THE wellness criteria

The wellness category is still relatively new to the bodybuilding scene. It emerged onto the IFBB/NPC scene around 2020 however there were a couple of federations who offered it the year or two prior to its debut.

Although it has been around for a few years I do feel that the category is still largely misunderstood. Many still have this notion that wellness girls are simply big, soft bikini girls when in reality, that is not the case! Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explain the wellness criteria and discuss how you would move up from bikini.

WELLNESS CRITERIA

Judges will be looking for athletes to display a good amount of muscular development, specifically in the glutes/hammies and delts. Wellness girls will showcase an hourglass figure with well capped delts, a small waist, round glutes and big quads.

As you can see, what the judges are looking for is a very similar look to bikini but there are some significant differences. The judges will be looking for a disproportionate look by which the lower body has far greater muscle development than the upper body. This does not mean that wellness girls upper bodies are small, they will still have more muscle mass in the upper body than bikini girls.

Wellness athletes will display a good level of conditioning and one that will be a fair bit leaner than bikini girls. Due to the increased musculature in the legs, girls will typically display a glute/ham tie but will still have a level of ‘smoothness’ to the overall look.

Competitors will display a strong level of femininity, have strong stage presence, and pose confidently. The posing is similar to bikini posing with some subtle differences; if competitors do not pose within the federations guidelines they will be marked down.

When you read that, it seems clear what the judges are looking for. But what you must bear in mind is that the criteria is simply a guide for the judges to follow. It is at their discrepancy on the day how far that criteria is pushed. In some cases, favouring a tighter look, other times favouring a softer look.

The wellness category is typically split in different height classes within the IFBB/NPC, with height classes ranging from A-D. Alongside this they offer three different masters cateogry: +35, +40 and +45. Other federations within the United Kingdom will typically only offer short, and tall height classes.

MOVING UP FROM BIKINI

You may have competed multiple times in the bikini class and want to move up, but you might be wondering, how do you go about it? First things first; give yourself time, and lots of it. What I mean is that you’re probably going to need at least a two year off season, if not longer, before you have accrued the required muscle mass to be competitive.

As a bikini girl your training incorporated very minimal quad work, perhaps hitting them once a week for a few sets. Moving into the wellness category your quads are going to need to be jacked. Therefore, you’re training will more than likely need to change to incorporate hitting more quad volume across the week and training them more frequently. Depending on your level of muscular development you may need to reduce the amount of upper body volume you are doing. But please remember wellness girls are still more muscular upper body than bikini girls!

To get that size on, you will need to eat more than you have ever eaten before, walk around heavier than you have ever been before and be stronger than you have ever been before.

CONSIDERATIONS

PEDs within the female realm of competing has become more openly discussed over the years. It is common knowledge that these are typically used in the bikini class but aren’t 100% necessary to do well. It’s worthwhile pointing out that the majority of wellness girls will be using some form of performance enhancing drugs to achieve the muscle mass required for the class and then also to attain the level of conditioning needed for the stage.

This, of course, is not a decision to make lightly. My suggestion is to always make an informed decision based on your own research within the industry and your conversations with your coach and fellow competitors.

In summary, the wellness category is a relatively new class to the bodybuilding scene but one that is poorly understood. Wellness girls will be much bigger than bikini girls with significantly more muscular development in the lower body. If you are looking to move up from bikini to wellness ensure you give yourself enough time, change your training split and be prepared to push the boundaries. You may also need to consider going down the PED route to move up categories.

Vaughan Wilson Bsc Hons