Bikini off to a good start

Well...as you all know by now, our first ever IFBB bikini pros were crowned at the 2009 Jr. USAs this past weekend, and personally I think the IFBB did a pretty good job in choosing the first pros. I won't do a lot of blah-blah-blah on it.


(Shelsea Montes (purple bikini) and Stacey Oster (white bikini)

Let's start with the first pro crowned, Shelsea Montes. Shelsea won the Class A Bikini class and the first pro card for bikini. I didn't know much about her until "MusclePapa" John Hawley, the producer of Siouxcountry Radio, posted some info on Miss Montes. Click here to view more on her. I don't know what the future lies for her, but calling her a future Ms. Bikini Olympia or Ms. Bikini International may not be out of the question. I mean, Davana Medina was the first-ever figure pro, and look what happened to her! :-) Next up is Stacey Oster, who won Bikini Class C and was runner-up in the overall bikini division. Stacey is one rough and tough customer considering that she will be the quarterback of the Denver Dream during the Lingerie Football League. I'll admit, she is kinda borderline figure/bikini to me, but hey...she looks fantastic, and if that's what figure is going with, then I have nothing to complain about.

With that being said...I thought things went well as far as how the Jr. USAs went in all divisions. not just bikini (BIG shout-out to Siouxcountry for the awesome coverage of the event!). The bikini division has potential, as most of you agree based on last month's poll. I asked you out there: Do you have high hopes for the bikini division? 64% of you said yes, while the rest said no. I just hope the IFBB/NPC uses consistency and a little common sense when attempting to make this a good division, cause Lord knows there is a lack of both in other areas of this industry...but again, that's not for ME to discuss, that's for those actually involved in the industry. I'm just a fan/supporter of the industry, that's all.

Congrats to Shelsea and Stacey for making history. Best of luck to you in future competitions, ladies!

Moinca Carlson's Going Informercial

Most people know Monica Carlson as the female winner of NBC's American Gladiators. She was pretty fit during season one. For season two, when she became a Gladiator (going by the name of Jet), she went from being fit to ripped in months!

I'm happy to say that she's maintain her American Gladiator physique...maybe even improve it! These days, she looks like she could go on a fitness/figure stage and hold her own easy. Probably one of the ways she's keeping in great shape is this:







I might have to try this out and see how it works. It looks like it will give you a heck of a workout! If anyone has tried this product, please comment below on why you would or would not recommend this product.

Rock Star Fitness Weekend (hosted by Jenny Lynn and Trish Warren)

If you are in the Texas area on June 19-21, I would HIGHLY advise you to check out this big weekend hosted by two of the biggest stars in the IFBB today: 2X Figure Olympian Jenny Lynn and IFBB Fitness veteran Trish Warren.





As mentioned, it begins on Friday, June 19 and will end on Sunday, June 21 with a professional photo shoot. Definitely a can't-miss event for those that want to know what it takes to be a top NPC/IFBB competitor.

Here's a detailed look at how the weekend will be:

Friday Evening (June 19th):
7-9PM:Meet & Greet at Texas Land and Cattle (restaurant is directly in front of host hotel).

Saturday, June 20th:
8AM-10AM: Track Workout (sprints, drills, stairs, plyometrics)
12-2PM: Upper Body Workout at Stroud’s Gym
2-3:30PM: Seminar covering all aspects of contest preparation including nutrition, weight training, conditioning, tanning, suits, stage make-up
3:30-5:30PM: Leg Workout at Stroud’s Gym
5:30-7:00PM: Posing Seminar at Stroud’s Gym

Sunday, June 21st:
8-5PM: Professional photoshoot on location (pool)
*We will have a professional make-up artist to do your make-up for the shoot.

Both ladies discussed the Rock Star Fitness Weekend on Siouxcountry Radio (Click here to listen to the podcast).

For more information, you can email either Jenny Lynn at jennylynnfitness@yahoo.com or Trish Warren at trishfit@yahoo.com.

Space is limited, so sign up ASAP!! :-)

Fitting Observations: Is Brittani Simpson a future superstar in this industry?

Crossing over to a different division (fitness/figure to bodybuilding and vice verse, or fitness to figure and vice verse) is nothing new. It's been done for quite some time now. Some have competed in either fitness or figure, and put on muscle for about a couple of years to become bodybuilders, while those in bodybuilding have taken off some muscle to become fitness/figure. Now imagine having the right balance of muscle to not only do bodybuilding, but figure as well...for the same contest...and actually doing well in BOTH divisions. That's exactly what Brittani Simpson did at the 2009 Emerald Cup.

For those that are unfamiliar with the Emerald Cup, it's arguably the best regional shows in the nations, and one of the best ran shows period. A lot of big stars have come from the Emerald Cup, and I feel Brittani is going to be one of those stars.

