The NPC (National Physique Committe)

So what is this 'thing' called body building?

In this excerpt, I am going to talk about the governing agencies for this sport, and briefly describe the women's divisions only (not to leave out the men, but to keep it short and sweet).

Lets start with the NPC. From their website: "The National Physique Committee is the premier amateur physique organization in the world. Since 1982, the top athletes in bodybuilding, fitness, figure, bikini and physique have started their careers in the NPC. Many of those athletes graduated to successful careers in the IFBB Professional League, a list that includes 24 Olympia and 38 Arnold Classic winners." Read more here.

In order to compete in a NPC sponsored competition, you must join the NPC and receive a card. This is a yearly process, and allows you to compete in as many (or as few) competitions as you wish.

Once you have your card, you can choose a show to enter. These are held all over the United States.
You submit an application requesting the division and class you wish to enter, and send in your money.

Then the fun begins!!

In the next update, I will describe each women's division, and classes within each division.