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!

WTF Arnold?!

Next year will be the 35th Anniversary of the Arnold Sports Festival. This SHOULD be a case for celebration to have one of the biggest fitness festivals in the world reach such a milestone, but it’s been scarred with controversy with the removal of pro women’s physique and pro figure, in addition to STILL not bringing back women’s bodybuilding despite the Olympia coming to their senses a couple of years ago and bringing back the Ms. Olympia competition in 2020 to massive praise not only with fans but within other competitors.

I understand that all things must evolve in order to survive and thrive, that has been true for all of eternity. Every entity that has made it has had to do just that. But every entity that has been able to thrive has been able to understand and respect where they came from and not show disrespect to what got them in the big dance in the first place. You would think someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, someone who got his fame in the first place as a BODYBUILDER, would understand this concept. But sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case…at least on the female side of things. I mean, no women’s bodybuilding, no women’s physique, no figure?! It’s not a coincidence that the three top muscular divisions are not represented in the Arnold in 2023.  In all honestly, with the amount of muscle the fitness division is packing, I’m shocked that the fitness division wasn’t cut as well.  A bodybuilder, arguably THE most popular bodybuilder in the world, afraid of women with muscle is such a crock of shit. Any respect Arnold had in the bodybuilding world has went down the drain with how the females are bring cut in their own industry in the festival that is supposed to showcase the best of the fitness world, which includes…say it slowly with me…BODYBUILDING!!!!

And apparently a reason for the cuts on the women’s side of things has to do with “lack of depth”, which is honestly straight up horseshit. Last I checked, the figure division is DEEP, the women’s physique division is DEEP, the women’s bodybuilding division is DEEP. Ever since the Ms. Olympia competition returned, we have seen more female bodybuilders than we have in a while and has help balance out the female bodybuilders from the women’s physique competitors. And the addition of Wellness has helped balanced out who should be in wellness and who should be in figure, so mess me with the “lack of depth” bullshit of an excuse.  So no, there’s no lack of depth on the part of those divisions…only a lack of incompetence on the part of Arnold and the committee. 

On our Instagram, we called for a boycott of the Arnold next year and we are calling for it here. Attack them where it hurts. Don’t go to the Arnold, do not TALK about the Arnold on social media, do not purchase the Arnold websteam and instead invest in other shows that actually DO care about ALL the ladies of the industry. We’re making an announcement now…until things change in the Arnold, we will NOT be doing any form of coverage on any of out platforms. This is not to diss fitness, bikini, nor wellness. This is bigger than that. This is to show solidarity for ALL female divisions and to let them know that EACH division matters to us. It would be awesome if each division that IS represented at the Arnold, male or female, would show solidarity, and no one applies for the Arnold. But in all honesty, we don’t see that happening. But we will do our best to represent ALL female muscle as much and as often as possible on all our platforms, even if there are those like Arnold that won’t. 

I attended the Arnold in 2015 and it was among the best times of my life. Unless things change, I’ll be damned if I ever go to another one again. Arnold, you have the opportunity to make things right. Your reputation has been damaged greatly but not permanently destroyed…yet. The ball is in your court to fix things before they are damaged beyond repair. Your move, sir. 

2020 Olympia: The Show WILL Go On!

Well...you all know what's going on in the world right now, so I don't need to speak on it no more than I need to. So all I'll speak on is how the Olympia will be done this year with everything that is going on right now.

This Monday, it was announced that the Olympia WILL be a go, and it will happen December 16-20. Yes, you heard that correct, folks. The Olympia is taking place during the holidays! But that's not the only big change happening for the Olympia. Beginning this year, it will be move from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Planet Hollywood right in the center of the Las Vegas Strip. That is MASSIVE because Las Vegas is the city that never sleeps (outside of right now, obviously) and to move it to the center of the Strip puts more eyes on it than ever before, and it gives more of a fan-friendly feel to it, which is something that Jake Wood, the new owner of the Olympia, wanted to go: give the Olympia back to the fans as best as he can, and these changes (and more to come in the months ahead) seem to indicate just that. Tickets for all the Olympia festivities will go on sale May 25th (Memorial Day). If you have purchased Olympia tickets prior to the changes, you should receive a full refund. If you haven't, make sure to check with Ticketmaster. No, your previous purchase will NOT be transferred over to the new dates/locations. You must purchase new tickets when they go on sale May 25th.

With the new dates and location established...now lies the following: When is the last day to qualify for the Olympia and what shows are even taking place this year?! Today, NPC News Online announced that Sunday October 18th will be the last day to qualify for the Olympia. Here's a list of all the competitions that are set to go on to qualify for the 2020 Olympia:

Women's Bodybuilding (BTW, so glad Ms. Olympia is BACK!!!)

2020 IFBB MR. BIG EVOLUTION PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 07/12/20 in Lisbon, Portugal
2020 IFBB OMAHA PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 7/18/2020 in Omaha, Nebraska
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING in 07-31/08-01/2020 on Tampa, Florida
2020 IFBB SAVANNAH PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 8/29/2020 in Savannah, Georgia
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB NEW YORK PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 9/5/2020 in Teaneck, New Jersey
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING Over 35 on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH RISING PHOENIX WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB EVLS PRAGUE PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 9/26/2020 in Czech Republic
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois

Women's Fitness

2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA FITNESS on 07-31/08-01/2020 in Tampa, Florida
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO FITNESS on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO FITNESS on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO FITNESS on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 IFBB PRO FITNESS on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO FITNESS on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois

Women's Figure

2020 IFBB ZHANNA ROTAR CLASSIC PRO FIGURE on 7/18/2020 in Los Angeles, California
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA FIGURE on 07/31-08/01/2020 in Tampa, Florida
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM KOREA PRO FIGURE on 08-22-23/2020 in South Korea
2020 IFBB SAVANNAH PRO FIGURE on 8/29/2020 in Savannah, Georgia
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO FIGURE on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS FIGURE on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO FIGURE on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB NEW YORK PRO FIGURE on 9/5/2020 in Teaneck, New Jersey
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO FIGURE on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE KY MUSCLE FIGURE OPEN on 09/19/20 in Louisville, Kentucky
2020 IFBB TITANS PRO FIGURE on 10/3/2020 in San Diego, California
2020 IFBB BATTLE IN THE DESERT PRO FIGURE on 10/03/20 in Las Vegas, Nevada
2020 IFBB PRO FIGURE on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM PRO FIGURE on 10/10/20 in Seoul, South Korea
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO FIGURE on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois

