Bikini power: Japan's lady bodybuilders smashing stereotypes Glistening with sweat, Satoko Yamanouchi's biceps ripple and the veins in her neck throb as if about to pop as she strikes a fearsome pose at a bodybuilding tournament. In ageing Japan, female bodybuilding is dominated by women in their forties and fifties, as many usually only start after their children have grown up. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES