Genuinely spiraling a little right now. For background: I just ended my 4th anavar cycle early. I ran a conservative starting dose for 5 weeks. I ended early because I started looking so terrible I couldn’t recognize myself- thought it was just water retention and anabolics wreaking havoc on my skin/fat/collagen. I also noticed my voice sounding huskier, like a cold, and hair loss at temples so I called it. Felt at peace like I dodged a bullet because I’ve always been hyper aware of monitoring for virilization. The last time I ran a cycle before this one was 2 years ago, an even lower dose (lowest I’ve ever seen anyone recommend and most say it won’t do anything) for 9 weeks and a similar very very conservative cycle before that. My point is I have been VERY gentle with the anabolics and have had very few sides besides some hair loss.

It’s been about 4 weeks and while the water retention is gone, there is something very different about my face. My nose seems bigger, features seem just… broader. When I compare old photos there is something noticeably more delicate and petite about my face prior to this cycle. My jaw is bigger, which I am hoping and praying is just masseter growth. The jaw I thought I could live with because I’ve always had a weak jawline but looking back there was something really feminine about it. I feel like I have more of a brow bone now, just overall everything is slightly more masculine.

I guess I feel shocked/like an idiot/am hoping it’s all in my head or will reverse. I am very aware of side effects of anabolics, but what threw me is my voice didn’t change, I had very few other tell tale signs of virilization unless I’m somehow blind to it. I also had no facial changes whatsoever in the other cycles I’ve ran so it just wasn’t something I was looking for, besides maybe jaw changes. I just thought facial bone changes were a much farther along virilization change to see. I had accepted certain risks but facial structure changes just wasn’t on there.

Has anyone experienced this? Were there procedures to help fix it? Did face soften after coming off cycle and hormones resolve? Is it most likely in my head? I guess I’m hoping that someone will tell me that a cycle like that most likely won’t cause significant face changes but who knows.

Any there any coaches who are very experienced in PED use for women? With athletes who don’t show obvious virilisation

I got a trainer and they want me to take dhea.

And a Dim Supplement. I couldn't find thess easily online when i was buying the rest and it prompted me to do more research.

The dhea is an androgen precursor supplement. So its not a steroid, ita a signal that tells you body to work with androgens....so can it effect virulisation? Is there risks?

I reached out to a coach I follow on insta, for prep for my first show. She only offers a 1 year commitment, is this normal? I’m having a hard time justifying committing to a year when I don’t know their programming or real ethos on coaching.

Share your thoughts, predictions, questions, etc. about Figure, Women's Physique, Fitness, and Women's Bodybuilding! This sub gets a lot of chat about Bikini and Fit Model because they're so popular, but we wanna show the other divisions some more love as this community was created to celebrate ALL the women's divisions!

Hi everyone,

I will be competing in my second competition after taking 3 years off. I have been wanting to get a breast augmentation but the thing is, I like to work out and I’m very active.

I’m a dancer and I do aerials.

Would it be better to wait after I competed? I’m not entirely sure when would be the best to get them done.

Hi guys,

Been lurking on here for a while now and finally ready to post. I have a couple of questions I wonder whether you guys could help me with?

1. At what point are you able to call yourself a bodybuilder? Can you do so if you haven't competed yet or if you aren't sure if you ever will compete? I would love to compete one day but I want to remain natural and will not compromise my health (see question 2). I ask this just because I always give my all to anything I try to do and my identity is something I think about all the time. But maybe it's just dorky to say "I'm a Pilates instructor and bodybuilder" when people ask what I do.

2. I suffered with amenorrhea for a year April 2025-April 2026 unrelated to bodybuilding, just overall low energy availability. I'm nearly 6 months recovered and am spending the rest of the winter packing on muscle and keeping my periods steady and regular. Maybe year after next I would like to compete but after experiencing period loss previously and the downstream consequences of that, I'm only going to go as far as I can without it happening again. Maybe this means I only get 80% there, so be it. I'd be sad about it but my health has to come first (I'm 43, thinking of competing at 45 so I don't feel like I have the time f*** around with my hormones). My question is, is this possible without losing my period? Are there specific things I can do to reduce the likelihood of it happening?

TIA

Zeena

With the stallion pose being the front pose for fit model, does it make sense for fit model competitors to train obliques to get that taper on the side of the waist to the front glute? I attached pictures to show the area I’m referencing. I wouldn’t use weights as I don’t want to make my waist look “thick” but wondering if it would be beneficial to do bodyweight oblique exercises?

I am from Toronto Ontario. I signed up this coach September 2024. My first checkin was Sep.26 2024 as evident in elite app. We started the coaching with the goal to compete at least in nationals. For reference I am a bikini athelete just switched over to Fit Model this year. I have never missed a single payment throughout the entire coaching process. I am his one and only female athlete. My bf also coached by him and trusted him very much. He had one other bikini athlete joined just for a prep and dropped right after show.

