing. I recommend you speak to the promoter or go to the organization’s website to see the differences.

Let’s start with the black and white basics of these categories before we go into the actual criteria of the physique.