Women's Bikini

2020 IFBB BATTLE AT THE FALLS PRO BIKINI on 5/9/2020 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
2020 IFBB PATRIOTS CHALLENGE BIKINI on 7/11/2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada
2020 IFBB NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PRO BIKINI on 07/11/20 in Sacramento, California
2020 IFBB VANCOUVER PRO BIKINI on 07/11-12/20 in Vancouver, Canada
2020 IFBB WASATCH WARRIOR PRO BIKINI on 7/11/2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah
2020 IFBB MR. BIG EVOLUTION PRO BIKINI on 07/12/20 in Lisbon, Portugal Sandra Ferreira
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA BIKINI on 07/31-08/01/2020 in Tampa, Florida T
2020 IFBB MUSCLECONTEST BRAZIL BIKINI on 8/1/2020 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
2020 IFBB BRITISH PRO BIKINI on 8/2/2020 in Watford, United Kingdom
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRTIION SAN ANTONIO PRO BIKINI on 8/8/2020 in San Antonio, Texas
2020 IFBB PACIFIC USA XXII BIKINI on 8/8/2020 in San Diego, California
2020 TAHOE PRO BIKINI on 8/8/2020
2020 IFBB GOLDEN STATE PRO BIKINI on 08/22/20 in Sacramento, California
2020 IFBB WORLD KLASH PRO BIKINI on 8/22/2020 in Port Charlotte, FL
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM KOREA PRO BIKINI on 08/22-23/2020 in South Korea
2020 IFBB OPTIMUM CLASSIC PRO BIKINI OPEN on 08/29/20 in Shreveport, Louisiana
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO BIKINI on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS BIKINI on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO BIKINI on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB NEW YORK PRO BIKINI on 9/5/2020 in Teaneck, New Jersey
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE HOT SPOT TANNING HURRICANE PRO BIKINI on 9/19/2020 in St. Petersburg, Florida
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO BIKINI on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 ASIAN GRAND PRIX PRO BIKINI on 9/20/2020 in Seoul, Korea
2020 IFBB EVLS PRAGUE PRO BIKINI on 9/26/2020 in Czech Republic
2020 IFBB MUSCLECONTEST VIETNAM BIKINI on 9/26/2020 in Vietnam
2020 IFBB POWERHOUSE CLASSIC PRO BIKINI on 9/26/20 in Ypsilanti, Michigan
2020 IFBB MUSCLECONTEST PHILIPPINES BIKINI on 10/3/2020 in Subic Bay, Philippines
2020 IFBB MINNEAPOLIS OPEN BIKINI on 10/3/2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020 IFBB PRO BIKINI on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB MONSTERZYM PRO BIKINI on 10/10/20 in Seoul, South Korea
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO BIKINI on 10/16-17/20 in Chicago, Illinois
2020 AUCKLAND PRO BIKINI on 10/17/2020 in Auckland, New Zealand
2020 IFBB SACRAMENTO PRO BIKINI on 10/17/20 in Sacramento, California
2020 IFBB FITPARADE PRO BIKINI on 10/18/2020 in Budapest, Hungary

(WOW...on the final weekend of Olympia qualifying there will be four shows for the bikini division! SHEESH!)

Women's Physique

2020 IFBB OMAHA PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 7/18/2020 in Omaha, Nebraska
2020 IFBB PRESTIGE CRYSTAL CUP PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 7/25/2020 in Boca Raton, Florida
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION CUP TAMPA WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 07-31/08-01/2020 in Tampa, Florida
2020 IFBB EUROPA PHOENIX PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 08/08-09/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB OPTIMUM CLASSIC PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE Open on 08/29/20 in Shreveport, Louisiana
2020 WINGS OF STRENGTH IFBB PRO LEAGUE YAMAMOTO NUTRITION PUERTO RICO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 8/29/2020 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
2020 IFBB PITTSBURGH MASTERS WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 09/02-05/2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH ARIZONA PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 9/5/2020 in Phoenix, Arizona
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE BEN WEIDER NATURAL PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 9/19/2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2020 IFBB PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 10/10/2020 in Atlanta, Georgia
2020 IFBB PRO LEAGUE WINGS OF STRENGTH CHICAGO PRO WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE on 10/16-17/2020 in Chicago, Illinois

To view all shows past the Olympia qualification dates, including the first official pro wellness shows (they will not be represented at the Olympia this year), check out the PDF here: http://www.ifbbpro.com/wp-content/uploads/image/2020/calendar/calendar.pdf. For the 2020 Olympia Qualification Systems rules, check them out at http://www.ifbbpro.com/all-categories/news/2020-olympia-qualification-system-2/. If you want to see who has already qualified for the Olympia and is on their way to qualifying, check out the current rankings at http://www.ifbbpro.com/all-categories/oqs/2020-olympia-qualified-athletes-and-point-standings/.

I do want to mention that things can change at anytime so be weary of that. However, I do find it good that the IFBB has worked their butts off to try and get a competition season going for the athletes during one of the most unprecedented times in our world's history. To all of you competing, good luck to you all. To those waiting it out on competing until 2021, FitGems Nation fully respect your decision as well. It has been quite the year for everyone. To all of you out there...STAY SAFE AND USE SOME COMMON SENSE NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. Take care, everyone!

For more on the Olympia including tickets and the latest up-to-date information, check out their website at https://mrolympia.com/.

Cydney Gillon Creates Student-Athlete Scholarship

When an athlete uses their platform to provide opportunities to others to succeed beyond just the realm of sports, it's a beautiful thing. As the world already knows, LeBron James recently opened his I Promise School and in the near future, WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil has plans to open up a tuition-free pubic school of his own, which for anyone who has followed the career of the former Tag Team champion and founder of Titus Worldwide, that should come as no surprise. Others from football to basketball to soccer to baseball to hockey have done this, but (to my knowledge) I have yet to hear any bodybuilder do this...unil now. This week, the current number one figure competitor in the world has stepped up to the plate to prove that she is #MoreThanAnAthlete.

