The National Physique Committee (NPC) and NPC Worldwide have announced the formation of a new division at the amateur bodybuilding level, the Fit Model division.
On Dec. 17, 2024, IFBB Pro League and NPC Vice President Tyler Manion released a video announcing the creation of this division, which will begin in the 2025 season. The video can be seen in its entirety below.
Manion described this new category as a women’s “entry-level” division, with many standards similar to those previously held for the Bikini division. He pinpointed Ashley Kaltwasser’s physique at the 2015 Olympia as the standard look for this new category. Kaltwasser won her third Bikini Olympia title that year.
The athletes that compete in this division will have their own standards, but they are not as lofty as those of the current divisions. Competitors will not have to showcase as much muscle and definition.
We’re looking for less muscle and less development than you would see in the Bikini division.
—Tyler Manion
Manions stated that athletes should still have some level of muscle, shape, and balance between the upper and lower body. However, conditioning will be less than the current Bikini division standards.
“We don’t want roundness and capped delts,” Manion expressed. “We don’t want etched-in midsections from the front. For the back, we are looking for full glutes with no tie-ins — basically, what you would see on an old-school fitness magazine cover of a fitness model.
Other specific requirements of the new division include no bling on the suits, moderate coverage on the bottom of the suits, and the basic front and back poses that Bikini competitors used to do in the early years of the division, such as the front pose with hips tilted.
Manion emphasized that the competitors who win their classes will perform the same model walk that judges call for in the current Bikini and Wellness divisions.
Fit division competitions will be featured worldwide. Athletes competing in the Fit Model can enter multiple classes within that division, such as True Novice to Open, but won’t be permitted to enter other divisions, such as Wellness or Bikini.
Pro-qualifying events will be held throughout the 2025 season, and the pro Fit Model division will launch in 2026. At the time of this article’s publication, there is no word on whether the Fit Model division will be featured at the Olympia or Arnold Classic.
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Featured Image: @t_manion on Instagram
