The IFBB Pro League features six women’s divisions – Bodybuilding, Physique, Fitness, Figure, Bikini, and Wellness. This is because the leadership wanted the athletes to have multiple options should their physique evolve and change over time. For example, a competitor that started in Figure may grow and become a better fit for women’s bodybuilding.
Two athletes that fit that criteria, Jada Beverly and Stephanie Flesher, were recent guests on Femme Flex Friday, and they talked about their transformations that led them to competing in multiple divisions during their careers. Beverly has been competing for ten years now, going back to her days as a true novice in 2012. It would be a few years before she had to make a switch, but she recalled the moment as if it was yesterday. She made her choice at the 2018 Arnold Amateur after placing sixth.
“That was the turning point for me,” said Beverly. “At 2018, I made the decision to move up to Women’s Physique. I then competed in my first Women’s Physique show at the Mike Francois in Ohio, and I won.”
Beverly would go on to turn professional at the 2019 NPC USA contest, and she would then move up again to Women’s Bodybuilding in 2021. As for Flesher, she started in Figure as well before changing to Women’s Physique. She shared that it was Lenda Murray that guided her to change divisions after a seventh-place finish at the 2021 Omaha Pro.
“You guys told me that had I done Women’s Bodybuilding, I’d won the show,” she told Murray and co-host Whitney Jones. “You called me The Bomb dot Com, and I replayed that video like 20 times over the next two weeks.”
Murray’s assessment was correct because she went to Chicago later that year and placed third in her now current division. She has placed second in two contests already in 2022, which cemented that idea even more. Listen to both athletes share more of their experiences and careers as well as advice that can help up and coming competitors by going to www.wingsofstrength.net . You can follow @femmeflexfriday on Instagram as well.