Hats off to Cydney on this amazing opportunity!
Photo credit: Her Instagram

Current Figure Olympia Champion Cydney Gillon announced on Monday via her social media accounts that she has launched her own student-athlete scholarship, which began taking applications on Tuesday. Here is what she said about the scholarship from her Instagram:

I am a firm believer in always giving back to the community. I’ve been a Student-Athlete my entire life; therefore, I understand juggling both endeavors can be very taxing. While attending the University of Pennsylvania for my undergraduate education, I worked 2+ jobs, ran Varsity track, joined a sorority and participated in numerous clubs while simultaneously preparing for NPC Nationals (where I received my IFBB Professional Card). I believe having financial assistance, in general, will decrease the amount of stress students have to endure.

Therefore, I am excited to announce the Cydney Gillon Student-Athlete Scholarship.  I will be rewarding 1 high school student-athlete and 1 college student-athlete $1,000. For those who are interested in participating, email me at cydney@cakefactoryfitness.com. The necessary information will be emailed to you directly. Upon receiving the information, review the requirements and submit all materials no later than September 14, 2018. At that time our board will review & the process will commence.

Winners will be announced by December 31, 2018. If you meet the qualifications or you know a student-athlete who is also qualified, #tag them so they can be aware of this opportunity. Also, feel free to #share and spread the word!

To say this is amazing would be an understatement. It's one think to SAY you want to be a role model to people. It's another thing to ACTUALLY back it up, which is exactly what Cydney is doing. And it has not gone unnoticed by the competitors, as not only did several of them congrats her on this, but Pro Physiques (which is run by current Fitness International Champion Whitney Jones) will match Cydney's scholarship amounts, meaning the high school and college athlete will get a $2,000 scholarship instead of a $1,000 scholarship. Personally, I would love to see this from more competitors. Who knows...maybe once FitGems Nation is financially able to...we just might do something like this somewhere down the line!

Check out all the links to view everything about Cydney and Whitney, as well as their respective fitness companies (Cake Factory Fitness and Pro Physiques). We can thank Cydney enough for getting this up and running and for Whitney to join her fellow sister-in-iron and supporting her by action. Good luck to all scholarship participants!

Cydney Gillon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyd.hunay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vytamin_c

Cake Factory Fitness
Website: https://cakefactoryfitness.com/
Email: cydney@cakefactoryfitness.com

Whitney Jones
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyJonesFitnessPro/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhitneyJonesAZ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyjones_ifbbpro/

Pro Physiques
Website: https://www.theprophysiques.com
Email: AZProPhysiques@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheProPhysiques/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheProPhysiques
Main Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprophysiques/
Prep Team Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepros_ifbb_npc/

Juliana Malacarne to SIT OUT 2018 Olympia. End of an Era?!

Sunday morning, the bodybuilding world woke up to some massive news: 4x Miss Physique Olympia and inaugural Ms. Physique International Juliana Malacane would not be competing at the 2018 Olympia, meaning we are guaranteed a new champion this year. In our honest opinion, the IFBB might want to be very careful with who they select as the new queen of women's physique as this could go a long way toward how women's physique is looked at for the foreseeable future. In fact, it was this very mindset that actually played a part in why Juliana has decided not to go for a 5^th straight title. In fact, in all honesty, we should have seen this coming a few weeks ago if we paid attention to her Instagram nearly a month ago:

I wish IFBB would still reward this look from NY Pro 2013 over my last years olympia! This is for me way more appealing than last year Olympia and without of any doubt a lot healthier to achieve! Gostaria que a IFBB pudesse considerar esse look que apresentei em 2013 no NY Pro do que o meu look do ano passado no olympia , na minha opinião é muito mais bonito e sem duvida alguma muito mais saudável pra chegar lá! #julianamalacarne #takingnothingforgranted #myopinion #health #better #achievablegoals #freakisdisgusting #leaveitforthemen

A post shared by IFBB PRO Juliana Malacarne (@julesfit10) on Jun 20, 2018 at 11:10am PDT

That post spoke volumes right there. It's one thing for fans/spectators to say that the look is too much, but when arguably the greatest women's physique competitor of all time says that, that should be a wake-up call for the IFBB. I said SHOULD but as history has shown, it won't be, not even for a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer like Juliana. We mentioned to Juliana on that post that we felt her best look was the Olympia she DIDN'T win: 2013. Her conditioning was pretty good, better than most of the field (including those that placed above her as well) but what made her so awe-inspiring that year was her shape, structure, and overall combination of muscles and curves. Fans were in disbelief of her look as it was crazy yet HEALTHY-LOOKING at the same time. It seemed achievable and attainable. Fans were also in disbelief when she placed 7^th, which was bullcrap then and bullcrap now. No disrespect to the competitors, but not all six women that placed about Juliana were better than her that weekend. No way in hell, and we'll take that to the grave. She finally got that win in 2014 and would go on become a 4x Ms. Physique Olympia and would win the inaugural Ms. Physique International title in 2015. I was there for that and it was unreal to see how graceful Juliana's physique was compared to everyone else. There was no question as to why she's not just the Queen of Women's Physique, she IS women's physique, which is why the news of her not competing this year hurts and the reason behind it is disheartening.

