Black History Spotlight for February 1, 2009-Tanji Johnson

Time to kick off Black History Month with one of the most influential fitness competitors in history, regardless of race...Tanji Johnson!



Tanji has an unbelievable passion for the sport that rivals most people. She's always been an athletic person, competing in track and field and being captain of the dance team in high school. She joined the U.S. Air Force Academy. Those folks don't play! You've got to have what it takes to make it throught the training, and she had it. She ended up graduating from the Academy with a B.S. in Humanities and a comission as an Air Force officer.

She started to compete in 1998, making this year her 11 year in fitness and her eight as a pro. She has competed in numerous Arnold and Olympias, has won two fitness titles so far, and appeared on NBC's American Gladiators as "Stealth". Something tells me we've not seen the last of Tanji, not by a long shot.

For more about Tanji, check out her website at http://www.tanjijohnson.com.

Physique judges are people, too...

I’m about to piss some people off and become a wanted man among some fans and schmoes (and maybe some competitors) for saying this…but at times, I feel bad for the judges of this sport; I really do. Now, I know what you’re thinking…why would you feel sorry for these morons? First and foremost, they are not morons. They are just like you and me. They have to make hard decisions. And for them, they have guidelines they have to follow. To the best of my knowledge, there are people above them that decided the guidelines of the physiques in their federations, and all the judges can do is judge from what they see right in front of them on that day.

I'm not being a kiss-ass to them; I'm just stating the obvious. Am I saying that all judges are fair? ABSOLUTELY NOT! In life, you’re gonna have those corrupt people in everything, but there’s not as many as one might think. But in all things, it’s the bad that overshadows the good in any sport, event, or job in the eyes of the average person. And judges are not immune to this. I don’t know how they are individually, but when you talk about judges as a whole, at times they are like Rodney Dangerfield; they get no respect, and that’s just wrong.

To the competitors out there who are blaming the judges for their placements, could you think that you might be doing something wrong? Take your loss as a learning tool and learn from it. If you didn't place where you wanted to, go to them and ask them face to face what the problems was. Trust me, I’ve had to deal with some trial and error trying to get my FitGems Nation site up and running (still learning). To those that think the judges just don’t like your favorite competitor(s) and are only picking who they like personally, I’ve got some words for you…GROW THE HECK UP! Last time I checked, the world didn’t revolve around just you. Your favorite competitor just didn't have the right package to get that certain placing you felt like they deserved. I'm not going to claim that I've never thought bad about judges. I was one of those people that thought that they are only awarding certain people based on sponsor or their name, or blah, blah, bla-dey blah. However, I realized that I was just being selfish and stupid, and realize that the judges aren't to blame.

I’m gonna tell you right now, I don’t think I could be a judge. I don’t have what it takes to make a major decision on hand like the physique judges. My hat is off to all of them. Bottom line, if you don't like what is being judged, contact the federation and let them know about your displeasure. Don't take it out on the judges; they are just doing their jobs. Judges, keep doing your thing and remember why you are in that position in the first place. You have my respect.

There you go...my honest take on the judges, and why they should be respected by all members of the industry (especially fans) rather then ridiculed. You may now leave all complaints, hate messages, and wedgie threats below. Thank you.

Arnold Classic 2009-The list

This has been posted at Hardbody News, Bodybuilding Weekly, Siouxcountry, Feminine Bodybuilding, and many other places. For those that are unaware, the Arnold lists have been revealed. Here are the ones that will be competitng in March,

