Go Figure Movement

Ladies and gentleman...the Go Figure Movement is a GO!

FitGems Nation has been my pride and joy for over a decade and it's something I absoutely love to do because of all the athletes and personalities involved in the female muscle world. I've seen a lot of people come and a lot of people go, but for me...FitGems has taken a third of my life up and I'll never regret it. Of course I was a fan of the female muscle world BEFORE FitGems Nation was even a thing. When I became a fan, there was only women's bodybuilding and fitness, so I was there when figure came along. I can remember when there were doubt about how long that division would last because unlike the fitness division with gymnastics/dance routines and women's bodybuilding with flexing and a routine...this division would have the two-piece and one-piece like the fitness division...but that's it. No flexing...just simple posing. How could a division like that last ANY time when the other two divisions would add more to offer. Almost twenty years later, the figure division is still riding strong as among one of the more popular divisions as far as paricipation is concerned. Many of my favorite competitors in the IFBB and NPC come from the figure division. Some competitors in other divisions got their start or made their COMEBACK because of the figure division. With this division being nearly 20 years old, I feel it's now the time to give the figure division the spotlight it deserves.

Today, I'm OFFICIALLY announcing the Go Figure Movement, a venture to showcase the IFBB and NPC Figure Division. I created a Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gofiguremoment) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gofiguremovement) to showcase the figure divison from the early days of Davana Iriel (Medina), Jenny Lynn, Monica Brant, Christine Pomponio, Mari Kudla, and Latisha Wilder to game changers such as Gina Alotti, Jennifer Gates, Nicole Wilkins, Erin Stern, Valerie Waugaman, and Ann Titone to today's stars (Latorya Watts, Cydney Gillon, Candice Carter, Bojana Vasiljevic, Wendy Fortino, Ivana Ivusic, Nadia Wyatt) and future stars and everything in the middle. I hope to educate people on what the figure divison is all about for anyone wanting to know more about it. BUT...that's not the biggest part of this.

The biggest part of this is I'm currently writing a book about the division. Yes...you heard that correctly..by the 2021 Olympia (aiming for that time frame), there will be a book about the figure division! The working title of the book is Go Figure: A Look at IFBB/NPC Figure. It will cover the beginnings and all the eras of the division as well as where I could see it going in the years to come. I'm aiming to interview several competitors in the months to come to get this all together, so to all figure competitors out there, don't be suprised if I contact you in the months to come! The book will also have words from other industry personalities (more to come later on who I will be talking so) and never-before-seen photos of figure competitors and competititions from the past and present.

While the book is a definite as well as Facebook and Instagram, I'm hoping to do a documentary about the figure division. If I do that, it will probably be in 2023, which will be the 20th anniversary of the official launch of the figure division. If there is enough interest, a YouTube channel may be launched in the coming weeks and months. We shall see.

In all, this is something that I have been working on in secret since quarantine began and I will continue to make this project something special. I feel it's high time the figure division got a big spotlight on them, and I aim to do just that. If you would like to be involved in the Go Figure Movement in any shape or form, email me at gofiguremovement@gmail.com. To all of you that have support everything I've done under the FitGems Nation brand, thank you so much and I look forward to continue making FitGems Nation a special place for all of you and hope you all join me in supporting the Go Figure Movement!

Lauren Rutan, THE Definitive Superwoman

One of the most amazing muscle athletes this industry has ever seen!
Photo credit: NPC News Online

Every competitor is special in their own way. Each woman that enters the physique world spends hours upon hours of dedication in the weight room and in the kitchen to obtain the most amazing physiques on the planet when it comes to LOOKING like Greek gods/goddesses. While they are definitely stronger than the average person, they are not judged by their strength in the weight room. Then you have those that put in hours of dedication to have the STRENGTH of Greek/gods and goddesses and don't actually focus on the look rather the performance. Those are powerlifters, weightlifters, and Crossfitters (even though the Crossfitters tend to usually have better aesthetically-pleasing physiques than powerlifters and weightlifters. Now...to do physique competitions, CrossFit, weightlifting AND powerlifting and be able to excel at all of it has got to take superhuman effort. Add to that being a loving and dedicated wife and mother of four children and you have credentials that would make even Wonder Woman look like a joke.

Ladies and gentleman, such a woman exists...and you won't find her in comic books (even though it would make for one heck of one!). And her name is Lauren Rutan.

Lauren is from Akron, Ohio. You might recognize that town because a certain top NBA Superstar just happens to be from there as well. But we're not focusing on him here, we're about the QUEEN of Akron.  If you look up the word superhuman in the dictionary, there's a good chance you will find a picture of Lauren in the description. She competed before at the National Level about 10 years ago when she did the 2007 Jr. Nationals, along with a few other shows. She stepped away from the physique stage for a while, but not before she decided to do anything and everything that tested her body to the limits and beyond. She has went on to become a weightlifter and powerlifter, breaking state records and becoming one of the nation's top strength athletes. She also has done her share of CrossFit competitions as well, and is among one of the best there as well! In all of that...she became a wife and mother of four along the way. She's also a nutrition and workout coach to boot. I know, that's a lot to take in!

The Ultimate Jill-of-All-Trades
Photo credit: CrossFitGirl.com

She recently returned to the physique stage, winning the overall 2017 NPC Mid-Atlantic Cup Figure title and would go on to place in the top 10 in her figure class at the NPC Jr. Nationals. Her next stop is the USPA Powerlifting Nationals in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. Yes, she prepared for a physique show and a powerlifting competition at the same time. To say that's insane would be an understatement. But Lauren is a special kind of athlete that only comes around once in a lifetime. She has big plans, and she herself will reveal more about them and her incredible athletic career in a future interview exclusively for FitGems Nation. We are looking forward to interviewing her and learning more about how she has been able to become THE definitive Superwoman.

Until then, I highly recommend following her on Instagram as she takes her fans through her journey as a super athlete: https://www.instagram.com/rutan422.