Female Bodybuilding/Fitness - in Europe?

[Jsmith30]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S9j5srfxgs

i was unaware that european women were into fitness like here in the USA.

Does anyone know which countries in particular have women that re into the fitness thing.

I have Just a question about fitness standards for women in European countries.

I was just looking at the film "Casino" with Joe Pesci & Robert DeNiro with a friend and there is a scene where DeNiro & Pesci are looking at the showgirls on stage and they talk about the difference between american and european "brawds"

Pesci says "You forgetin' how lazy them european brawds get" in reference to one of the showgirls being alittle overweight.

and ofcourse this film takes place in the 70's.

then i recently asked a friend who has spent lots of time in europe and he said "yeah that's true they don't really take care of themselves"

maybe he means beauty standards vs fitness/bodybuilding but i just don't know.

and s few other dudes i know have said similar things. but is it just a particular country, or is generation thing (specific age group) (18-35) vs (40 & Up)or is this a stereotype / myth?

[rockangel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S9j5srfxgs

i was unaware that european women were into fitness like here in the USA.

Does anyone know which countries in particular have women that re into the fitness thing.

I have Just a question about fitness standards for women in European countries.

I was just looking at the film "Casino" with Joe Pesci & Robert DeNiro with a friend and there is a scene where DeNiro & Pesci are looking at the showgirls on stage and they talk about the difference between american and european "brawds"

Pesci says "You forgetin' how lazy them european brawds get" in reference to one of the showgirls being alittle overweight.

and ofcourse this film takes place in the 70's.

then i recently asked a friend who has spent lots of time in europe and he said "yeah that's true they don't really take care of themselves"

maybe he means beauty standards vs fitness/bodybuilding but i just don't know.

and s few other dudes i know have said similar things. but is it just a particular country, or is generation thing (specific age group) (18-35) vs (40 & Up)or is this a stereotype / myth?

Um, well yes, they have body building and fitness and bikini and all that on this side of the world, just as they do in america.
Some countries have their own federations, IFBB and musclemania and even FAME have plenty of events here.

In fact, i think Italian figure eats American figure for lunch! These girls here are excpected to be hard and very lean, as in figure is supposed to be as lean as american female bbers! (at least this is what i have seen)

Actually, i would not say that europeans do not take care of themselves. You may see people who are overweight here, but you do not see people who are greatly obese. In general they live a healthier lifestyle. There is more walking and bicycle use here.
The younger generation is a bit more overweight and i believe it has to do with the influence of the west.
Thier diet is much better with most of it being fresh grown or fresh caught. I would say it has less time from ground to table than most american foods.

And here in italy, apperance is very important, especially fashion. Most people would rather live in a crappy home and buy dolce clothing. (it works for my shoe obsession though )

Life over here is very different than from the states. People value different things but i would say that Euopeans take better care of themselves generally more so than americans.

Consider that I have to drive at least 30 minutes to find the nearest mcdonalds here, but when i lived in the states, i could walk to one.

[imperfectly_lou]

I spent some time travelling around Europe a few years ago.

I found it very interesting that it was hard to find a gym in Paris. Yet Parisian women are obsessed with their looks. Every single pharmacy I walked past had the window dedicated to cellulite creams or meal replacement diet products. When I did eventually find a gym, there were no women lifting weights and I got some very strange looks. But when I got to Nice, I found an awesome old school bodybuilding gym. Again, no women though......

Italy was easier. Lots of gyms and at least a few other women working out....

[Doctor_Armorum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S9j5srfxgs

i was unaware that european women were into fitness like here in the USA.

Does anyone know which countries in particular have women that re into the fitness thing.

I have Just a question about fitness standards for women in European countries.

I was just looking at the film "Casino" with Joe Pesci & Robert DeNiro with a friend and there is a scene where DeNiro & Pesci are looking at the showgirls on stage and they talk about the difference between american and european "brawds"

Pesci says "You forgetin' how lazy them european brawds get" in reference to one of the showgirls being alittle overweight.

and ofcourse this film takes place in the 70's.

then i recently asked a friend who has spent lots of time in europe and he said "yeah that's true they don't really take care of themselves"

maybe he means beauty standards vs fitness/bodybuilding but i just don't know.

and s few other dudes i know have said similar things. but is it just a particular country, or is generation thing (specific age group) (18-35) vs (40 & Up)or is this a stereotype / myth?

Sounds like a lot of pure BS, actually.

If anything, I'd say the opposite is more true. Europeans in general don't eat massive "Supersize Me"-type meals, like over here in the USA. The rate of obesity here keeps going up and up.

As for Physical Culture, Fitness, Bodybuilding, etc., you should keep in mind that Western Physical Culture started in Europe, not America. It began thousands of years ago. The Ancient Greeks and Romans were physically fit people, and they looked at things like obesity as a sign of self-neglect, or a lack of self-respect.

There have been other Physical Culture movements in Europe, over the centuries. In the 19th century, the German-speaking peoples embraced the Turnverein, a national Physical Culture movement rooted in gymnastics. The great strongman and bodybuilding pioneer, Eugen Sandow (he was the model for the Mr. Olympia statue), got his start in the Turnverein, and then combined his gymnastics training with the heavy weightlifting he learned from Professor Louis Attila (aka Ludwig Durlacher)--and that's how he was able to do amazing things, like do a backflip while holding two 50-lb dumbbells or kettlebells. Sandow's physique was muscularly dense and very defined, as evidenced by the numerous photographs of him:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ene_Sandow.jpg

http://www.eugensandow.com/photos/ES001.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...1838-1924).jpg

Sandow toured America several times, and so it can be argued that it was Europeans who really got Americans interested in fitness, in the modern period. In addition, Sandow was one of the very first modern advocates of exercise for women. He was very critical of the impractical and unhealthy female garments of the time (eg., the whalebone corset). He was also one of the first advocates of prenatal care for women, and free school lunch for children. Sandow thus got women interested in exercise, well over 100 years ago.

[britchick884]

Having moved to the USA 8 years ago from the UK I can assure you that the USA does not have the market cornered on fitness!

In fact when I first came here I was appalled at the fact that nobody walks anywhere and the portion sizes are fricking humongous, not to mention trying to shop for just myself in grocery stores lol. I still can't eat 3 courses in a resturant over here 8 years on (which I count as a good thing)

If you've not had the chance to do much travelling it can be really hard to draw comparisions.

[Jsmith30]

I appreciate the input.

I really do. And its nice to see that we have some international ladies here who are on top of their game.

France, UK, Italy and everything is different. I wonder how it is in Germany.

I respect a woman who has stays on-top of her game beauty-shop wise and fitness wise too. So that she doesn't age badly. It its hard on women. I see that now.

i don't even look down on women who go the extra mile with alittle bit of surgery.

A woman has to train with the weights but still look like a woman (dpending on her mindset that is)

So i see now that i have it all wrong or backwards actually. thank you.