Our Take on WWE's Newest Swole Queen, Mandy Rose

There are some people that come around once in a lifetime. Those people that no matter what, you take one look at them and go..."WOW...This person is going places". That is pretty much the vibe many are getting at when they look at WWE Superstar Mandy Rose. Her wrestling career hasn't been the longest by any means, but thus far there has been no indication of why she should NOT be one of WWE's biggest Superstars going forward.

Photo credit: WWE on Instagram

Real name Amanda Saccomanno, Mandy was born and raised in an Italian-American family in Westchester County, New York, and is the youngest of four children. She is of Italian and Irish heritage. For her education, she attended Yorktown High School, where she participated in dance. She felt that dancing was what she would end up doing professionally down the line. She ended up joining the Yorktown High School Dance Team and pretty much killed it as one of their top dancers. But over time, she felt dancing wasn't her true calling after all and decided into looking into fitness modeling instead. She later earned her bachelor's degree at Iona College, where she major in speech pathology, as well as beginning to take her fitness and physique much more seriously now. It got to the point where modeling agencies were beginning to notice her.

Once she was done with college, she decided to focus on fitness competitions, as she felt that (rather than dancing) would be the key to a successful career. To say fitness was definitely the right call for her would be an understatement. In 2013, she would enter the World Bodybuilding Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) Boston show and won it, to the surprise of many. After that, she took some time off to make up her mind on whether she was truly going to continue her fitness competition path. She ended up doing that and would go on to compete in the 2014 WBFF World Championships in the Pro Diva Bikini division and took top honors. That win would draw the attention of more people.

Mandy winning the 2014 WBFF Pro Bikini World Championship
Photo credit: WBFF

Even after being a World Bikini Champion, Mandy felt like she could do more with her career and discovered wrestling and decided to give that a try. She would enter the revived WWE Tough Enough competition (under her real name, of course and came in at a billed 120 pounds...this will become important later on in this blog piece) and gained a good deal of publicity on the matter. Not all of it was good, though. While she would meet her current bestie Daria (now known as Sonya Deville) on the show, she rubbed a good deal of people the wrong way, intentionally and unintentionally. Her progression was threatened by a near-quick exit from the show until the Miz pulled out her save card and she was spared from an early elimination (Thanks Miz!) from the show. She ended up making it all the way to the finals where she lost to Sara Lee, who won the contract and the money, yet never appeared on WWE TV after Tough Enough, which ended up being another case of losing making you a bigger winner down the line...which is exactly what happened to Mandy once Tough Enough was done.

WWE liked her look a lot and decided to bring her on for one season of Total Divas. After that, she joined the Performance Center and made a couple of NXT TV appearances, most noticeably a mini-feud (if you want to call it that) with Ember Moon. That match made quite a bit of people open their eyes and go "Okay, she might be more than looks after all!" She would show that through various NXT live events, gaining somewhat of a cult following, do to being a photographer's dream and the shock of fans when they realize just how strong Mandy really is, hence the formation of "The Golden Goddess"

People were beginning to wonder whether she would make a full-on NXT run or move right up to the main roster. After what seemed like forever, we finally got our answer the night after Survivor Series 2017. Raw had a Fatal 4-Way match to determine who would be next in line to face Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship and during the match, Paige made her shocking return to WWE, and she didn't come alone. Mandy (and her bestie Sonya) arrived and (with Paige) unleashed hell on practically every woman in WWE for weeks. Named Absoultion, they took down nearly everyone who stood in their way, until an unfortunate accident at a Raw live event injured Paige to the point that she will never be able to compete in the ring again. This put Absoultion in disarray, and there was uncertainy for both ladies, even though they got to make history during their time in Absoultion, entering the 1st-ever Women's Royal Rumble, Women's Elimination Chamber, and Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal. Mandy and Sonya were both drafted to Smackdown Live, where Paige now runs things as General Manager. She made it clear the first night Mandy and Sonya appeared on Smackdown Live that Absoultion was dead and neither woman would get special treatment from her. And while we are unaware of how WWE views Sonya for the long run, it seems WWE has seemingly made it clear that they see something special in Mandy Rose, as on the May 8th edition of Smackdown Live, she entered her Smackdown debut match against Becky Lynch (1st-ever Smackdown Women's Champion) with a new entrance (complete with blurry effect) and new music and won a quick yet decent match against the Lass Kicker. She has been dubbed "God's Greatest Creation" since Ember Moon (War Goddess) and Alexa Bliss (The Goddess of WWE) have already claimed the Goddess titles.

(The following photos are from mator1267 on Instagram)

During her time in WWE, from NXT to now, she has put on an good amount of muscle on her, to the tune of 20 POUNDS. For someone that's only 5 foot 4, that's a lot. To put this in perceptive, if Mandy were to compete in the National Physique Committee (NPC) as a female bodybuilder, she would BARELY be able to compete in the light-heavyweight division. She revealed her weight in her Instagram story. But then again, when you can leg press over 500 pounds and deadlift over 400 pounds, you can't be a small chick. In the first-ever WWE PC Combine, she placed 3rd among the women, with only Bianca Belair and Ember Moon besting her. Her muscle size, strength, and overall beauty to us makes her the best COMBINATION of muscle and beauty since Trish Stratus in her prime, and even in her prime Trish didn't even have nearly the power nor the size Mandy currently has (Trish was 120 at her heaviest), and we can only see Mandy getting stronger going forward. We say combination because there are those that are definitely stronger than Mandy but maybe not as beautiful, those more beautiful than Mandy but not as strong, and those that are definitely more jacked/toned than Mandy but might lack the beauty and/or strength.

140 Pounds of Muscle...and looking great doing it!
Photo credit: Mandy's Instagram Story

When you look at her past in high school, college, the WBFF, and wrestling, Mandy really is unlike any blonde that has come in WWE in a while. A college degree, a background in dancing, a former world fitness bikini champion, lifting PRs that would put even some of the strongest MEN to shame, and constantly learning in the ring with each match...Mandy has everything it takes to succeed in WWE and be one of the company's top stars for quite some time. When it's all said and done, we don't think she will be known as the second coming of anyone. She will be the first (and ONLY) Mandy Rose.

Credit to Greatest Physiques (https://www.greatestphysiques.com/amanda-saccommano/) for some of the content used in this blog piece. 

For more on Mandy Rose, follow her on Twitter (@WWE_MandyRose), Instagram (mandysacs), and her WWE-ran Facebook page. You can also follow her on Snapchat under mandysacs.

IFBB Advisory Rule about Competition Contracts and No-Show at Finals

This was released last week, from the IFBB:

Credit: IFBBPro.com

Let's start with the athlete competition contract ruling. There are those that take their time and want to see who else is competing and maybe they will wait until the very last minute to send in a contract. With this new ruling, that will be reduced dramatically as competitors MUST submit their contracts no later than a month (30 days) before the competition they plan to enter. And if they DO wait, they gotta pay up to the tune of 200 dollars. So make up your mind early, folks, and go ahead and submit those contracts.

As far as the no-show at finals are concerned, good ruling on that as well. If you make it, don't bail out unless you have a legitimate excuse. If you're literally feeling like you're gonna pass out, then you clearly excused from the finals. Your health is more important than a trophy and a spot at the Olympia. But if you're skipping to be skipping, you better hope it's a VERY GOOD excuse, because it's gonna cost ya $1,000. And until it's paid off, you will be kept from competing elsewhere.

While I personally love these rulings, some of you might not. What are YOUR thoughts on the new IFBB rulings? Post them below.

Sabrina Taylor, one of IFBB's Best-Kept Secrets?

It's no secret that there are those competitors who don't get the callouts many people feel they deserve, despite doing everything by the book, and changing things to appease to what the judges are looking for at that time. Like everything else, hardcore fans seem to support the ones the company/federation don't. I guess it's a rebel thing in people, I guess, to follow a different path. They develop somewhat of a "cult following". You're definitely seeing this a lot on message boards these days. Arguably the biggest following among the boards and those I've talked to is Juliana Malacarne (more about her in a future post. Stay tuned). Someone who's gaining some steam in that kind of following is that of IFBB athlete (big emphasis on ATHLETE) Sabrina Taylor.

Sabrina @ 2011 Pittsburgh Pro (Photo credit: FitnessRx)

Sabrina isn't your typical figure competitor. She got in gymnastics as the tender age of three. She did that for a while, and then joined the Air Force for a while. She competed in a few NABBA competitions before making the NPC/IFBB her home. She would win the overall Emerald Cup fitness title and shortly after that, she would win her first national show, the NPC USAs in Fitness, and win her pro card, making her part of the IFBB. She would compete in a few competition in 2005 before taking a hiatus from competition. In 2009, she returned to the IFBB in 2009, but this time as a figure competitor. Physique wise, she's one of the most respected among her peers, although the judges have told her that her conditioning (especially in the upper body) is a bit too much for today's figure. She has done her best to give the look that is desired these days, but for some reason or another, it isn't enough. When you have been in what she's done throughout her lifetime, it's kinda hard to get really soft when you have her kind of muscle maturity. It's a gift and a curse, like Spider-Man. There are those that would like to see Sabrina try her luck in IFBB women's physique next year. But for the moment, she is sticking with figure. In fact, her next show (as far as I know) will be on September 24-25 in India (yes, I said INDIA) during the Sheru Classic. She's also currently with ALR Industries, thanks to her boo, Louis Uridel, aka The Big Sexy (his words, not mine. I swear!! LOL. :-) )

When she's not competing herself, Sabrina's leading others into battle on the stage as coach of the Camp Pendleton bodybuilding and powerlifting teams, specifically Team Iron. To make a long story short somewhat, she's basically leads by example. Another reason Sabrina's not your typical run-of-the-mill figure competitor is that she's one INSANELY strong female. During her time in the Air Force, she competed in powerlifting events, setting a lot of records and winning many awards for her weight class. Obviously, she doesn't train like that anymore, but I've been told she is among the strongest figure competitors out there. If strength was a big part of figure competitions, she would be among the top of the heap, without question. Her strength goes beyond just the weight room, though, as shown in this clip from the 2011 Arnold Classic, as she needed to hang for 70 seconds at the US Marine booth. Not gonna spoil the video for you, but I think you will be mighty impressed with how well she does here:



Bottom line, with her unique combination of athleticism, beauty, muscularity, and strength, Sabrina is among the best talents IFBB has...but has yet to capitalize on it. Hopefully things will turn around, and Sabrina gets the respect from the federation she deserves. She's an amazing talent, and speaking on behalf of FitGems Nation, I think the best for her is yet to come in her career.

For more on Sabrina, visit her fan page at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/sabrina_taylor/, and you can add her as a friend on Facebook under the name Ifbb pro Sabrina Taylor.

BrittanyBFit on FitGems Nation: Tabata Exercises

How would you like to do four minutes of training and get the same benefits, aerobically, as someone who completes 45 minutes, on the treadmill, at a steady pace?? Yep, you read this correct….FOUR minutes, with the right amount of intensity, and you will turn your body into a fat-obliterating machine!!

What is this!?! “It is a form of High Intesity Interval Training (HIIT) which is a a method of aerobic exercise that uses short workouts but super high intensity to accelerate fat loss. Tabata used a 2 to 1 ratio of intense activity and recovery period that increase aerobic capacity AND improved anaerobic capacity to some degree. The best of both worlds!

How does it work? Most of the time we perform either aerobic (cardio) OR anaerobic (strength training). The problem is that just doing cardio doesn’t help our strength and just strength training doesn’t help our aerobic capabilities. Tabata training gives a big boost in our aerobic capacity and also benefits us anaerobic. That’s right! It is SOOO hard that both systems are impacted! So get ready for some of the toughest exercises you will EVER do!

I am excited to walk you through this intense protocol with an EXCLUSIVE workout video for BrittanyBFit.com members. I have named it the “ultimate Tabata workout”, and I can not WAIT to share it with you and hear your feedback!

http://www.brittanybfit.com/ultimate-tabata-workout/


Together we can be SEXY, STRONG, and UNSTOPPABLE!
<3 Brittany Beede <3
WWW.BrittanyBFit.com

Brittany Beede Joins FitGems Nation!!

Welcome to FitGems Nation, former WWE Diva BRITTANY BEEDE!!!

In what has to be the biggest acquisition to FitGems yet, we are honored and privileged to announce that Brittany Beede, known better as former WWE Diva Jamie Keyes, is joining FitGems Nation as a special guest blog contributor! Beginning next week, and continue periodically, Brittany will be providing blogs about topics from the fitness industry.

I have personally became a fan of Brittany during her days on NXT Season 2 as a ring announcer and continued to be a big fan of hers during her small run on NXT Season 3 as a competitor before leaving WWE. Since then, she has went on to pursue her fitness dreams and goals by opening her official website and being a fitness model for Body By Brazil with top fitness stars as current Figure Olympia champion Erin Stern and top fitness personality Jennifer Nicole Lee.

Many have pinned Brittany as the next top fitness celebrity (which doesn't shock us as you yourselves voted her as a One to Watch Fitness Entrepreneur during last year's FitGems Awards), and with a lot of experience in the fitness industry and not even 30 yet, don't be surprised if this former WWE Diva become of the biggest names in the entire fitness industry before it's all said and done.

Brittany's first post will be next week, but until then, take a look at what we've wrote about Brittany from the past:

http://fitgems.blogspot.com/2010/06/celebrity-spotlight-brittany-beede-wwes.html

http://fitgems.blogspot.com/2010/10/brittany-beede-fitnesss-next-breakout.html

Once again, we would like to thank Brittany for being part of our blog and providing FitGems Nation with an opportunity to share her fitness knowledge with us! Please visit her website at http://www.brittanybfit.com, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BrittanyBeede, and "like" her on Facebook.

To All Fit Mothers...Thank You

Today is a special day dedicated to all moms everywhere, Mothers Day. Everyone of us wouldn't be here without a mother. She had us in her stomach for at the very least...NINE MONTHS. Their lives are on the line when they give birth to us. The pain they go through over the process is more than most could bear. Some have actually lost their lives giving birth, no lie. But when they do give birth, it's the most rewarding thing in the world. The reason I, a male, know that is because there's not a day that goes by that I don't say "I love you" to my mom and grandmom. Without them, there would be no me, and there would be no FitGems Nation. Simple as that.

Mothers are the backbone of every family. They are the ones who make sure food is on the table, their children can go to school, family can come to them for advice, etc. Basically, being a mother is a 24/7 job that you get your paid (or SHOULD get paid) with more than just money. Respect from your family and self-respect and pride. Now, imagine all of that...and heading to the gym to prep for a show. Like those without children, they must do cardio and weight-train to bring an amazing physique to the stage. They have to get a suit, fix their hair, tan, get the right shoes, and everything else a competitor needs to do before, during, and after a contest. It's hectic doing that without being a mother, so to do all the contest prep and competitions AND be a mother at the same time?! How can you NOT have respect for all the mothers who are in this industry?

Being a fit mom is more than just being an athlete. You are an ambassador to EVERY mother in the world. You're telling them that it's not too late to live your dream. You're telling then that you can be fit and be a mother as well. Basically, you're a walking fountain of youth and a shining light for those that need it.

To every fit mother that is competing, had competed, or is still in shape and doing their part to help mothers and non-mothers stay in shape, on behalf of FitGems Nation, thank you for everything you're doing. You are truly the definition of hard work and dedication. May you continue to inspire the current generation, as well as the generations that come after you. Thank you for being an inspiration. Thank you for being a Fit Mom. Thank you for being...you.

5wks out-Dont think about it,JUST DO IT! (Melissa Cunningham's Journal Entry #9)

5 and 6weeks (35 and 42 days) out from show days!!! where is the time going???
eeeeep!
i have been feeling "off" my game this week,but have pushed through the workouts and cardio anyways. today i was really not feeling the gym mojo. maybe it was because i knew i had to get in a BRICK session,i knew i had to get an under 21 5k...and i wasn't in the mood to run,or bike,or lift. i just wanted to go back home and sleep.
i put my head down and plowed through a not fun workout.
4x10 pullups ss w
4x10 dips
4x15 lat pulldowns
4x15 straight arm lat pulls ss w
4x30 dirty 30's
4x15 close grip rows
4x12 reverse flys
4x15 overhead extensions ss w
4x12 DB kickbacks w twist
towards the end of the workout,i stalled and stalled.....
and then i told myself......
Melissa,
dont think about it, JUST DO IT!
so i finished the workout strong and got in a GREAT BRICK session
bike-9.5 miles in 31 minutes..
IMMEDIATELY jumped on the TM and cranked out a 5k in 20:48.....
mile 1: 7:13...felt very comfortable
mile 2: 6:38...still felt good
then finished the last mile going from 6:30 down to 6min mile pace....
:D
3 weeks until triathlon
5weeks until WNBF Pro qualifier
6weeks until first Pro show of the year, World Cup qualifier
7weeks until Marine Core 1/2 Marathon.......
i must be crazy.....

10 Weeks Out and Mini Back (Melissa Cunningham's Journal Entry #7)

10 weeks out and although the past 2 weeks have been hard due to illness (my 6 month old baby) and a death in the family,i am back on track...
another good workout chest/tris and abs followed by a mini indoor BRICK.....
the run down:
4x15 cable crossovers ss w
4x20 reverse press downs
4x15 decline DB bench ss with
4x15 decline barbell skull crushers
4x15 weighted crunch downs on cable ss w
4x12 cable kickbacks
4x 10 pushups off upside down BOSU with toes on exercise ball
(2nd set i tried alternating single leg...did it but only did 1 set that way-last seti only got 7 reps)
ss this with
4x15 weighted dips off bench with toes on ex ball
then did giant set of:
3x15 pikes on ex ball
3x20 weighted hip ups with med bal between knees
3x20 weighted alternating up and overs
then ended with 9 miles on stat bike (30 minutes)
and then immediately jumped on the TM and did
mile 1 @ 7:30 pace
when i found my legs i did
mile 2 @ 6:18
13:48 total
i felt really good after that but cut the rest of cardio short because i wanted to get in the pool with the older 2 kids before the evening classes started.
jumped in the pool with the kids,was having a great time and then they ditched me for 2 kids who were about the same age as them...
*sigh*
but it was still a good time!

Changing Your Goals (by Lizzy Ostro)

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a pretty driven person with a set of goals that you wish to accomplish. Not just anyone can walk on stage in 5 inch heels and a bikini with confidence. The dedication and hard work that is put into those few minutes on stage is grinding, but absolutely worth it.

Most of us set goals a few times per year. A lot of time is spent thinking about these goals and when we write them down, they are set in stone. But should that always be the case?

If we set out goals and do not complete them, we all feel like failures. There may be many reasons that your goals weren’t accomplished, but if you did all that you could, there is no reason to get down on yourself about it. Rather, maybe it’s time to change your goals. Maybe you were a bit ambitious with your goals, and this might be just the right time to adjust your goals and reevaluate what you want out of life.

It can be pretty easy to get caught up in competing. I, for one, take the sport very seriously and sometimes forget that there is another world outside of competing. I’ve only competed in two shows, but my training, eating, and sleeping schedule all revolve around getting my body to the condition that I want it in. I’m not always perfect, but I strive to be perfect and that is what keeps me engaged in my training. I am a very competitive person, and I won’t step on stage unless I feel that I am bringing the best package I possibly can to the stage. There will always be more shows. I repeat, there will ALWAYS BE MORE SHOWS.

Recently, I was faced with a dilemma. This entire year I had been planning to compete at a national show. First plan was Jr. Nationals, but when push came to shove, that wasn’t going to happen for financial reasons. NPC USA’s was next on the list and I began dieting about 16 weeks out for this show. Last week, at just 4.5 weeks out from the show, I decided that this wasn’t my show, and that I would not be competing. The measures that I would have to take to be ready for this show weren’t the healthiest, and even still didn’t guarantee the look that I wanted. I risked burning off the muscle that I worked extremely hard for, and my mind was telling me that this just wasn’t my show. Stepping away from a show after training hard for 12 weeks was and is really tough. It made me feel like I was quitting, and that I was a big F-word. No, not that word; this one: failure.

I thought about it for a few days and came to this conclusion. The goal that I set for myself was a great goal, but had I continued to strive for it, I would have sacrificed my health and body. For someone who is looking to do just one show and be done with it, this might be acceptable to them. For the 12 weeks that I did prepare for it, I put in 100% of my efforts. My diet was spot on and so was my training. I can’t be mad at myself for doing all that I could. My body just wasn’t ready for it and I can’t force it.

I like competing, and I want to continue to compete for as long as I enjoy it. And in order for me to do that, I need to think long-term. I came to a big realization while I was thinking about all of this. In order to get long-term results, you need long-term goals. If that means that I won’t be able to step on stage until August, September, or even October, then so what. What is the rush? As far as I can see, competitions aren’t going anywhere. Maybe changing your goals isn’t such a bad thing after all. As long as it isn’t an excuse used to put OFF your goals, it can be beneficial to your mind and your body. Work hard every day towards the things you want out of life and don’t ever lose sight of that.

As I continue to grow on my journey as a bikini competitor, it amazes me how many new things I learn each day. This new lesson has taught me another side of patience that I hadn’t encountered before and has left me with a new mantra: Short term goals will only get me short term results, and I’m in this for the long haul.