Ms. International
Heather (Policky) Armburst
Dayana Cadeau
Iris Floyd Kyle
Maria Del Carmen Gomez
Rosemary Jennings
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Mah-Ann Mendoza
Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia
Betty Pariso
Brenda Raganot
Isabelle Turell
Betty Viana-Adkins
Dena Westerfield
Fitness International
Jessica Clay
Regiane Da Silva
Nicole Duncan
Tina Durkin
Heidi Fletcher-Sullivan
Bethany Gainey
Tracey Greenwood
Oksana Grishina
Jen Hendershott
Tanji Johnson
Shannon Meteraud
Mindi O’brien
Julie Palmer
Erin Riley
Trish Warren
Nicole Wilkins-Lee
Figure International
Gina Aliotti
Huong Arcinas
Monica Brant
Heather Mae French
Amy Fry
Adela Garcia
Jennifer Gates
Sonia (Adcock) Gonzales
Lenay Hernandez
Georgina Lona
Juliana Malacarne
Zivile Raudoniene
Kristal Richardson
Felicia Romero
Sherlyn Roy
Chastity Slone
Brenda Marie Smith
Erin Stern
Latisha Wilder

I'll be highlighting each competitor from now until the Arnold arrives...hopefully. Congrats to everyone that got an Arnold invite!

A Fitting Review-"HDPhysiques"

HDPhysiques may be among the youngest of the paysites, but this site is home to many of the industry’s top favorite competitors. Doug Smith and Joe are quickly becoming big names in the industry, as they have more then proven that they know how to choose their stars and they know how to showcase the women’s physiques to their ultimate potential.
There are too many good women on there to highlight (and the list is growing daily by quantity and quality), so I’ll highlight some of the best on the site…to me, that is. Opinions may vary.

I’ll start with Lindsay Cope, aka The Beast. In my honest opinion, there may not be a figure woman on Earth that is as strong as Lindsay. She lifts more for a warm-up then most can lift in a lifetime. Plus she’s downright beautiful to boot. Yes, a woman with the strength of Hercules and the beauty of a Barbie doll. Practically perfect, if you ask me.

Another person with inhuman strength is my personal favorite competitor on the site, Natalie Ariel, aka “The A-Train”. She doesn’t just look strong…she IS strong. Her size, strength and conditioning is almost unrivaled in figure. With the new guidelines in figure, she decided to give bodybuilding a try. Her bodybuilding debut is unknown as of yet, but if her HDPhysiques footage as a figure competitor is any indication, then the world of women’s bodybuilding has gain one hell of a star on their hands.

Someone else who is a HDP favorite is Heather Armbrust. Heather is pound-for-pound one of the best-built female bodybuilders in the sport, with arguably THE BEST set of legs of ANY competitor in the IFBB. Other than her own site, HDPhysiques is the ONLY site where you will see the unrivaled sheer intensity of her legs.

Perhaps their biggest star on HDPhysiques is the person that most fans would love to see figure be centered around these days, and that’s Valerie “Siren” Waugaman, a.k.a. V-Dub a.k.a. The Green Goddess, a.k.a., The Regal One. Joe sees Val as THE perfect figure competitor, and when you take a good look at her, can you blame him? She has natural beauty, sexy charisma, and incredible genetics, things you are just born with. No disrespect to the figure competitors reading this right now, but when her conditioning is on, you might as well be fighting for second place. HDPhysiques took footage of her during the 2007 Arnold Classic and looked PHENOMINAL!!! Why she didn’t win that year is STILL a mystery to me and to others. The judges (to put it nicely) flat out didn’t make the right decision that year. Sorry, Val should have won the Ms. Figure International title in 2007. The video clips and pictures on HDPhysiques are proof positive.

In addition to displaying several top stars, they have Fun Flexes and Bonus Flexes, and features such as Biceps Week, Quad Week, and Calves Week, which are nothing short of amazing. They also cover a few contests as well. As I mentioned earlier, they are growing by quality and quantity, and I recommend any competitor or model out there to try and get a shoot with these guys.

The motto of HDPhysiques is “Hi-Def bodies in Hi-Def video”. High definition technology was made for the female muscle industry, and Joe and Doug are the first to display the ladies in the way they were meant to be displayed. To established and aspiring stars, arrange a shoot with them. To fans and supporters, join the site and see for yourself why HD is the new “black” in the female muscle industry.

