Official NPC Rules and Regulations for Women's Physique

As you all know, there's been major talk about the new women's physique division. Today, the NPC has finally released the official details regarding the new division.

WOMENS PHYSIQUE

DEFINITION: 

WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE DIVISION (HERIN REFERRED TO AS “WP”) HAS BEEN CREATED TO GIVE A PLATFORM FOR WOMEN WHO ENJOY WEIGHT TRAINING, COMPETING, CONTEST PREPERATION. COMPETITORS SHOULD DISPLAY A TONED, ATHLETIC PHYSIQUE SHOWCASING FEMININITY, MUSCLE TONE, BEAUTY/FLOW OF PHYSIQUE.

JUDGING CRITERIA:  

WP WILL BE JUDGED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

* SYMMETRY, SHAPE, PROPORTION, MUSCLE TONE, POISE AND BEAUTY FLOW
 

*PHYSIQUE ASSESSMENT AND COMPARISON WILL TAKE PLACE DURING PREJUDGING

PHYSIQUE SHOULD DISPLAY ALL OF THE ABOVE CRITERIA WITHOUT COMPROMISING FEMININITY, BEAUTY/FLOW OF PHYSIQUE, ETC.

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 WP:

EX.)  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.

WP SHOULD BE JUDGED AS A STANDARD BETWEEN WOMEN’S FIGURE AND WOMENS BODYBUILDING.

JUDGING FORMAT:

PREJUDGING 

INDIVIDUAL ONE MINUTE ROUTINE WITH 10 SECOND WARNING

QUARTER TURNS

MANDATORY POSING COMPARISONS/ CALLOUTS

FINALS  

INDIVIDUAL POSING ROUTINE

AWARDS

Who qualifies for IFBB Professional League status – at Junior USA and Junior Nationals the top two (2) qualify for IFBB Professional League status, at all other National events including Team Universe, USA, IFBB North American and Nationals,  the top three (3) will qualify for IFBB Professional League status. The NPC wants to set the standard for 2011 at the Junior Events and therefore only qualifying the top two (2).  

RULES

*SUITS WORN BY WP COMPETITORS FOR PREJUDGING MUST BE A TWO PIECE. SUITS DO NOT HAVE TO BE SOLID IN COLOR. THE BOTTOM OF THE SUIT MUST BE V-SHAPED. NO THONGS ARE PERMITTED. COMPETITORS CAN COMPETE IN AN OFF THE RACK SUIT. ALL SUITS MUST BE IN GOOD TASTE. 

*MANDATOTY POSES WILL BE PERFORMED WITH OPEN HAND STYLE AND INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING POSES:

FRONT DOUBLE BICEPS/OPEN HANDS (NO FLAT FOOTED FULL FRONT POSE – SOME SORT OF FRONT TWISTING POSE)
BACK DOUBLE BICEPS/OPEN HANDS
SIDE TRICEP WITH LEG EXTENDED
SIDE CHEST WITH ARMS EXTENDED
FRONT AB/THIGH

*FINALS ROUTINE WILL BE MAXIMUM 90 SECONDS IN LENGTH, PERFORMED TO MUSIC OF ATHLETES CHOICE ADHERING TO RULES SET FORTH BY THE NPC.

MUSIC CONTAINING PROFANITY OR EXPLICIT LANGUAGE SHOULD NOT BE USED AND MAY RESULT IN ROUTINE BEING CUT SHORT.

*NO PROPS WILL BE USED.

*NO HEELS MAY BE WORN AT ANY TIME DURING THE COMPETITON/JUDGING OF WP.

Source: http://www.npcnewsonline.com/rules_women.cfm

This sounds like WP will be somewhat how the NABBA is being judged.  I gave bikini a chance, and for the most part, it hasn't disappointed me. Yeah, I've not agree with ALL of the decisions and judging, but hey, it's a subjective sport. You can't avoid it. I see that like every other division, this will take some time to get used to. We will see how this goes in 2011, and will also see if and when (it's only a matter of time) the IFBB will add women's physique to the line-up.

We obviously don't know who the "standard" will be until a show actually happens, but now knowing what the rules and regulations are, who do you think will be a great fit for this new division? All I know is, the 2011 competition season could very well be the most interesting season to date. We're in for a ride, folks, so buckle up!! :)

I'll go into more thought on the new division on a later post.

WBFF Heading to USA in 2011

As first reported on BodySport.com, the WBFF (World Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation) is going to have a few shows in the United States in 2011. This is a big step for the ever-growing federation, which has seen top fitness icon Monica Brant join the WBFF back in the summer and reaching new popularity over the last four year. WBFF will be entering year 5 next year, and things are looking to be bigger then ever for them.

Many people have wanted to be part of this for a while now, but with most of the shows being in Canada, for the most part, it was impossible. Now with this expansion, expect the WBFF to continue to reach greater heights yet maintain their trademark production and treatment of athletes that they are best known for.

