So you want to change your body composition? There is a lot that goes into it, and that’s what this article will explore.

Being inspired by other peoples bodies serves as a great motivator, but it’s even more important to recognise the potential differences between them, and you. ⁠

Most often, women look up to other women who are what we call ‘genetically elite’ or ‘outliers’ – they’re built different – smaller and longer waists, larger hips and glutes, fuller muscle bellies, wider shoulders. ⁠You can’t built those features with training.
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Their bodies are hyper-responsive to training and yes they work hard for their muscle but at the end of the day it’s the structure that makes them stand out above the rest. ⁠

Let’s explore these factors that influence body composition in a little more detail;

Waist Size: This is genetic, you can’t make your waist smaller, and there are no special exercises that will make your waist smaller. If you’re a little overweight, then losing weight can be supportive in creating a smaller waist, as can training your back, shoulders and legs, as by creating more shape in this aspect of your body, you will give the illusion that your waist is smaller.

Metabolism: This is genetic, some women can eat more than others. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism. The more regular your eating and the more you eat, the faster your metabolism is likely to be too.

Surgery: Women get ‘Brazilian Butt Lifts’ all the time, where fat is removed from the waist, back, arms, inner thighs, and relocated into the glutes area. Yes, this includes fitness women, and yes it makes a dramatic difference – I have a client who has done it and she is unrecognisable compared to before.

Angles: Don’t underestimate the power of angles when women are showing off their bodies! You can create really dramatic lines by positioning your body in a particular way, and add lighting to that – WOW! There is a body you strive to have, but which doesn’t actually exist.

Shoulder Width: Genetic factor where the shoulders are really wide set. Wide shoulders create more of an ‘x-frame’ look, making the waist look smaller and they will often look much more athletic than the average woman.

Breast Implants: When women have really low body-fat they often lose their breast fat, and when women take a lot of drugs (PEDs), they often lose their breast tissue over time. Hence, the enormous number of fitness women with breast implants. This is not bad, as each to their own, but know this creates are more feminine shape, which doesn’t actually exist. I lost my boobs when I competed a few years ago, and I didn’t like it at all – I didn’t feel feminine. But I’m also not one to get plastic surgery, so I am happier at a heavier weight where I have all my lady curves.

Hip Structure: Hip structure impacts the size and shape of the glutes, and also how they will look on a trained athlete. Larger pelvis’s have longer, flatter glutes, and shorter pelvis’s have rounder, more bubbly shaped glutes. A good think to know if you’re training with someone who has an amazing butt, purely because you think your butt will grow to look like hers (and if she’s doing kickbacks, it’s likely not how she got that butt).

Muscle Fullness: Some women have fuller muscles, and some women’s muscle is more dense. This is purely genetic. Bubbly muscle shapes can’t be created in women who don’t have the genetics for it.

Photoshop: Women edit their pictures on photoshop (or equivalent) all. the. time. to make their body composition look more impressive.

Height: Genetic, you know this ;’)

Training Age: The longer you train, the more muscle you will have. The more you eat to fuel that muscle growth, the more muscle you will have. This one you have a lot of control over, so if your goal is to build amazing muscle, get training!

GENETICS: This one is massive, and we have covered the genetic factors of muscle shape, metabolism and hip structure. I’ll add here, the leanness you can achieve is genetic – some women can get paper thin skin lean, and some cannot. Some will lose all the fat under their glutes, and some will not. Some women have 6-packs, and some do not. It’s genetics.

How a woman responds to performance enhancing drugs, also genetic.

Now that you know how complicated this bodybuilding, body re-composition game is, know this is not a criticism. I just love to remind women to always train for you, with your body, your potential and take the time out to learn what that looks like. ⁠
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Also don’t forget the other reasons why weight training is great! Heart health, strong bones, nervous system resilience, personal power, great posture, healthy body composition and metabolic benefits are even greater than the aesthetic benefits and you carry those with you for a lifetime. ⁠
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So many times women embark on a training journey with another woman’s body as the goal, without understanding the power of structure and genetics in this process (and we haven’t even gotten to those artificial additions yet). ⁠

I hope this post has been supportive in your search for the ‘perfect’ body, and I hope it’s helped you to appreciate your own body composition more fully 🙂

Jen x