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Australia's most successful female bodybuilder in history, and arguably the most successful Aussie bodybuilder of all time, Bev Francis is a legend in the sport not only through Australia, but worldwide.

A former champion powerlifter as well, she holds a string of records and was the first woman to bench over 300lbs/137kg. Bev remains the only Australian to ever be inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame, see here.

Born Febuary 15, 1955 in Geelong, the youngest of 5 children, she went on to get a degree from the University of Melbourne. In addition to her numerous athletic accomplishments, Bev is the co-author of a book Bev Francis Power Bodybuilding, and has served as a writer for many publications including the American versions of Flex, Ironman and Muscle and Fitness. She was also featured in the cult classic film "Pumping Iron; the Women".

Married to American IFBB judge Steve Weinburger, Bev is a mother of two and makes her home in Long Island, New York and owns the very successful gym Powerhouse Gym.

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• Contest History   
• Photo
• Media
• Interview with Bev: May 2008
• Wallpapers
• Videos: Pumping Iron Clips

• 1983 Caesars World Cup - 8th
• 1984 IFBB Grand Prix Las Vegas - 8th
• 1986 LA Pro Championship - 3rd
• 1986 Ms. International - 3rd
• 1986 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 10th
• 1987 Pro World Championship - 1st
• 1987 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 3rd
• 1988 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 3rd
• 1989 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 3rd
• 1990 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 2nd
• 1991 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 2nd

Bev Francis is one of the few female bodybuilders to have been featured on numerous magazine covers. This selection below is not representative of all her covers, as many are over 20 years old and not available.

Please click on thumbnails for larger versions.

     

Australian bodybuilding legend Bev Francis very nicely took the time to answer a few questions we had. This "e-interview" took place in May 2008:

What is your best training tip for aspiring bodybuilders?

• Be prepared for the long haul. NOTHING replaces hard work, done over many many training sessions. Also, don't look for tricks and shortcuts. The hard way is the only way, no matter what people try to sell you !

What is your best dieting tip for aspiring bodybuilders?

• Try to keep your diet clean, all year long.  Don't deny cravings (this will only lead to binging), but remember, all things in moderation. Also, never eat until you feel full, this means you have over eaten.

What do you feel was the biggest highlight of your career?

Hard to pick, but I can think of three special times:

• A] Breaking the Australian record in the shot-put and thereby securing a place on my first Australian track and field team            
• B] Lifting 150 kg (331 lbs) in the bench press at the World Powerlifting Championships in 1981. This was a world record (the next best woman's lift being 285 lb), and the first woman's bench press over 300 lb.                                                  
• C]Winning the World Professional Bodybuilding Championships in 1987.

What do you miss most about Australia?

• Apart from my family and friends, the beaches!

We noticed in your career you never did any of the raunchy shots, photos etc. What are your thoughts on the prevalence of raunchy shoots, webcam shows, porn sites etc presently in bodybuilding?

• No, I never did any raunchy shots.... to me this bodybuilding thing, is a combination of an art form and an athletic event, as is dance, figure skating etc. In all human movement, and physical expression of events; sensuality will be evident and natural, as it is part of the adult human form. To emphasize or use blatant sexual movements or gestures, to me is tacky and demeans the performance. (Compare this to trying to sell a car by putting a girl in a bikini on it's roof)! I am far from a prude, but I like sex to be separate from sport.

With women's bodybuilding slowly dying in favor of figure, is there anything you think can be done to revive the popularity women's bodybuilding?

• Women’s bodybuilding has always been a hard sell. Many people are repulsed by the sight of even mildly athletic women, much less female bodybuilders! I think the women need to look more like they did in the 80's. When you look at the Ms Olympia contests at the time, the women’s bodies had good muscle without the outrageous implants and the shredded glutes. Cory Everson had one of the most perfect bodies that I could imagine, and at that time, the Ms Olympia was a sell out show at the Felt forum in NYC !

What advice could you offer to any Australian bodybuilders aspiring to "make it" in the United States?

• The USA is not that much different from Australia. Living in Australia, we get this inferiority complex, because the US is so big! The people of the States respect any bodybuilder if they look good. It doesn't matter if they are from Nevada, California, Sweden, or Australia! Just compete with confidence!

Prize money in the IFBB pro leagues is always substantially more for males. Do you feel this is fair, and if so why?

• The prize money will reflect the interest shown in the sport by media, sponsors and the audience. At the moment, women’s bodybuilding shows do not create enough interest to be alone... they must be supported by other divisions. This is reflected in the prize money.  (Are lacrosse players paid as much as basketball?)

What supplements/vitamins [not brands, but in general] did you use through your career and recommend?

• I have taken many different supplements during my career (remember, I made my first Australian team in 1977! I used to eat desiccated liver tablets, by the dozens!(not recommended !) I also always took Vitamin C and Brewers Yeast (Vitamin B) (recommended). I used real Ginseng (which was a viscous fluid that tasted like bark !), but I think it was a good supplement. I was among the first people to use carnitine and inosine, and during my bb career, I used a lot of fat burners (I love fat burners!). I still believe in supplementation, and currently use  flax seed oil, CLA, evening primrose oil, ginger, Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, niacin, milk thistle extract, chromium picolinate, CoQ10, fish oils, anti-oxidants, and multi minerals.

You were once a champion powerlifter, what type of numbers do you put up now? Bench etc?

• Unfortunately, my knees are currently very bad and I am in the midst of physical therapy, and have an appointment to see an orthopedic surgeon, armed with the results of x-rays, and MRIs. The pain in my knees at the moment is such that I can leg press, but not squat (I cannot walk without pain). I do not do any really heavy lifting now, although I continue to train regularly, I feel as if I have nothing to prove...to myself or anybody else. I train as heavy as my body will comfortably allow, without the risk of further injury (I have had 11 orthopedic surgeries)

We would like to thank Bev Francis for taking the time to "e-speak" wth us!