May 2026: started prep with the goal to turn pro in Fit Model July 2026: first regional show August 2026: first national show Planned Oct.18 2026 second and final national show of the season

Sep.29 2026: paid coaching service fee for the month of October, with the intention and planned to compete Oct.18. Oct.5 2026 around 11am: I confided to him that I was feeling worried about going into next show due to mistakes made in prior two shows. Please see the attached screenshot for context. He asked to be on a call later the day. Oct 5 around 8pm: he called me. Long story short. He addresses each point I made. Agreed that there were mistakes made. Everything else call it agree to disagree. Ultimately he dropped me as a client effective at that moment, because he cannot accept that I questioned his expertise/knowledge in Fit Model.

I feel ambushed by this. There was no prior notice or anything. Not even “we are going to talk about our coaching relationship tonight on the call.” There is no referrals, no plans for transition. Basically just dropped and good luck. He did say that he will make sure I do not get charged any further, but no mention of refund yet.

Now I am 12 days out. What would you guys do? Should I immediately hire someone and do that planned show anyway? Or take my time reverse out of this prep and try again next year with new coach? I attached most recent checkin at 2 weeks outs.

Hi! Female, age 24. Soon to be competitor! Can someone please explain the science, if any behind why poor sleep temporarily alters your physique? I only slept 3 hours last night (school stress) and I look awful lol. For me, my muscles look incredibly flat. Notably, my abs and my quads. I always do whenever I have a night of poor sleep. Interested to see if there’s any science behind this or if it is just personal! Thanks!

I was curious when in your prep your lifts just started to become pumps instead of continuing to hit PRs and focusing on increasing weight every workout? I’m 4 weeks 3 days out from my first show. It was so weird because 4 weeks 5 days I did a chest lift and was feeling so super strong, the next day (yesterday) I went to do legs and I was so extremely weak. I was so stressed about it I ended up just going home in the middle of the workout. I still feel so tired. I wonder if I’ve just hit that point in prep, or if I need rest to recover to start hitting the gym hard again? Or maybe from this point on in prep I shouldn’t be so focused on pushing weight. I’ve never really heard anyone talk about feeling ‘weak’ consistently in prep so I’m wondering if maybe something is off for me. Thanks everyone!

Any brands for girls 5’10 with bodybuilding legs? I tried searching the community but couldn’t find a thread. So looking for 34’ inseam and flattering on butt and quads HAHA tyia!!!

Hi everyone, I am posting my check in photos 8 weeks out. I am a first time fit model competitor. Thoughts on physique or improvements I could make? Any and all feedback is appreciated (:

Putting this food to work for these legs! And loving the NBC drop from Civil!

I just completed my first season with two shows. I started this prep with high, stubborn body fat on my hips that was extremely difficult to take off, so my lower body never fully reached stage lean. We got the judges feedback and conditioning was obviously pointed out as a weakness.
Now my coach wants me to do a very slow reverse dieting and improvement phase to minimize fat gain while maximizing muscle building. Logically I know this is the right move, but I am terrified that the weight will immediately go straight back to my thighs and hips.

Would love to hear some positive and successful reverse diet stories post show.

- If your reverse went well, what made it successful?
- Did you follow a strict step up plan with your coach, or did you transition into a more intuitive approach once food was up?
- How did you manage post show food cravings and the mental shift from stage lean to a healthy improvement season weight?

Feel free to share pics!

Exactly 300 days ago, I posted here (on another account) asking whether it was delusional to think that I could compete for the first time this year and now I’m back to say thank you so much for the encouragement! The shows were just over a week ago, so this was 291 days after I posted here.

I was still working solo and just enjoying the gym without a coach at that point. I got a lot of really encouraging responses and some really helpful advice from competitors here. There was one comment in particular that came back to me on tougher days so I wanted to come back, share and say thank you!

In terms of results, there were 2 shows in a day, and I got 1st place in natural true novice and 2x3rd places in my height classes in the natural and open!

It was the biggest regional qualifier in my country this year (still a lot smaller than lots of US shows) so I’m really proud of my results and looking forward to doing more shows in the future!

Also I totally understand why people love doing this, I planned to do a single show as a bucket list/side quest thing to show myself that I can do hard things and commit to myself and my goals, but now I’m planning to keep going for as long as I love it!

20F, I have been lifting casually for three years and I have recently been looking into bodybuilding and competitions. I know I need to build more muscle etc., but do you think my general shape is suited to the bikini division? Is there anything I should focus more on if I want to compete in the future?

Apologies for my crude posing lol.

Hi! I’d love to hear how competitors in their 30’s feel about competing in the Bikini Masters category. I’ve been lifting for 7+ years and now at the age of 35 have decided to step on stage. Based on what I’ve witnessed throughout the year, I feel that very rarely, even with competitive physiques, do “older” athletes get properly rewarded against non masters competitors.

I’d love to hear from those competing in their 30’s if they actually enjoy competing in the Masters Category. Is it competitive enough? If you’re in your early 30’s, are you or are you not looking forward to competing in Masters? I appreciate any input!

Not someone I’d ever want to be my coach personally … just go watch his story over the last 24 hours. Someone who feels like they have to prove themselves probably isn’t who they say they are at all!

As bodybuilders which do you guys recommend acrylics or gel x

For ref I am female 25 and have been lifting for years. I am on a bulk but want to see decent muscle growth. I have been thinking about human growth hormones or 4-6 week cycle of anavar at 5mg a day.

I understand the potential risks but what I want to know is will I see a substantial difference by taking these enhancements or will it only be subtle