Many call this her best Olympia look ever...and she didn't even win this show!
Photo credit: FLEX Online

Rather than explain it, we will post the two Instagram posts that broke the news: Juliana's good friends Justin Miller (@astrongspirit) and Michael D. Bryson (who runs This Is Bodybuilding on Instagram)

Well I'm seeing that chatter online and Juliana @julesfit10 has now given me the go ahead to make the announcement on something I have known for a little while now.....4x Ms Olympia Juliana Malacarne will not be competing in this years Ms Olympia! She has given me many reasons that I find interesting. Juliana is in good health and perfectly capable of competing but is simply choosing not to. I first met Juliana in 2007 when she moved to NY from Brasil and barely spoke any English. I needed a good female trainer at my gym I used to own and despite the obvious language barrier I knew Juliana was an amazing trainer. We became friends and she moved into my house and rented an extra room I had until she got on her feet and got busier at the gym. She eventually built up her clientelle & rented an apartment down the street from my gym where she lived for the next 7 years while working there. Juliana actually introduced me to my wife Rita @ritashantidmt back in 2009. I have many memories of Juliana's career. Starting with her telling me in broken English the first time we met in person "I know one thing, one day I will be Ms. Olympia". I then watched her take LAST callout in 13 straight shows over the next 5 years. I remember Juliana was going to retire in 2012 before WPD came out. She decided to hang on for one more show (2012 NY Pro) to see what would happen. Her mom had a stroke 4 weeks out and was left unable to walk in the hospital. Juliana jumped on a plane for Brasil. Surely I thought the show (and likely her career) was over then...but she hung on. She stayed on her diet and got back here to NY 10 days out and told me "I just want to be successful one time in life and I will win this show for my mom". Well the history book will reflect she did it!! 14 shows into her pro career she finally had a win! Now she is stepping down as the reigning 4x Ms Olympia. The greatest Champion the division has ever seen. A future IFBB Hall Of Fame member. Will she compete again next year? 🤔 Its possible. But for now she is stepping away....as a Champion. Juliana wishing you all the best. Congrats on an amazing career to the most resilient IFBB Pro who ever lived.

A post shared by Justin Miller 🇺🇸 (@astrongspirit) on Jul 14, 2018 at 6:51pm PDT

The first live IFBB show I ever went to was the 2012 @bevsgym New York Pro. From that moment on FLEX Magazine and Mr. Olympia on Bodybuilding.com just would never be enough. I’ve been blessed to have seen true legends in their primes! Folks like @philheath, @flex_lewis, @oksanagrishina, @jeremy_buendia, and of course the woman who won that 2012 NY Pro WPD Championship...the beautiful @julesfit10. I saw her LIVE as she won 3 consecutive NY Pros, the inaugural Arnold Classic WPD Ms. International and, of course, her 4 consecutive Women’s Physique Olympia Championships. And today, she gave me the honor of being the first large Bodybuilding Media site to announce that she will NOT be competing in the 2018 Olympia. This is NOT a retirement. This is a break. I think she deserves it. In 2014 she beat the inaugural WPD Ms. Olympia, Dana Lin Bailey, in a very decisive manner. She maintained that dominance at the 2015 Arnold Classic. She’s maintained consistent greatness with a different 1st runner up each year. I rank her with the likes of Cory Everson and Lenda Murray as the ultimate in feminine muscle. Some folks have been commenting that they hate to see her go because they fear femininity will leave WPD. THAT ultimately will be in the judges hands. So...WHY???? Well, she is NOT injured. She is healthy and she is happy. She’s grown disinterested in the look of WP. She wanted to soften the look to a healthier one...sort of how the IFBB initially stated the look would be...”conditioned but not striated”...but it was made clear to her that last year’s conditioning would be required this year. It was a look she didn’t like for herself. With little financial rewards(FACT: this 4X Reigning Olympia Champion has no major sponsors, has never had a spread in a major magazine much less a cover...and did I mention NO SPONSORS?!) the fire & passion for competing and representing WP has left her heart at this time. Her passion is placed now in a new happy relationship. She is enjoying life and staying healthy. Some day, somewhere and in some form she MAY compete again. Just not in 2018. Tomorrow will be #juliannamalacarne Day here at #thisisbodybuilding, so STAY TUNED for more!

A post shared by MichaelD.Bryson (@this_is_bodybuilding) on Jul 14, 2018 at 8:55pm PDT

After reading and seeing both posts (and wiping a few tears...I sure as hell did), how can you blame her. We only have one body and once it's gone, it's gone. We can never get it back. I'm not bringing up their names to prove a point but just these last couple of weeks, we lost IFBB Physique Pro Tracy Hess and IFBB Figure Pro Chelsey Morgenstern due to (as of now) unknown reasons. We have had competitors who lost their lives because they went too far in the industry for the sole purpose of winning a show or hell even winning a pro card! Some competitors are thankfully still with us but have had their lives changed dramatically because of their pursuit of getting that pro win or getting that pro card. VERY FEW PEOPLE make money in this business, and I'm talking pros here. You spend way more than you get back in return. There's an old saying that you get what you put in. Well...in bodybuilding, nine times out of ten, that's not the case! Competitors are making GoFundMe accounts for fans to donate so they can actually compete, for Christ's sake. Seriously, folks, that's crazy! And for what?! A plastic trophy? An opportunity at MAYBE some cash that you WON'T be able to keep because you have to pay for suits, supplements, travel, training, food...yeah, I'm not even talking about the actual living essentials such as rent, bills, gas, etc. It's not like Miss America where you are a legit ambassador and show up at events throughout your reign. You don't see the Olympia champions going out getting paid by the IFBB to being fitness ambassadors to children and adults, do you?

I know I went on a rant there, but you all know damn well Juliana Malacarne is more than that. Yes, she is an athlete, one of the best this industry has ever seen, but first and foremost...she's a woman...and as a woman, she wants to continue to live her life AS a woman. That's one big reason why she never wanted to compete as a bodybuilder, as she felt her femininity would be lost in that division. She feels her femininity is gonna get lost in the division that was seemingly made for someone like her as the IFBB is seemingly going away with the original guidelines of women's physique in the first place. In fact, each female division (minus fitness we believe) is having some identity issues, which we will DEFINITELY be discussing sooner than later. So rather than pushing her body to the brink of no-return, Juliana is taking a stand her way and saying, “NOPE” and going out on HER term. Now will she return to the stage next year? We don't know. Is this an official retirement from Juliana? NOT YET. So anyone who says she has retired is flatout LYING. She is merely taking a well-deserved break from it all and training like she wants to and living HOW she wants to.