2008 Figure Olympia Predictions

The Figure Olympia will be entering its sixth year, and there have only been two champions thus far. Davana Medina reigned as champion for the first three years. Davana was going for a fourth title in 2006, but illness forced her to drop out, meaning a new champion would be crowned that weekend. That champ would be Jenny Lynn, who successfully defended her title last year. But that was last year, this is now, and the competition is tougher than anytime in the short history of figure. In this preview, I’ll choose five competitors that could best challenge Jenny (based on past performances from last year’s O ‘til now), highlight the champ, and choose a wildcard competitor (one that could shock some people).

Gina Aliotti




This woman is on everyone’s top three for the Figure Olympia, and this should be of no surprise considering what she has accomplished without reaching the age of 25 yet. She currently reigns as the 2008 Figure International Champion. I know there will never be another Monica Brant, but if I could choose someone who could be the next IFBB icon, it would be Gina. If she keeps this up, she will rank in win after win, photoshoot after photoshoot, recognition after recognition and become arguably THE female face of the entire IFBB, all before the age of 30. I’m not gonna lie, I thought Gina had the Figure O title won last year. Gina is what figure is all about, simple as that. The woman’s got perfect genetics for this sport. She can come hard or soft and still clean house. The way she carries herself on stage, you wouldn’t think that she’s in her early 20s. For the ones that aren’t Gina fans out there (and I’m really baffled at why there would be any body that wouldn’t be a fan of Gina, or at least respect her, assuming there are any out there), you wonder why Gina is held in high regards. She has “it”. I can’t make it any clearer. From this point in her career, the only way to go from here is up.

http://www.ginaaliotti.net/

Jenn Gates


As much as I love Gina and no disrespect to any other competitor out there competing at the O this year, Jenn is my personal favorite to win the Figure Olympia. She’s another person that I think is on all or most people’s top three list. And after the way she entered the IFBB, who wouldn’t be impressed by this figure enigma? Her rookie year is the stuff of legend. Her passion, determination, and drive are practically unrivaled in the sport, and besides the champ Jenny, Jenn could be the only other woman to match or even surpass Gina bodypart for bodypart, quarter turn for quarter turn. When her and Gina captured the top two spots at the Arnold, everyone thought that it was spot on. Now in only her second Olympia, Jenn will look to do what no mother has done before: win an Olympia title. How big would this win be? Let’s take Tanya Merryman for example. Before the Olympia, she was in the Fitness America Pageant. When she won the title, she not only became the first MOTHER to win a major fitness title, but she became THE face of the promotion for a long time, and still considered the greatest Fitness American champion, ever. Imagine Jenn pulling off such a feat, only on a much bigger stage. “Momma Olympia” may be born in Vegas in September.

http://www.jenngates.com/

Felicia Romero


Ever since the new figure guidelines have been put to place, one person has been considered the “poster girl” for these new guidelines. And that person is the beautiful Felicia Romero. And why not? She’s only won both contests that she entered in since the guidelines were created and enforced (California Pro and Houston Pro). Being on the cover of Flex Swimsuit 2008 Magazine has further Also she’s been a great spokesperson for the division, by defending the new rules and guidelines in message boards. But like most things “Actions speak louder than words” or in this case…her physique does most of the talking for her. And it has spoken for her quite well over the summer. Last year, she faced Jenny, Gina, and Jenn at the Olympia and fared worse that she had hoped. Something tells me that things are gonna be a tad bit different this time around. Who knows? With those three getting the most attention, Felicia could sneak right past them and score a huge upset. They say that the quiet ones are the ones that you need to watch out for.

http://www.feliciaromero.com/


Amy Fry


Her height ALONE will make her a serious threat to the title. At five foot nine, she will be the tallest competitor in the Figure Olympia, and quite possibly the tallest of ALL the female Olympia competitors period. She won the Pittsburgh Pro this year, the first figure contest under the new guidelines. She also placed third at her first Arnold Classic, only being Gina and Jenn. I don’t know too much about her, but from what I have seen from her, I think she could be a big threat to the Figure Olympia title much sooner rather than later.