Here's the dates for the shows next year:
April 16 - Connecticut
May 21 - Kansas City
June 25 - Rhode Island

For more on why WBFF CEO Paul Dillett decided to make this change and could more come from this expansion, click here, and for more on the WBFF go to http://www.wbffshows.com.

2011 Bodybuilding.com BodySpace Spokesmodel Search Voting Has Begun!

The 2011 Bodybuilding.com BodySpace Spokesmodel Search is on, and there are a LOT of women in this contest. Here's just a few of the names on here:

• Erin Stern (2010 Figure Olympia champion and a 2010 BodySpace Spokemodel Finalist)
• Felicia Romero (Top IFBB Figure Competitor)
• Brittany Beede (Formerly Jamie Keyes of WWE)
• Mandy Henderson (New IFBB Figure Pro)
• Shelsea Montes (First-ever crowned IFBB Bikini Pro)
• Laura Bailey (Top NPC Figure competitor)
• Nicole Nagrari (Top IFBB Bikini Pro)
• Laticia Jackson (Top IFBB Fitness Pro)
• Missy Coles (Top IFBB Bikini Pro)
• AND THIS ISN'T EVEN HALF THE LIST!! NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!

Seriously...there's not a shortage of star power for the ladies this year. I can't make a prediction on who will end up in the finals when it's all said and done. What I CAN do is tell you to vote for your favorite, whether it be the ones I've listed or someone who wasn't listed on here. You can only vote once per day, but you can vote every day until November 30th. So tell your friends, family, fans, whoever and whatever that if you want your favorites to move on, they need to vote and vote daily!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2011-bodyspace-spokesmodel-search-voting.htm Click on the Women tab and click on the lady you want to get your vote for. Oh, you can also click on the Men tab and vote for your favorite guy as well. LOL.

Good luck to everyone!!

Courtney Wins Houston Pro; Keeps to Her Word of Donating Money to Breast Cancer Research

This weekend, Courtney West made her pro debut at the Houston Pro, and I mentioned earlier that should she placed in the top three in her debut, she would donate her entire winnings to breast cancer research. She ended up winning the Houston Pro Figure contest, qualified for next year's Figure Olympia, and kept her word by donating her winnings this weekend toward the fight against breast cancer. A very memorable way to kick off a pro career, as well as giving back to those that need it the most. We at FitGems Nation send out our deepest and most sincere gratitude to Courtney for this awesome show of class. If more people were more like Courtney, this world would be a much better place.

Photo credit: RxMuscle

If you want to follow Courtney, join her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/ifbbprocwest.

2nd Annual FitGems Awards...Time to Nominate Your Favorites! (DEADLINE EXTENDED)

It's that time again, for the 2nd Annual FitGems Awards. Last years was a great success, so we're going it again this year with a few new categories and a few minor changes to last year. Below are the categories for this year.

Nominate up to FIVE people for the following categories, with the top 6 nominations being on the ballot:
NPC Show of the Year
IFBB Show of the Year
Female Physique Site of the Year (non-competitor) (NOTE: FitGems is NOT eligible due the fact that FitGems is running the contest)
Female Competitor Blog of the Year
Photographer of the Year
Blogger of the Year
Industry Blog of the Year (by a fan, industry member, company, etc.)
Female Physique Paysite of the Year
Male Supporter of the Year (through shows, message boards, donations to competitors, etc.)
Female Competitor Site of the Year
Supplement Company of the Year
Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
International Female Bodybuilder of the Year
International Fitness Competitor of the Year
International Figure Competitor of the Year
International Bikini Competitor of the Year
Breakout Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Breakout Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Breakout Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Breakout Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Breakout Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Competitor Who You Would Love to See Return To the Stage in 2011
Fitness Entrepreneur of the Year (Model/Trainer/Spokesperson)
Moment of the Year (when certain people win a competition, return to the stage, retire, etc. This is for any federation and can be about any of the divisions)

Ones to Watch in 2011 (nominate up to two people for each category with the top 5 nominations to be placed on the ballot)
Pro Female Bodybuilders
Pro Figure Competitors
Pro Fitness Competitors
Pro Bikini Competitors
Pro Women's Physique Competitors (should this happen in 2011)
Amateur Female Bodybuilders
Amateur Figure Competitors
Amateur Fitness Competitors
Amateur Bikini Competitors
Amateur Women's Physique Competitors
Fitness Entrepreneur (Model/Trainer/Spokesperson)

You can send me the nominations through Twitter (http://twitter.com/fitgemsnation), email (admin@fitgemsnation.net), or leaving a comment on this post. I'll also take your nominations through private messages (PMs) through the following message boards:

Siouxcountry (under cray17)
RxMuscle (under FitGems)
FTVideo (under cray2005)
Unreal Muscle (under FitGems)
Muscular Development (under cray17)

You can nominate between now and November 19th November 27th (DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED) On November 19th 29th at Noon Central Time, the nominees will be announced via a FitGems Award Nominations Live FitChat. More details on the exact time as we get closer to the date. After that, voting will begin that same day and will last through all of December, with the winners announced mid-January. Exact date has yet to be determined.

Good luck to everyone! :)

ATTENTION ALL IFBB FEMALE PROS!

