When competing in the different divisions - such as bikini, figure, physique and fitness - women might enter under a "masters" category, which indicates an older competitor and is split into age brackets such as 40-plus, 50-plus and 60-plus. And in middle-age, women can potentially find their role changing, perhaps through their children gaining independence, or a long-strained relationships coming to an end, or retirement. It seems that the transformative nature of bodybuilding is particularly appealing to those already going through a transition period. According to the federation's 2019 data, 60 out of 150 women who competed across all states were over the age of 40 - a proportion that would be unheard of in most sports. "We have a lot of women over 40," says Angela Eriksen, director of International Natural Bodybuilding Association Australia. The interest in the sport from older women only seems to be growing. Others are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s - though you'd be hard pressed to tell the age difference in the line-up onstage.
There's a lot of "pumping up" going on - getting blood flowing to the muscle by using weights - and the last-minute run-through of posing routines. Women wearing silk robes and thongs flit between the hair and makeup stations for touch-ups, or take their place at a tanning tent.
#MIDDLE AGED FEMALE SKIN#
Similarly, black coffee, a diuretic, draws water away from the skin surface to make muscle more defined. Potato chips provide a burst of carbs, the intake of which will have been carefully rationed over the past months, and salt, which dehydrates. Coca-Cola or port wine dilates the veins and makes them pop pleasingly because of the high sugar content. Each competitor will have staked out their own area and populated it with bejewelled bikini-shaped cases, high heels and snacks. Slip backstage at a bodybuilding competition and you'll find a mirrored metropolis behind the scenes.
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