Before I go on, how about you get a little visual aid of Brittani from the Emerald Cup earlier this year:



(Brittani competing as a bodybuilder at the Emerald Cup 2009)



(Brittani competing as a figure competitor at the Emerald Cup 2009)

Brittani isn't your typical physique star. Prior to competing, she has been involved in dance, cheerleading, rock climbing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and just about everything in between. (Source: Twixpix) In addition to having that in her resume, she's also a mother of two.

In her first year competing (2008), she competed in the Vancouver Natural (yes, her physique is natural) and won her class, won the overall title at the 7 Feathers Classic, and placed in the top three at last year's Emerald Cup. And then she kicks off 2009 in a big way by placing in the top three in both bodybuilding AND figure in her classes. Call me crazy, but that screams future pro to me. According to a video interview she did for Hardfitness (click here to view the video), look for her to make her national debut this November at the NPC Nationals.

She's only been competing for a couple of years now, but I feel it will only be a matter of time before she turns pro. Whether she will get it for bodybuilding or figure remains to be seen. Regardless of what she gets it for, look for Brittani to do big things in the years to come. And with her being a natural athlete, that says a lot about her character and determination. At this point, the only person that's gonna hold her back is herself, and I doubt that it will happen anytime soon. :-)

Brittani, on befalf of the FitGems Nation, we wish you the very best of luck in the future and hope you serve as an inspiration to working mothers around the world. The world is yours for the taking. GOOD LUCK CHAMP!!!

For more on Brittani, check out her website at http:///www.brittfit.com and her blog at http://wwwbrittfitcom.blogspot.com/.

Song of the Week-Survivor "Eye of the Tiger"

For this week's Song of the Week, we're going OLD SCHOOL. One of my favorite songs of all time: "Eye of the Tiger". I can't think of a single person who doesn't like this song. :-)

Congrats to the 1st-ever Miss FitGems FitMom, Niki Delgrosso!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered the 1st ever FitGems FitMom contest! There were over 600 votes, and Niki Delgrosso overwhelmingly was the winner of the contest with 273 votes. As a result, Niki will receive $100 USD through me via PayPal. Catherne Kronemer was the only mother closest to Niki with 161. Liza Hughes came in thrid with 43 votes. To view the entire poll results, click here.

Here's Niki's entry:

Hi,

My name is Niki DelGrosso, and I am the mother of 7-month old triplets. For years I said I would never have children. My life has been completely devoted to nutrition and fitness, and I completed my masters degree in Nutrition followed by certification as a personal trainer. Then it happened, I met the man of my dreams, and wanted to have children at the age of 30. My husband wanted 2 boys and a girl, and that is what we got! LUCKY!!

I was told that I was a high risk pregnancy due to multiples, and that I would not be able to work or work out for the entire pregnancy, that I would need to gain 80 pounds, and that I would be on bedrest at 20 weeks. I was also told I would be covered in stretch marks, would possibly need cosmetic surgery to repair the damage to my body, and that I certainly would never compete. I was determined to prove everyone wrong.

I decided I was going to make sure that EVERY calorie that went into my body was something those babies needed, and I continued to work and work out until the day I delivered. I gained only 55 pounds, worked every day, and even did my back workout the day I delivered three healthy babies!

Six months after the babies were born, I was on stage for my first competition, followed by another three weeks later where I took first overall, and ANOTHER two weeks after that! I feel that being a fit mom means being strong and healthy so that my children can look up to me as a role model as well as a mother. I believe that feeding them the best from the very beginning while pregnant, and breastfeeding them as long as possible (I continue to now at seven months), contributes to their future health and well-being. I want them to grow up confident and knowing how to eat healthy without deprivation, and be able to look back at the photos of that first show they attended, at six months old, when their mother competed in her first show and brought them with to watch something everyone told her she was not going to be able to do. I want them to know that they can achieve anything they set their minds and bodies to.

Niki will receive $100 dollars via PayPal from me to use at her discretion sometime this week.

Thank you to everyone that was a part of this special contest! If you have any suggestions for next year's contest, let me know through email or below on the comments.

Song of the Week-Adelitas Way "Invincible"

I know you are probably tired of wrestling songs as Songs of the Week, but damn it, some of these songs lately have been sick...especially the one by Adelitas Way! It's called "Invincible". If you haven't listen to this song...you're in for a treat! This is used for WWE Superstars, which is on WGN America at 7PM Eastern/6PM Central on Thursdays and replays at 11PM Eastern/10PM Central Thursdays and Noon Eastern/11AM Central on Sundays.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FITMOM!!!

Thank you to everyone that entered this very special contest. There are 11 great individuals who entered this year. Those women are:

Cathleen Kronemer
Kassandre Harper-Cotton
Jade Smart
Amanda Zawojsky
Liza Hughes
Lori A.T. Raper
Ginny Gardea
Niki DelGrosso
Theresa Winterhalter
Suzane Germano
Amber Lobao

View each of their stories and a pic of them as well. After you do that, vote for your favorite mother. You have until Mother's Day to vote. GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!

The poll is at the front page of my site: http://www.fitgemsnation.net.