With Juliana out, the IFBB has a decision to make. To those that are entering the 2018 Olympia Physique Showdown, they will be coming in at what they feel is their best. My hope is that they will come in like what the actual guidelines call for in women's physique, which we will post directly from the NPC News Online website:

WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE JUDGING CRITERIA

• Symmetry, shape, proportion, muscle tone, poise and beauty flow
• Physique assessment and comparison will take place during prejudging

Women’s Physique Division has been created to give a platform for women who enjoy weight training, competing, contest preparation. Competitors should display a toned, athletic physique showcasing femininity, muscle tone, beauty/flow of physique.

The following are examples of common terms used in the bodybuilding industry. These words can be helpful to assess what should not be descriptive to the physiques being judged in women’s physique:

Ripped, shredded, peeled, striated, dry, diced, hard, vascular, grainy, massive, thick, dense, etc.

While all types of physiques will be considered when it comes to height, weight, structure, etc. Excessive muscularity should be scored down accordingly.

Women’s physique competitors should have the overall aesthetics and look that is found in figure with a little more overall muscularity.

On her Instagram today, Juliana Malacarne (@julesfit10) stated that she wished her 2013 New York Pro look was awarded in today's women's physique over her 2017 Olympia look. She was easily the best in both shows, but look at the difference in the physiques. It's one thing for a fan to say this, but when the most successful competitor and the face of a division says this...it speaks volumes. #fitgemsnation #julianamalacarne #ifbb #ifbbpro #ifbbwpd #wpd #ifbbwomensphysique #womensphysiquepro #womensphysiqueathlete #womensphysiquecompetitor #womensphysiquedivision #ifbbprowomensphysique #prowomensphysiquedivision #femalemuscle #fitnessmodel #fitnessmodeling #girlswholift #womenwholift #girlswithmuscles #womenwithmuscles #muscleathlete #femalemuscleathlete

A post shared by FitGems Nation (@fitgemsnation) on Jun 20, 2018 at 5:32pm PDT

Based off the critieria from their own website, who should be rewarded? The 2013 Juliana or the 2017 Juliana? We would go with the 2013 Juliana. If the judges choose the 2018 Ms. Physique Olympia based off THEIR OWN ACTUAL JUDGING CRITERIA ON THEIR WEBSITE, in my opinion it will go a long way towards Juliana possibly coming back to compete at least one more time in 2019, as well as others who feel women's physique has went the opposite way of what they were hoping for. The IFBB needs to do a better job in enforcing their own rules and guidelines or the IFBB will be in danger of losing its status at the best. Just because you're the biggest doesn't guarantee you're the best in your field (WWE, looking at you) and just because you're the biggest in your field doesn't mean you can't be threatened or weakened (NFL, NBA...looking at BOTH of you, for different reasons). IFBB, you're in danger of losing one of the greatest athletes you've ever had for good if things don't change. Other top competitors who CAN STILL GO TODAY no longer compete in the IFBB (Monica Brant, Jenny Lynn, Erin Stern, Jennifer Gates, Gina Aliotti, to name a few) for many of the reasons that were brought up here. This trend doesn't have to continue. Things can change for the better, but the IFBB has the be the one to make their move....and it starts at the 2018 Olympia. 

For more on Juliana, follow her on the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julesfit10

Twitter: https://twitter.com/julesfit10

Instagram: https://instagram.com/julesfit10

FitGems Awards...Back For a 9th Time!

It's that time again!

For the ninth straight year, we're doing the FitGems Awards, where we honor the best of the female muscle world from this past year. Last year, we used Polldaddy for the first time to host our voting, and we will be using them again this year. Voting will begin on next Monday, December 11, and will end at 11:59 Eastern Time on January 8, 2018. We've yet again expanded our categories by bringing in new ones and bringing back a few old ones as well. We have also brought back the female bodybuilding categories as well, as there was enough representation for them to be awarded as well. For the pro categories, we've replaced Breakout with Most Improved, as we feel it makes more sense with how this industry is. This is without a doubt the biggest awards contest we've done yet, and this was among the hardest to get nominees for, if not THE hardest. While you will have to wait until next Monday to see all the nominees, we WILL reveal all the categories for this year's awards.


PRO CATEGORIES

(RETURNING FOR 2017) Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Most Improved Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Most Improved Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Most Improved Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Most Improved Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Most Improved Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Rookie Pro Women's Bodybuilder of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Rookie Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Rookie Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Rookie Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Underrated Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Underrated Pro Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Underrated Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Underrated Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Underrated Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year

AMATEUR CATEGORIES

(RETURNING FOR 2017) Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Amateur Women's Physique Competitor of the Year
Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
(RETURNING FOR 2017) Breakout Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Breakout Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Underrated Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Underrated Amateur Women’s Physique Competitor of the Year
Underrated Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Underrated Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Underrated Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year

MISC. CATEGORIES

Fitness Model of the Year
Fitness Ambassador of the Year
Social Media Star of the Year (Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Snapchat, etc.)
Moment of the Year
Photographer of the Year
Fit Celebrity of the Year
Female Sports Athlete of the Year
Fit Female Wrestler of the Year
Physique Paysite of the Year
(NEW FOR 2017) Physique Paysite Model of the Year
Promoter(s) of the Year
Fitness Clothing Line of the Year
Team of the Year
Male Trainer of the Year
Female Trainer of the Year

In addition to these categories, we have the BIG ONE...the FitGems Nation Woman of the Year! This goes to the fitness personality that had the most impact in the industry in 2017. Whoever wins this award will AUTOMATICALLY sit out in 2018 as a way of keeping this particular award’s winners as fresh as possible, even if 2018 ends up being better than 2017 for this year's Woman of the Year. Monica Brant, last year's winner, will not be on this list. Past Woman of the Year winners include Wendy Fortino,  Juliana Malcarne, and Dana Linn Bailey. No one has ever won Woman of the Year TWICE, but as the old saying goes, there's a first time for everything. It's all up to you.

This year's Woman of the Year nominees are...