http://www.amyfryfigurechic.com/


Mary Lado

In 2006, she became a figure icon when she won the Figure International title, when Jenny had to back out due to sickness. She retain her title in 2007, but placed almost out of the top ten at the Olympia. SAY WHAT?!?! Kinda took me by surprise myself. But from what was said, she didn’t bring her “A” game to the stage because of personal good things, not personally bad things. With her not deciding to defend her Figure International title this year, would the two-time Figure International champion be out of the Olympia. The answer would turn out to be no, and it came in the form of the 2008 Jacksonville Pro. She brought back the old Mary Lado. The one that won her two Figure International titles. The one that placed her in the top six in 2005 and 2006. The one that made her a champion in the first place. If she brings that Mary Lado to the Olympia next month, she could pull a 2008 USA Olympics Men’s Basketball team and become the Redeem Queen of figure.

http://www.marylado.com/






DEFENDING CHAMPION - Jenny Lynn


This woman is not the face of IFBB figure for nothing. Other than Davana Medina, Jenny Lynn is the first person that pops in your mind when one discusses IFBB figure. So far, she is the only woman to ever win both the Figure International and Figure Olympia titles, and is only a handful of people to win at both the Arnold Classic and the Olympia. Her physique has always been long and slender, with a great balance of muscularity. While she had the Arnold Classic down pat (she was champion for three consecutive years), it was the Olympia that gave her trouble for the longest. She placed third at the first Olympia (the lowest she’s ever placed for a figure contest, for your information) and for two years, she placed runner-up. In 2006, she came looking like a toned Hollywood starlet and finally won the big one. In 2007, she successfully defended her title. However, as good as Jenny is, I don’t see how she’s gonna win this one, despite having the entire year to prepare for this contest. I know she would want to tie Davana’s record of three Figure Olympia titles, but I think that there are others that would want the title more than Jenny wants to retain the title. I could be wrong, though. Jenny could come into the O and blow the competition out of the water and keep the rising youngsters from claiming something each and every figure competitor strives to achieve: Olympia immortality. Jenny better leave it all on the stage to leave Vegas the way she came in. Something tells me that she’s gonna show the world why she’s is figure personified.

http://www.jennylynnfitness.com/


WILDCARD - Sonia Adcock


With the high talent that is a part of this year’s Olympia, it was kinda hard to pick a wildcard for figure. After thinking it over for a few minutes, I decided to choose someone who I’ve somewhat criticized quite a bit last year: Sonia Adcock. I think the reason why I gave her some grief is because I’m not used to seeing “thin-like” calves. I guess it’s a pet peeve of mine, I don’t know. But I can say this about her, her upper body is very impressive. Not to mention she has an exotic look about her, which doesn’t hurt her at all. She has placed in the top six in every pro contest she’s entered, but in order for her to keep that streak going, she’s gonna need to bring her “A+” game to the city that never sleeps. There are times that she’s proven me wrong on more than one occasion; I don’t see this year being any different for her.

http://www.soniaadcock.net/

Ms. Olympia predictions to come shortly…

IFBB/NPC physique division-my thoughts and proposal

There’s been some interesting talk going on for the last couple of years or so (and has been BUILDING ever since the figure mandate has been established…and actually been put to use) about the possibilities of a physique division? Wait a minute…yet another division for women?! Yes, and to me, this could be the most popular division of them all, if this was to actually come to light. Why? So many unique possibilities could come out of this division.

For one, it would give fitness/figure competitors (especially figure competitors) who are deemed too big for their division to showcase their hard-earned physiques without necessarily going the bodybuilding route, as well as bodybuilders who are deemed too small to compete in bodybuilding to compete in a division where they would be widely accepted without having to go to extreme measures to get the to the top tier of women’s bodybuilding.

