Why do female athletes have thick waists but bodybuilders or bikini competitors don't?

[Anonymous]

just something I noticed because I have a thick waist, too. I'm pretty active. I'm no bodybuilder but I lift weighs and apply the principle of progressive overload.
Most serious female athletes tend to have waists like mine. Very thick and blocky. Just look at female sprinters, gymnasts, volley ball players, track stars etc. the only ones that don't seem to be elete soccer players. So I'm going to try and look at what type of training they do...
Now, female bodybuilders seem to maintain tiny waists.
All areas of sport and fitness would focus on strength, but why do you think this happens?

[AdamThomas]

The difference is that athletes train for strength and performance while bodybuilders train purely for looks. Most athletic movements involve the core so athletes need a strong core, and a side effect of that training is a thicker waist. Bodybuilders obviously don't need that so they aren't as stron. Myself, I'd rather have my thicker waist, a blockier physique and be strong rather than train like a bodybuilder and be all show no "go".

[rjroy3]

Obliques are used heavily in a lot of sports. Most bodybuilders avoid training their obliques as far as how much effort they put into other areas. Most athletes do whole body movements. Most bodybuilders do isolated movements. Bodybuilders want to sculpt muscle in a particular way. Athletes so anything that makes them better at their sport.

[Kiwedin]

I don't know about that. I was a gymnast and my best friend was a soccer player, they mostly focused on skill and cardio. I rarely heard of them doing strength training and her body was always very lean, like a runner's body. I was always more muscular than her, but my cardio wasn't that great because we focused on explosive energy rather than being able to run for long periods of time.

[candy_41111]

The center mass of an athlete is quite important especially in a physical sport. It keeps them centered and also some don't have thick waist, it depends on their build. Also some people work out differently or get specific diets and can afford that shit!

[dem134]

They take diuretics they are also really short compared to other athletes. When you see pictures of them they are usually sucking in their stomach too. Soccer players look like that because they usually have very muscular legs and very little muscle in their top half making their waist look smaller.

[MuscleDj]

You go girl ♥ appreciate the body the lord gave you hon. Xoxoxo

[WonderingManII]

I don't know but it is a good question.