It’s difficult now to comprehend how revolutionary a physique like Stacey Bentley’s was 50 years ago. You probably see women every day with more lean muscle. But back then it was truly trailblazing for a female to hoist progressively heavier weights and then flex their muscles on stages.
Stacey Bentley, who was born in Philadelphia in 1956, was at the vanguard of women’s fitness. She discovered weight-training in 1975, and, when she began working in a gym the next year, she trained as hard as the men. Initially uncomfortable with the attention her toned body received, she’d say she was a gymnast or swimmer. Women’s bodybuilding wasn’t even a thing yet.
But it soon would be. After moving to Los Angeles, Bentley competed in the pioneering Women’s World Championships, finishing fourth (Lisa Lyon won). She placed third in two more contests that year before winning the 1979 Robby Robinson Classic. The next year she won the Frank Zane Invitational, and she won the 1980 World’s Couples Championships with future Mr. Olympia Chris Dickerson. She was featured in People and Sports Illustrated magazine articles about the young sport. Also in 1980, Bentley placed fifth out of 20 in the inaugural Ms. Olympia.
In the female physique debate over how much muscle is too much, Bentley was firmly in the anti-drug, not-too-much camp. Not wanting to use steroids or get substantially bigger, the first Ms. Olympia was her final contest. Still, she continued to train vigorously, and she trained others, including actor Jack Nicholson. She subsequently worked as a nurse in Pennsylvania. Stacey Bentley died on December 31 at 64, 2019. Inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2005, Stacey Bentley is remembered for her brief but trailblazing career as a female bodybuilder.
