When FitGems Nation first heard about Lauren Rutan, it was in 2017 during the NPC Jr. Nationals, where she placed 10th in Figure Class A. The muscularity she brought on stage that day was off-the-charts. In our honest opinion, she could have fit in very well with today’s figure competitors. Prior to her competing at the Jr. Nationals, she competed in the NPC Mid-Atlantic Cup and won the overall figure title, which qualified her for the Jr. Nationals in the first place. In addition to training for her IFBB card , she also trained for POWERLIFTING. Yes, she trained for physique competitions and powerlifting AT THE SAME DAMN TIME. That is INSANE, considering the training for both sports vary in many ways. While she unfortunately was unsuccessful in her World bid in 2017, she would end up winning her IFBB Pro Card by winning the Women’s Physique Class A at the NPC Nationals, the biggest amateur show of the year.
2017 Jr. Nationals…the event that introduced us to Lauren Rutan..and we’ve been in awe since! Photo credit: Dan Ray |
It was during 2017 during our interview with her and doing our own research on Lauren that we found out just how special she really is. When you really think about it, there is not a person (male OR female) in the muscle world that is like Lauren Rutan. She has top records in CrossFit, local and national records in powerlifting and weightlifting, she has top 10 placings in the physique world in figure and women’s physique, and is the ONLY person to ever compete in the Arnold in four different muscle events in her lifetime (CrossFit, Powerlifting, Weightlifting, Bodybuilding (Women’s Physique)). To call her pound-for-pound one of the strongest PEOPLE (not just women) in the world isn’t too much of a stretch to us.
Her muscle achievements ALONE make her a living superwoman to us, but let’s add her non-muscle achievements (which we highlighted this past week on our Facebook and Instagram). She’s a controller at KinectAir, a Payroll and Finance Administrator at HealthLinx, a wife, and a mother of five…soon to be SIX. Yep, she does so much and has achieved so much before the age of 40 (which she will be next year).
Photo credit: Indian Land CrossFit Facebook |
The Lord has been truly good to this woman, as you can obviously tell. Lauren has WAY pushed past the boundaries of what a human body is capable of and is truly the living definition of “no excuses”. If you want something back, you will find a way to get it. We don’t know if she will do anything else in the muscle world after her sixth child is born (like she has anything to prove to anyone at this point) but to us, she is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in any and all muscle-related categories. There will never be another Lauren Rutan in our lifetime. If you haven’t given her her flowers, now would be a good time to do so. She’s more than earned them.
Only person to compete in the Arnold in powerlifting, weightlifting, CrossFit, AND bodybuilding (women’s physique). A first-ballot muscle Hall-of-Famer in our eyes! Photo credit: NPC News Online |
For more on Lauren, check out the following links: