Who Is Lisa Lyon?
Lisa Lyon defied all expectations for female bodybuilders, winning the IFBB women’s championship and going on to become a Playboy model.
Short Career Of Lisa Lyon
By becoming the second female bodybuilder to feature in Playboy and winning the first-ever IFBB championship for women, Lisa created history.
However, she began as a Kendo student in college.
Body Measurements of Lisa Lyon
| Full Name: | Lisa Lyon |
| YEAR OF BIRTH: | 1953 |
| ERA: | 1970 |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| WEIGHT: | 115-125 lbs. (52.2 – 56.7kg) |
| HEIGHT: | 5’4″ (162.5cm) |
Accomplishments
- 1979 AAU Junior Ms. America, 3rd
- 1979 IFBB Women’s World Pro Bodybuilding Championship, Los Angeles, 1st
Biography
College
Lisa, who was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, began her studies there in 1971. Here, she developed an interest in painting and started learning kendo.
After a few months of training, Lisa understood that she needed to build up her strength because she wasn’t strong enough to compete with her coworkers.
Getting in the Gym
Lisa went to the gym and started lifting weights because she was determined to increase her athletic prowess. She quickly developed her physique and fell in love with exercise.
At this point, Lisa began to see commercials for the IFBB’s first women’s competition, and she immediately set her sights on winning.
First Female IFBB Champion
Lisa entered the competition right away and immediately got to work on building her ideal body. She entered the stage of the IFBB Women’s World Pro Bodybuilding Championship in 1979 after years of arduous training.
All of Lisa’s efforts had been successful once she had won over the judges. She created history by leaving the competition as the first female champion of the IFBB.
Playboy
After her victory, Lisa became well-known and a fitness icon for women all over the world. She received an invitation from Playboy to appear in their magazine at this moment.
After a year, Lisa appeared in Playboy for the second time in the sport’s history as a female bodybuilder.
In 1983, Lisa performed in “The Three Crowns.”
Career in Acting
After becoming well-known as a bodybuilder, Lisa Lyon decided to change her life course. She attempted acting in the 1983 movie Three Crowns of the Sailor.
She extended her brief acting career by taking part in the 1984 film Getting Physical and the 1986 film Vamp.
This acting experience led Frank Miller to model Lisa for the Marvel Comics character Elektra in 1981.
The IFBB Hall of Fame
At 33 years old, Lisa had achieved international fame by 1986. She promoted female bodybuilding on televised chat shows.
However, Lisa’s efforts had not gone unnoticed.
For her work as “a one-woman media-relations campaigner on behalf of the sport and elevating bodybuilding to the level of great art,” Lisa was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2000 at the age of 57.
What Can Lisa Lyon teach us?
We have learned from Lisa Lyon to never be content with being mediocre and to always strive to make history. She put forth a lot of effort to become the first female champion of the IFBB and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame.
One lesson we can learn from Lisa’s tale is to never be afraid to attempt new things in life. She had a brief acting career, and while she wasn’t particularly successful, she will never look back.