Another thing, this could bring back some competitors out of retirement as this division would fit who they are. I mean, I know she has a family now, but someone like Davana Medina (who is surprisingly private regardless to her major success in the female muscle industry) would be a great fit for the physique division. She came in practically shredded in every Olympia she competed in, and guess what? Her look won her the first three Figure Olympia titles (and possibly a fourth one had she not gotten sick in 2006). And don’t even get me started on The Regal One! Valerie Waugaman (Siren on NBC’s American Gladiators) would be one of the main poster girls for this division. I mean, it’s been a year now, but I still can’t get over her look at the 2007 Arnold Classic. Everyone thought that she should have won the competition that year (including yours truly). However, when has the decision of the judges ever agreed with the decision of the fans?

…

Can’t think of any? None?!?!

…

Didn’t think so.

Anyways, this is truly something that I would love to see come to the ranks of the IFBB and NPC. Apparently, so do many of you, as last month’s poll showed a near-unanimous agreement to a possible physique/classic bodybuilding division. Although it seems like this is something many people want, like most things, everyone sees their own version/proposal of this division. Dave Palumbo has his vision of the current division, currently on the Muscular Development forum (http://forums.musculardevelopment.com/showthread.php?t=31531). IFBB Pro Lisa Aukland posted a proposal on the FeMuscle board from fellow bodybuilder Betty Pariso(http://femuscle.org/board/showthread.php?t=660). Both of these stars have one major thing I don’t possess, and that’s experience. They’ve seen what works in this industry and what doesn’t work. I have no problem with either of their proposals, as I think both of them would work. My version of a IFBB/NPC physique division would be somewhat of a combination of basic principles of women’s bodybuilding, fitness, and figure. Presentation (hair, makeup, style of suits) would be key as well as physique. BTW, the physique would be more judged on conditioning and flowing of muscle groups. Size would be fine as long as there was some form of balance. Also, since this would be physique, only two-pieces would be used. No thongs or over-the-top bikinis either. The physique should be the top priority.

Here’s my proposal:

There would be four rounds to judge (two preliminary rounds and two final rounds). The first preliminary round would be have each competitor do an introductory quarter-turn pose with heels, exactly like it’s done in fitness and figure. Make sure the muscles are as tense as you can get them. Hey, this IS a PHYSIQUE proposal, after all, right?!? Being hard would be preferred, but those who are soft can excel in this division without any problems. Anyways, after each competitor does their quarter turns by themselves, then they will go three, five or six at a time (depending on the number of competitors) at a time and do it side by side, for comparison reasons. After that is done, the competitors will do another three/five/six person comparison. But this time, posing will be involved.

Each of the competitors will do the following when called to do so (in this order):

• open-palmed bicep pose (one arm or both arms)
• tricep push (similar to NABBA)
• side chest (either FBB, NABBA, or whatever style you want to)
• back/lat pose (however you show off your back is up to you)
• back open-palmed double biceps pose
• legs/abs pose
• open-palmed double bicep pose
• Curtsey, then go back to your original spot.

No most musculars or closed fists poses.

Once that is finished, the judges will tally up the scores. The top ten or twelve scores will go on the finals, where it gets really interesting really quick. The finals would be a combination of fitness and women’s bodybuilding principles. Each competitor would perform a two-minute routine which displays their muscles to the best of their abilities. Heels are optional for the finals. If you happen to be skilled in muscle control (pec bouncing, bicep bouncing, quad shaking, etc.), this would be a good time to bring it out. It’s not required whatsoever, as not all competitors are skilled in this kind of flexing. You MUST incorporate all the preliminary poses in your routine. You miss one, you will be deducted points. For the final (and possibly most crucial) round, all the finalists will go all out at the same time in a one-minute, 30-second (yes, only 90 seconds) posedown to impress the judges (and really get the crowd riled up). All the rules are thrown out the window, just as long as you don’t hurt yourself or others in the process. The scoring would be like the other divisions with the winner being the person with the lowest score, ranging from a low as 5 points for each round to 50 points each round. The winner should have great muscle definition, femininity, and poise. Before a division such as this would exist, there should be some posing seminars that every competitor (pro and amateur) would need to attend to in order to learn how to pose correctly. As a matter of fact, that should be a pre-requisite to compete as a physique competitor. You don’t attend at least ONE seminar, you can’t compete in a physique contest, simply for the fact that you will be lost and will have no clue what the hell you’re doing.