Latorya Watts
Candice Lewis-Carter
Cydney Gillon
Nicole Wilkins
Heather Dees
Alexa Bliss
Dana Brooke
Wendy Fortino
Erin Stern
Tina Nguyen
Jen Jewell
Charlotte Flair
Jen Widerstrom
Nikki Bella
Oksana Grishina
Autumn Swansen
Lauren Rutan
Juliana Malcarne
Dana Linn Bailey
Amanda Kuclo

Voting for Woman of the Year will also begin next Monday (December 11) and will go on until 11:59 Eastern on January 8th. Like we've stated before, you all are the reason we do this every year and we love doing it. Without you, these awards would not be possible. Without you, FitGems Nation ITSELF would not be possible. This is just our way every year of showing appreciation to what you all do as athletes and creators.

If you want to know EXACTLY when we will begin voting, follow us on our Twitter account (https://twitter.com/fitgemsnation) by next Monday as that's when we will make the official announcement to begin voting. To all nominees, good luck!

Super League: Our Candid Thoughts

All photos belong to Super League's Facebook page.

This Saturday, there will be an event that potentially could change the course of bodybuilding forever, if the creators have it there way. In Las Vegas (coincidently where the NPC USAs will be taking place as well over the weekend), there is a league called the Super League. This was created by Dorian Yates, a 6x Mr. Olympia, with Gal Ferreira and Stan Efferding as league officials. It's being sponsored by Nike and Bodybuilding.com, which will be broadcasting the event LIVE from their site as well as YouTube. Their focus is Men and Women with SUPERHUMAN form and SUPERHUMAN function. They don't view themselves as a pageant contest. Rather a contest where bodybuilding meets powerlifting. Your look DOES matter, but leave the baby oil and tanning at home for this. The inaugural event will feature Mike O'Hearn and Team LA against Toney Freeman and Team ATL this Saturday. Celebrity Guest Athletes include Mike and Toney, as well as Rich Piana, Kris Geithin, Iris Kyle, and maybe CT Fletcher (he recently had heart transplant surgery, so I highly doubt he will participate, but I could be wrong on that).

Rather than tell you what the Super League is about, I'll post the link to the site for you to check it out for yourself: http://superleague.live/. Looking at the Super League at face value...it has potential. I truly think it can be something special. My problem is I don't think it was publicized enough to truly prepare for the event. Yes, word of mouth is a powerful thing (trust me, I know this from experience), but no one is gonna give two craps about it if you don't PUBLICIZE it. You can have the greatest event in the world, but no one is gonna care if you don't let people know about it and let them know about it often. I say this because their Youtube channel has just 553 subscribers and a little over 17,000 total video views on YouTube (they have posted interviews with a few of the competitors). I would hope there would be more, especially to get this truly up and running. Their Facebook page has a little less than 2,000 likes. Now they did step it up a tad the last couple of weeks but I think should have been pushed to the moon WAY before now, but this is just one guy's opinion here.

With that being said, let me be clear on this...I HOPE the Super League succeeds. The idea and concept of this is awesome. It shows that bodybuilders are just as much athletes as any other athlete in sports. They are seemingly wanting to bring actual fitness back to the forefront in this age of social media where looking hot and sexy is the norm moreso than the actual destination and journey (more on that in a future post). It will be interesting to see how the inaugural show goes this weekend and how they will follow it up in Vegas during Olympia weekend. Super League 2 will take place on September 16 in the Las Vegas Arena, where the best of the United States will take on Brazil's finest. Like we said, we're rooting for the Super League to succeed. Any platform that can give bodybuilders a chance to showcase their talents get the o-kay from us. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one over the weekend. Best of luck to everyone involved where competing or putting it together. Here's hoping this truly IS the new era of bodybuilding they claim it's supposed to be.

For more on Super League, check out their website at http://superleague.live/. Also, you can view the event LIVE this Saturday on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mg7a7Rj_F4. Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/superleague.bodybuilding and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/superleague.live and https://www.instagram.com/superleagueathletes.

Jenny Worth Is BACK!!!

DISCLAIMER: We own none of these photos. All photos belong to their respective owners.  

The Return of The Queen! 

Tampa, hope you're ready! 

If you have paid attention to us during our existence, we are HUGE fans of Jennifer (Jenny) Worth. If you don't know who she is, you need to brush up on your memory, but we'll give you a small dose on who she is:

Jenny is a former Fitness International Champion, multiple Fitness Olympia competitor (runner-up in 2001)...long story short, she is considered by many fitness fans as one of the best to ever compete in the industry. We feel she is the best to never win the Fitness Olympia title. Jenny's last show was the 2003 Fitness Olympia, where she placed 10th with a decent routine but her physique was FAR from what many expected out of her. The reason for that was she got injured which drastically changed how she had to prepare for the show. Jenny would end up retiring after that and would have her first son Dominic. While she bring a healthy child into the world, her pregnancy and thyroid issues would cause her to gain 80 pounds. With hard work, perseverance, and faith, she would take the weight off and over time brought her competition look back. She moved to California in 2010 with her son to start a new life as a trainer rather than an athlete, creating the Worth It brand and developing top competitors from all divisions in the NPC and IFBB. She has also went on to do some guest performances to the delight of fans all over the country.

Old-school photo of Jenny

In recent months, Jenny has showcased her physique via Instagram and Facebook in a way that many people (including yours truly) were wondering if a possible return to the stage was in the works. She has teased the idea a few times on social media, but nothing was set in stone...until now. Word got out that Jenny signed a athlete's contract to compete in the 2017 Tampa Pro as a fitness competitor. And on Facebook and Instagram, Jenny made it officially known...she was coming out of retirement! We can't stress how excited we are to see one of the best of all time compete in the division she holds near and dear to her heart.

The Tampa Show is one of the biggest shows of the year not named the Arnold or Olympia, but Jenny's return now makes this a must-see event. Seriously, how cool is it going to be to see this living legend competed with some of today's top fitness stars, including the returning Myriam Capes (who is one of the current top ladies in fitness and will be making a comeback of her own after an injury sidelined her for several months). And how awesome would it be to see Jenny WIN the Tampa Show and punch her ticket to to Olympia for the first time in 2003! Regardless of the outcome, Jenny is a winner for even returning to the stage in the first place. If I were competing in Tampa in two weeks as a fitness competitor, I would make sure to watch her routine like a student and take notes. While Oksana came to the industry and brought a style the likes the fitness world has never seen before, to me, Jenny is one of the first TRUE artists of the fitness division. It wasn't just routines she did. They all mean something to her, even her guest routines she's done for the past few years.

Of all people, Jenny has what it takes to pull off the comeback of a lifetime. You tell her it's impossible, she'll tell you "watch her". She has made a career out of proving people wrong, and in 2 weeks at the Tampa Pro, Jenny will do it again. She will prove that no matter what age you are or what obstacles come your way in life, you can do anything you set your mind to, but you have to put in the work to do it. Good Luck to fitness's Jenny from the Block!

She's still got it! 

For more on Jenny, check her out on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WorthItFitness/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/WorthItFitness/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/WorthItFitness/).

8th Annual FitGems Awards...VOTE HERE!

For years, we have used Mister Poll as our official FitGems Awards voting platform. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are going to be using Polldaddy for our voting platform going forward. We apologize for how late this poll has taken to get up and we hope to do better in the future.

You can vote once a day until February 1st at midnight eastern time. After that, votes will be tallied and winners will be announced on Friday, February 3rd. Best of luck to everyone and congrats to all the nominees!



PRO CATEGORIES













AMATEUR CATEGORIES














MISC. CATEGORIES
















Remember, you can vote once a day for each category until February 1st as midnight Eastern time, with winners to be announced on February 3rd. Good luck!

The Rock's Potential New Show...A Potential Opportunity for Fit Female Talent?!

For those that have followed bodybuilding, one of the biggest supporters of the industry is one of the biggest names in Hollywood and wrestling history, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. While he has never stepped on a bodybuilding stage as a performer, he lives the lifestyle as most people who've seen him can attest to that. Announced today on his social media accounts, which has MILLIONS (AND MILLIONS!!) of Rock fans (and followers), his productions Seven Buck Productions (along with Flynn Pictures Company) has sold a script to USA Network (home of Suits, Royal Pains, Mr. Robot, WWE Raw and WWE Smackdown Live) for a one-hour original series called Muscle Beach.

BIG NEWS: Our @sevenbucksprod along with our producing partner Beau Flynn's @flynnpictureco sell a script titled "MUSCLE BEACH" to USA Network! Written by Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer. An original hour long drama series who's found the perfect home at USA - a network who's been on fire with their brilliant dramatic television. "Muscle Beach" is set in a legendary bodybuilding gym in 1980's Venice Beach where a colorful tribe of lost souls struggle to reinvent themselves by bench-pressing their way to a bigger, better American dream, no matter what the cost. As the series explores the body obsessed fitness movement that took the nation by storm during the supersized Reagan 80's, the excess of the era and the many temptations of Los Angeles will expose the dark side of chasing dreams. 

As a kid growing up in the 80's it's exciting to produce a series that stays true to our brand and dig deep into an iconic time in bodybuilding and unique Venice Beach culture - the 80's. 

The 80's was a crazy time in Venice Beach with many lost souls. A very crazy time... #SevenBucksProds #FlynnPictures #USANetwork #OriginalDramaSeries #MuscleBeach

BIG NEWS: Our @sevenbucksprod along with our producing partner Beau Flynn's @flynnpictureco sell a script titled "MUSCLE BEACH" to USA Network! Written by Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer. An original hour long drama series who's found the perfect home at USA - a network who's been on fire with their brilliant dramatic television. “Muscle Beach” is set in a legendary bodybuilding gym in 1980’s Venice Beach where a colorful tribe of lost souls struggle to reinvent themselves by bench-pressing their way to a bigger, better American dream, no matter what the cost. As the series explores the body obsessed fitness movement that took the nation by storm during the supersized Reagan 80's, the excess of the era and the many temptations of Los Angeles will expose the dark side of chasing dreams. As a kid growing up in the 80's it's exciting to produce a series that stays true to our brand and dig deep into an iconic time in bodybuilding and unique Venice Beach culture - the 80's. The 80's was a crazy time in Venice Beach with many lost souls. A very crazy time... #SevenBucksProds #FlynnPictures #USANetwork #OriginalDramaSeries #MuscleBeach

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Jul 20, 2016 at 10:30am PDT

Assuming this does get picked up by USA Network, how cool would it be to see some women from the fitness industry not only have cameos but be a part of this show as actual cast members! Now, of course the only divisions that existed back in the 1980s were men's and women's bodybuilding, but still the thought of a show being on a network such as the USA Network would be huge for the bodybuilding industry and give some people a well-deserve platform to showcase that they are much more than people who lift. I mean think about it...Nicole Wilkins, Erin Stern, Wendy Fortino, Amanda Kuclo, Tina Nguyen, Latorya Watts, Juliana Malacarne, Dana Linn Bailey, Ashley Kaltwasser (just to name a few)...on NATIONAL TELEVISION?!?! Imagine how many new eyes will be on the bodybuilding world should this come to fruition! With the Rock being involved, it's almost guaranteed that new eyes will watch just out of curiousity, and that in turn will lead to more fans knowing who these women and men are. It worked for American Gladiators, it worked for WWE, why can't it work with one of the hardest-working men in Hollywood?  

We will definitely be keeping up with this news and keeping you all informed on what could go down. Assuming this does happen and women are involved (I would be shocked in they weren't in some capacity), who would YOU like to see be part of Muscle Beach? Email us at fitgemsnation@gmail.com, send us a Facebook message, send us a tweet, or leave a comment below. 

IFBB Bikini Pro Potentially Heading to WWE?

Editor's note: All photos belong to their respective owners

IFBB Bikini Pro...future WWE Diva?

