Sunday, April 23, 2023

Lauren Rutan: One-of-One in Female Muscle



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:

Friday, April 14, 2023

Some Special Announcments

With the FitGems Awards officially behind us until next year and my mind and body FINALLY in a better state, it’s time to move forward with FitGems Nation and beyond. As I mentioned on social media, I had a few special announcements to make.

  • Earlier I began After the Final Callout on Instagram, which will showcase former competitors as well as post information and tips on how to live post-competition. We have yet to make a post, but that will change this weekend with our first post. We will also be launching a Facebook page as well. 
  • Some of you are aware of Physiques of Women’s Wrestling (PHOWW), which focuses on the physiques of female professional wreslters of the past, present, and future. We silently launched a Discord server, but we will be making a blog for PHOWW in the coming days. All of our wrestling posts will be going there rather than our main blog going forward, with the exception of a few things. So yes, PHOWW is expanding. 
  • Next Saturday (April 22) is Lauren Rutan’s birthday and beginning this Monday, we will be celebrating her life and accomplishments in the female muscle world (which is to us, the most decorated of any female muscle athlete EVER) dubbing April 17-22 Lauren Rutan Week (we did something similar for Monica Brant and Christine Pomponio a few years ago)
    • Monday-Life outside the world of muscle
    • Tuesday-Weightlifting
    • Wednesday-Powerlifting
    • Thursday-CrossFit
    • Friday-Physique competitions in the NPC/IFBB
    • Saturday-Birthday blog post celebrating Lauren’s greatness
  • In the coming days, we will be launching our latest project called Fitness ModelVerse, which will be showcasing not only the female athletes and models but the photographers as well. Our aim is to make this a networking format for current and aspiring female fitness models and photographers. There will be an Instagram, Facebook page, and Facebook group. 

I know it seems like a lot, but I’m at a point where I feel like I can do this without too many issues moving forward. If you have any questions about these announcements and potentially what lies ahead, email me at fitgemsnation@gmail.com or DM me on your favorite social media platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Monday, April 10, 2023

2022 FitGems Awards Results

I feel like I’m a broken record at this point, but I want to apologize for how these awards went down this year. Life happens. As mentioned before, a committee will be helping me with the awards going forward, beginning with the 2023 edition. I’ll post more about it closer to time. 

With that being said, here are the winners for each category. Congrats to you all!

  • Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year: Andrea Shaw (Runner-up: Michela Aycock)
  • Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year: Natalia Coelho (Runner-up: Brooke Walker)
  • Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year: Missy Truscott (Runner-up: Ariel Khadr)
  • Pro Figure Competitor of the Year: Cydney Gillon (Runner-up: Jessica Reyes Padilla)
  • Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year: Jennifer Dorie (Runner-ups: Ashley Kaltwasser and Lauralie Chapados)
  • Pro Wellness Competitor of the Year: Yarishna Ayala (Runner-up: Francheel Mattos)
  • Pro Masters Female Bodybuilder of the Year: Lenore Gregson (Runner-up: Gina Hill)
  • Pro Masters Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year: Lenore Gregson (Runner-up: Stephanie Fredrickson)
  • Pro Masters Figure Competitor of the Year: Lena Johannessen (Runner-up: Missy Sandeman)
  • Pro Masters Bikini Competitor of the Year: Michelle Hurst (Runner-up: Miriam Jenkins)
  • Pro Masters Welllness Competitor of the Year: Tammy Sievers (Runner-up: Tina Breshears)
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Female Bodybuilder of 2022: Lenore Gregson
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Women’s Physique Competitor of 2022: Lenore Gregson
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Fitness Competitor of 2022: Missy Truscott
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Figure Competitor of 2022: Jessica Reyes Padilla
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Bikini Competitor of 2022: Jennifer Dorie
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Pro Wellness Competitor of 2022: Yarishna Ayala
  • Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year: Leann George (Runner-up: Andrea Wellington)
  • Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year: Jessica Coleman (Runner-up: Nicole Washington)
  • Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year: Brittney Mendoza (Runner-up: Rachel Pitts)
  • Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year: Jennifer Aguirre (Runner-up: Becca Wilcox)
  • Amateur Bikini Competitors of the Year: Savannah Watchman and Amy Vetters (Runner-up: Evil Jack)
  • Amateur Wellness Competitor of the Year: Alexis Adams (Runner-up: Shelby Talon)
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Female Bodybuilder of 2022: Chloe Phillips
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of 2022: Julie Boley, Lauren Anderson, Nicole Lareau, Nicole Washington
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Fitness Competitor of 2022: Brittney Mendoza
  • FitGems Fan Favotite Amateur Figure Competitor of 2022: Becca Wilcox
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Bikini Competitors of 2022: Brandi Lewis-Reed, Darcy Quinn, Evil Jack, Ukacki Onyekiaka
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Amateur Wellness Competitor of 2022: Shelby Talon
  • FitGems Fan Favorite Fitness Model of 2022: Lenore Gregson
  • Fitness Model of the Year: Yarishna Ayala (Runner-up: Wendy Fortino)
  • Jenny Lynn Fitness Ambassador of the Year:  Whitney Jones (Runner-up: Trish Stratus)
  • Social Media Woman of the Year: Yarishna Ayala (Runner-ups: Wendy Fortino and Ashley Marie Lajomowski
  • Moment of the Year: Natalia Coelho finally wins the big one, winning her first-ever Women’s Physique Olympia title (Runner-ups: Isabella Nunes wins the inaugural Wellness International and Bianca Belair become the first active WWE Women’s Champion in history to compete in a bodybuilding show, becoming a WBFF Pro)
  • Photographer of the Year: Will Wittman (Runner-up: Sean Nelson)
  • Videographer of the Year: Gilco Productions (Runner-up: Joe Bayer for NPC News Online)
  • Fit Celebrity of the Year: Carrie Underwood (Runner-up: Trish Stratus)
  • Fittest Female RAW Superstar of the Year: Dana Brooke and Rhea Ripley (Runner-up: Alexa Bliss)
  • Fittest Female Smackdown Superstar of the Year: Ronda Rousey (Runner-up: Charlotte Flair)
  • Fittest Female NXT Superstar of the Year: Mandy Rose (Runner-up: Tiffany Stratton)
  • Fittest Female AEW Wrestler of the Year: Jade Cargill (Runner-ups: Toni Storm and Saraya)
  • Fittest Impact Wrestling Knockout of the Year: Jordynne Grace (Runner-up: Mickie James)
  • Fittest Wrestling Star of the Year (ROH/NWA/Indies): Kylie Rae (Runner-up: Lady Frost)
  • Physique Paysite of the Year: HDPhysiques/Premium Physiques (Runner-up: HerBiceps)
  • Physique Paysite Models of the Year: Tanya Chartrand and Katie Lee (Runner-up: Modesta Halby)
  • Fitness Clothing Line of the Year: Better Bodies Inc. (Runner-up: Flag Nor Fail)
  • Team of the Year: Underrated Muscle (Runner-up: Cyberbodyshop and Time Mihaly) 
  • Mad Mountain John Meadows Male Trainer of the Year: Dave of Underrated Muscle (Runner-ups: Matt Allen and Brent Wilkin)
  • Female Trainer of the Year: Stacy Espinosa (Fujarski) (Runner-up: Whitney Jones)
  • 2022 FitGems Nation Woman of the Year: Cydney Gillon
Photos of all the winners will posted on our social media post (Facebook and Instagram) in the coming days. We will also be sending out awards to the winners via Instagram like we did in our previous awards, and that will begin in the next few days as well. 

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU ALL for your patience this time around. Hopefully the revamped format for the 2023 awards and beyond suits everyone better going forward. Congrats to the best of 2022 and good luck to everyone competing this year. Maybe we’ll see you on the 2023 FitGems Awards ballot!