241: Sisters of Iron II

Twin sisters of iron Patricia Beckman and Terri McBee have, for the last five years or so, been, without question, by far the most successful natural female bodybuilders in the world in their respective divisions. Patricia, who competes in bodybuilding, has an amazing record of having won every pro show she has entered. But Terri's record in the pro figure division is only slightly less impressive: in seven pro outings she has only failed to win either her class or the overall title on one occasion.



Of Patricia, they say: Every once in a while an athlete achieves a level of supremacy that is beyond compare – Muhammed Ali, Wayne Gretsky, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan come to mind – and Patricia Beckman might be in that category. Rarely has an athlete put together such an impressive string of victories and so dominated the opposition in every contest as Beckman has in her short time in bodybuilding.



It's not surprising, given their respective sizes, that Patricia has been training for about twice as long as Terri, Eight years, as compared to four. In fact, Terri's first experience of bodybuilding competition was cheering on her sister - cheering her on to victory, no doubt. Patricia encouraged Terri to follow her onto the stage, but it took a while because Terri had always been painfully shy, and the thought of getting up on stage in front of a roomful of strangers made me feel sick to my stomach.



But, eventually, she did follow, choosing figure rather than bodybuilding she says because I thought that would be easier, with a full-time job, and being a wife and mother. The rest is history. Well, natural female bodybuilding history anyway.



As natural bodybuilders, their physiques are forged without the use of performance-enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids, insulin, diuretics, and human growth hormone. In addition, the many natural bodybuilding federations (IFPA, WNBF, etc.) have slightly differing lists of banned substances and/or methods of drug testing.



It isn't my place or purpose to wonder if Patricia's or Terri's success has been achieved by fair means or foul. Honestly, if they say they're natural, then as far as I'm concerned, they're natural. But inevitably, there are those who have expressed doubt on the sisters' "natural" credentials, particularly Patricia's, although these doubters don't tend to be from within the "natty" [natural bodybuilding] community.



What everyone, even those on the pro-steroid forums, does seem to agree on though, is that the sisters do have something of an unnatural advantage over their competiton: what one forum poster termed their "goddess genetics". They have some of the best genetics for females in the sport, says one natural bodybuilding journalist, referring to female bodybuilding as a sport in its entirety, whether sanctioned as natural or not.



And with the help of those exceptional genetics, these remarkable twins are taking natural female bodybuilding to new heights. Long may they reign!



Lots of clips of Patricia on YouTube, FMS recommends any of her posing routines but has a soft spot for her 2012 Musclemania performance. You can also find a fair bit of Terri there, with her 2013 Ms Pro International routine our pick of the bunch.



Dedicated to John, with thanks.

Enjoy!