Well, there you have it. If I was a member of the IFBB, this would be the proposal I would bring up at an official meeting. My proposal is simpler that it looks on paper. I wish there was video out there that would show exactly what I’m talking about. The best thing I can think of if you want a visual aid would be to look at some NABBA figure competitions. My proposal would not be the same as those competitions, but it would be somewhat similar.

Do you like my proposal? Do you hate it? Could this actually work? Leave a comment below; I would love to hear what you’ve got to say about this subject.

Side note: Can you believe that the Olympia is only a few weeks away? Man, time passes by so quickly!

Also, my best-wishes go out to Adela Garcia, who suffered a knee injury and will need surgery, thus making her unable to defend her Fitness Olympia title this year. Get better soon, chica. You’ll be better then ever the next time you compete!

My thoughts on the state of women's bodybuilding

Well…I’ve talked about my personal state on fitness and figure. Now it’s time for me to talk about the oldest and arguably the most prestige of the female muscle divisions: Women’s bodybuilding. I discovered this after I found out about women’s fitness. This category is basically a toss-up; either you love it or you don’t, plain and simple. I personally LOVE it. The dedication of these women to take their bodies and put it to unbelievable limits is unlike anything else in the world. You must be dedicated and motivated and be prepared to make sacrifices in order to achieve your ultimate goal. The sacrifices that are made differ for each female, but the ending result remains the same: to achieve the best possible physique you can, and by best I mean the body YOU want.

The first female bodybuilder I looked at and instantly loved was Cory Everson, which turned out to be one of the pioneers of the sport and someone that I believe 95% of all female competitors today (regardless of category) respect. Her and the first Olympia champion Rachel McLish put the sport on the map. Both are in their late 40s-early 50s now, and they continue to practice what they preach and look absolutely fantastic. For anyone that wants to look amazing long after their competition days are over, take their advice seriously. They know the sport like the back of their hand. I mean, they aren’t hall-of-famers for nothing, ya know.

Back in their prime, their bodies would be what most bodies of fitness/figure athletes are considered now. Boy, have times changed. As the sport got bigger, so did the bodies. What decreased though was the attendance of the Ms. Olympia competition. At one point, the physiques got so big, according to IFBB standards, that they was thinking about getting rid of the Ms. Olympia contest altogether. Ouch! But that didn’t happen; instead, it got moved to the Expo part of the show back in 2002-2003 (someone correct me on this, please), which is obviously a far cry from the main stage. But hey, having the show at a expo hall is better then not having the show at all, or at least that’s how I see it.

After the 2004 Olympia, a new rule was put into play: The 20% rule. This meant that the women had to decrease their muscularity by 20 percent. (This rule applied for female bodybuilding, fitness, and figure). This was supposedly created for safety reasons for the women. But…if that were the case, wouldn’t the men be applied this same rule as well? I know men and women are made differently, but still. Basically, most fans of the female muscle athletes saw this as IFBB’s way of saying to the fans, “We know you better than you know yourselves”. I’m just calling it like I see it; my words are not law, remember?!?

Anywho, according to what I’ve seen on the boards and judging from the competitions in the past, the support amongst the competitors of this sport has never been stronger. Every way they can, you see the competitors and fans finding simple ways to keep the sport alive. There are shirts made that say “Support Women’s Bodybuilding”. Some competitors have found ways to get on mainstream television to promote the sport, more mainstream than ever before. Colette Nelson, for example, has become quite the mainstream “leader”, sorta speak. She, along with Vicki Nixon, Sheri Owens, and Nicole Bass were part of the Montell Williams show on July 4. Colette also teamed with Jamie Reed, Lena Squarciafico, & Antonia Schmitt for “Flex and the City”, a parody of the widely popular series and movie “Sex and the City”. And most recently, Collette was part a very popular campaign video supporting Republican presidential nominee John McClain as she portrayed Incredbile McCain Girl, which also promoted the very successful summer movie “The Incredible Hulk”, which has close to 2 million hits so far on Youtube. Speaking of Youtube, this has seemed to become a female bodybuilder’s best friend. Female bodybuilding clips are among the most popular clips on the Internet video website. I’m not kidding; I can’t go to the top favorites section without seeing at least one FBB clip in the top 100. Yep, it looks to me like as long as there’s support from the true fans and women who are willing to go the distance, I don’t see women’s bodybuilding going away anytime soon.