In early March, all eyes were on Columbus, Ohio during the Arnold Sports Festival, which could explain why what I'm about to say might have fell under the radar. We noticed that IFBB Bikini Pro Eboney Chipman made an interesting post on March 6th:

JAYSUS!!!!
DID I JUST GET A MESSAGE FROM THE WWE ASKING ME TO COME TO TRY OUT #DIVA 󾌯󾌯

󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁󾍁

— Eboney Chipman (@EboneyFitness) March 6, 2016

As you know from our previous posts, we do our best to highlight any fitness personality that enters the rankings of sports and entertainment. Of course, we have been checking to see if anymore has come out of it, and less than a week later, she revealed on Twitter that she sent in her application. Now the waiting game begins for her. Most women from the fitness industry have gone on to have great success such as Torrie Wilson, Lisa Marie Varon (Victoria), Lexi Kaufman (Alexa Bliss), Ashley Sebera (Dana Brooke), and Celeste Braun (Kaitlyn). And do we even need to mention a certain fitness model who became a 7x WWE Women's Champion and currently youngest female WWE Hall-of-Famer of all time? Should she get this opportunity, we think she could do very well. She has the height, beauty, and athleticism to have a good career in WWE. We will keep you all posted on how things go with Eboney and if WWE will be part of her future going forward. From all of us at FitGems Nation, we want to wish you best of luck, Eboney!

Potentially coming to a WWE arena near you...

For more on Eboney, follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FitVoice: Our Official Podcast

This has been in the makings for about a year now, but never got around to actually getting it together...until now. I'm proud to announce that we now have a podcast! It's called FitVoice.

Our banner for our podcast! Features Brittany Beede (left) and Christine Pompiono-Pate (right) 

FitVoice is where you will get a weekly podcast of me talking about the female muscle world through the eyes of a fan/supporter. It's not affiliated with any federation, so don't worry, no bias will be shown.  From the competitors to the promoters to the fans to the federations themselves, no topic is off-limits on our podcast. We already have two episodes up. The first one was Olympia predictions, and the one for this week is the Olympia fallout. There's a lot of positive on there, but it's not all positive. In fact, I address something that bugged me during one of the prejudging events. If you followed the Siouxcountry Olympia thread (I'm there under cray17), you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Next week's show will be a tribute to the careers of Adela Garcia and Iris Kyle. Both ladies announced their retirements from the competition stage this year at the Olympia. If you would like to contribute to our podcast in anyway (via suggestions, questions, and maybe even being a guest), please email us at admin@fitgemsnation.com and put FitVoice in the subject line. You can also use the hashtag #FitVoice on Twitter as well. I tend to record on Mondays and have it by the end of the night on Mondays.

Here's the link to our podcast page: http://fitgemsnation.podomatic.com/. You can listen to the podcast  right on the site or download it to listen to it on your own time.

Marc Thyssen's 2014 Olympia Photoshoots

Our good friend Marc Thyseen (FitGems Award nominee for Best Photographer) has returned to the United States to do several Olympia photo shoots. He will be shooting at Red Rock, Vegas Desert, Ghost town and exclusively at Venetian Resort Pool.

Packages available are Bronze, Silver, Gold & Platinum. He has done some amazing work and has worked with several of our favorites, including Christine Pomponio-Pate, Monica Brant, Larissa Reis, Felicia Romero, the 1st-ever Bikini Olympia champion Sonia Gonzales, 3-Time Figure Olympia champion Nicole Wilkins, 7-time Fitness Olympia champion Adela Garcia, and many other top competitors.

For more on the bookings and pricing, email Marc at marc@marcthyssen.com or check out his website at www.marcthyssen.com for more info on his photo packages. You can also RSVP on Facebook at this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1471420889807250/. Tell them that FitGems Nation sent you!

From left to right, top to bottom: Larissa Reis, Felicia Romero, Heather Dees, Sonia Gonzales, Adela Garcia, Christine Pompoino-Pate

Monica Brant

Christine Pomponio-Pate

Kaitlyn Gone from WWE

She will always be known as "The Hybrid Diva"!

Former NPC figure competitor Celeste Bonin aka Kaitlyn is (as of today) no longer under contract to WWE. If you think about it, this shouldn't come as a surprise to a lot of people based off the news of her being engaged to PJ Braun. No, we are in no ways saying that her engagement has anything to do with her departure. But this isn't the first time a Diva has left the company shortly after getting engaged. Eve Torres did this one year ago around the same time, and in 2006, Trish Stratus left the company. Both ladies were able to leave on their own terms: Trish retired with the title and Eve put over Kaitlyn in her home state of Texas.

Kaitlyn's departure will be no different, as she will be taking on her best friend in real life, AJ Lee on ION Television tonight. Usually when one does right in the eyes of WWE, you are able to have your own moment as sort of a "thank you" gesture and not be embarrassed, and it looks like Kaitlyn will get that "thank you" gesture tonight.  Besides her engagement, apparently she is working on something big according to PJ. We can't wait to see what the former Divas Champion and NXT Season 3winner has in store for everyone now that she's not a part of WWE. We hope to have something posted about it once we get word on it.

On behalf of FitGems Nation, we would like to say "Thank You" for everything you did during NXT Season Three and during your time as a WWE Diva. We look forward to seeing what's next in your life!

WWE Divas Division Adding Some Muscle...Literally!

There were plans that Paul Levesque aka Triple H was going to rebuild the Divas division via development, and it looks like based off today's news, the rumors appear to be true. Announced by various wrestling sites, IFBB bikini competitors Lexi Kaufman and Christina Vargas have signed WWE development deals.

Get ready, WWE Universe! They are coming to take over the Divas division!
Credit: Christina Vargas's Facebook

While most wrestling fans are just now finding out about this, we at FitGems Nation (as well as our good friends over at Fit Model TV)have known about this for months. In fact, fans of Lexi and Christina have known about this for months if they have followed them on their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. To say we are proud of these ladies would be an understatement. The WWE Divas division is in need of some serious muscle right now, and WWE has LITERALLY added that with these two ladies on the scene. 

The hardcore wrestling fans (aka marks and the IWC, which stands for internet wrestling community) are gonna be hard to please because they didn't come from the indies, but if they knew what we know, they have nothing to worry about. Both ladies have put in hard work for years to attain their physiques, and they will put in the effort to entertain you as WWE Divas. We hope they will make it far and take WWE by storm. We're rooting for you both!

Check out the links below for more on WWE's newest developmental divas:

Lexi Kaufman

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lexi-Kaufman/171733126219865

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lexi_Kaufman

Instagram: http://instagram.com/lexi_kaufman

Christina Vargas:

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/CVargas26

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VARGAS26

Instagram: http://instagram.com/christinavargas