I’ll end this blog with a great quote I saw on Siouxcountry’s board (a board that I’m begging you to join!). This is on side of his board, but I’d thought I’d share this with you as I thought this sums up my entire blog about this division (I’m just posting this, I take no credit for coming up with this at all):

Bodybuilding is an art

Of the body

Designed by

Yourself in time and it is

Beautiful because you are

Using your body as a sculpture

In a pure state of

Living for a

Dream from within and

Inside your heart and soul it is

Never to be compromised, because there is no

Greater feeling then that moment

Well, I’ve covered my state on all the current female muscle divisions (fitness, figure, and women’s bodybuilding). Coming soon: my proposal for a possible physique/classic bodybuilding division, and the women who I think would be perfect for it(some of the names might surprise you). One last thing: Thank you to everyone who has supported this blog. This means more to me than you know.

By the way, good luck to everyone competing at the NPC USAs this weekend!

A little introduction...

Hello everyone!

I'd thought I'd take this time to introduce myself. I'm Chris, but most people call me C-Ray.
I go by cray17, cray2005, and similar things on other female muscle boards. Some of you know me by my overwhelming respect and support for female muscle. If you don't know, you will. LOL.

I have the upmost respect for any female who does this for a living, regardless of female muscle category (FBB, fitness, figure) If this was easy, everyone (male and female) would do it, plain and simple. They're women, they're athletes, but most importantly, they're human. These women do so much to take your bodies to levels people only dream about. All the haters know how to do is to criticize them for being who they are and what they do and why? Because they're jealous. Unlike the athletes and fans, they don't understand the hard work it takes to develop top physiques. They don't get the sacrifices that are made to be. At first , when I was nothing more than a naive teen, I liked them because they were hot to me. They’re STILL hot to me, but these days as I'm getting older and understanding the sport more, I’m focus more on their respect and dedication for what they do.

Like everyone, I have my personal favorites. My five favorite FBBs (in no particular order) are Vicki Nixon, Diana Tinnelle, Theresa Hendricks, Cory Everson, and Dayana Caedeu. My favorite fitness competitors (once again in no particular order) are Julie Childs, Kim Klein, Adela Garcia, Heidi Fletcher, and Jenny Hendershott. And last but not least (in no order), my favorite figure competitors are Christine Pompomio-Pate, Jennifer Gates, Jane Awad, Monica Brant, and Amanda Savell.

In addition to being a fan of female muscle, I'm a big fan of pro wrestling. Mainstream or independent circuit, you name it, I like it. My favorite female wrestler of all time is Trish Stratus, a former fitness model. And my favorite current male wrestler is John Cena, a former ametuer bodybuilder. My other favorite is Kofi Kingston. Others I dig are Samoa Joe, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga, MVP, AJ Styles, The Motor City Machine Guns, Torrie Wilson, Victoria, The Hardys, Sabu, RVD, Sandman, CM Punk, Elijah Burke, and The Rock (who is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE WRESTLER), among others. I know it's scripted (or if you want to call it fake, I don't care), but I enjoy it nethertheless.

I've created a few Yahoo fan clubs, which have been suprisingly (to me) successful. I'll post them on a future post. A good deal of the competitors have lended a helping hand in a good deal of their respective groups, which is cool.

Well, there's a little about me. But the focus of this blog is to highlight some of the best and brightest of female muscle from the past, present, and future, as well as my insights on the industry as a whole. This is just another way of bringing the sport of female muscle to a bigger, more positive light.

Hope you enjoy this blog!!!