IFBB Pro Tammy Patnode has been asked if any existing pros would be interested in a 2011 pro show for the upcoming women's physique division. Who is eligible? IFBB Pros of Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, and Figure. If you're a figure or fitness competitor who's been marked down in the past due to being too muscular, or if you're a female bodybuilder who has been deemed far too small, this is definitely for you. If you're interested, leave a comment below, or email me at admin@fitgemsnation.net and will forward all your messages to Tammy.

You have a voice in what happens with this division. Please take advantage of this!!!

Brittany Beede: Fitness's Next Breakout Diva

Fitness industry...meet Brittany Beede!
Photo credit: WWE.com

A couple of weeks ago, Jamie Keyes was eliminated from WWE's show NXT. This week, she was given her pink slip from the entire company altogether. Needless to say, this struck a nerve with quite a few people, including yours truly. So what's a girl to do after seeing her dreams of becoming a WWE Diva crumble before her eyes? Simply...pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go forward. Jamie is doing more than just going forward, folks. She's aiming to create a fitness empire!

Fresh off her WWE venture, she's hopping right into the fitness world full-steam with a campaign unlike anything I've seen from one individual. She's launched a Youtube channel, a Google profile page, and an official Facebook fan page, not to mentioning changing her Twitter name to better suit her current and future fans, and that's just within a mere few hours! Imagine how things are going to be for here when everything starts to take off! THIS is what is going to set her apart from many in the fitness industry. She's aiming to become someone in the industry, not just a name or a face in the crowd. It's pretty clear she doesn't need the WWE to succeed (Trust me, they need her a hell of a lot more than she needs them), but I wouldn't rule out a possible return somewhere down the line. But for now, look for Brittany to make an huge and lasting impact on the fitness industry. There's a possible chance that you might see her at the 2011 Arnold "hint..hint". Just like when FitGems Nation supported Brittany during her days as a WWE Diva, we will continue to support Brittany during her journey to becoming fitness's next breakout diva. Good luck, Brittany!! :)

Here are the links to follow Brittany on her quest to becoming the next fitness icon:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrittanyBeede
Official Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Beede-Jamie-Keyes-WWE/151485664892299
Google profile page: http://www.google.com/profiles/britter1231
Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/britter1231
And of course, her fansite that was created prior to becoming a star in WWE: http://www.jamiekeyes.com

EDIT: For all fans of Brittany, I've created a fan page called the Brittany Brigade, to help keep up with all things Brittany, from the beginning of her career until now. You can join it by clicking here.

Courtney West's Heart of Gold

I read a Tweet from IFBB Figure Pro Courtney West (who turned pro at the NPC USAs by winning her class and the overall title) that definitely made my day, and shows that the world is not a cruel place. Courtney will be making her debut at the Houston Pro Figure in less then two weeks, and she stated in her Twitter account that should she place in the top three, her entire prize money will go to cancer research. Not part of it, not half of it...ALL OF HER WINNINGS. To me, that shows the true character of a competitor, not to mention the true character of a human being period.

Best of luck to you, Courtney at the Houston Pro, and we just want to let you know you have the heart and soul of a champion.

Courtney West to make her pro debut at the Houston Pro
Photo Credit: Muscular Development

Tracey MacDonald's Got a New Blog!

One of FitGems's proud supporters, and all-around awesome lady, Tracey MacDonald has just started a new blog. She's a favorite to follow on Twitter (http://twitter.com/fit2atworld), so now she has a place where she can speak her peace, regarding fitness, her recipies, life in general, and more...now in more than 140 words. :)

Please check out her blog at http://traceyfitnesslife.blogspot.com/.

Tracey has a new blog! Visit it often! :)

Jason Adams Industry Blog

I have written about Zoa Linsey already. Well I have decided to do it again. It is my blog and I can do what I want LOL.

As everyone surely knows Zoa just competed at the Ms. Olympia. Many may know of her injury. Zoa had a herniated disk. She could not even pump up beforehand and was in pain. Yet she still went out there with a smile on her face and looked incredible.

Afterwards Zoa said she hoped she didn't let anyone down. Zoa, are you crazy? Let anyone down? NEVER. In fact I expect I speak for everyone when I say how proud we are of you. You were on the biggest stage in the sport, and you BELONGED there, and you will be back there. Will you win? Well I do not have my crystal ball handy. But does it matter? When you went into the gym the first time, did you say " I am going to be Ms. Olympia"? Somehow I doubt it. You started training because you enjoyed it. Something tells me you still enjoy it. And that is what it should be about. You wanted to be fit and healthy I imagine. Well you achieved that, so you already achieved what you set out to achieve, and everything from here on in is icing on the cake. No one can ever be disappointed with what you do competing wise from here on out.

There are a lot of amazing people in the industry, and some..... well not so nice people. I have heard so many people say so many things, but no one ever says anything bad about Zoa. Zoa makes you proud to be a part of the sport. Zoa is a role model, not just for a person who wants to train and/or compete, but just because of the person she is. I know from experience with the encouragement she has given me. Zoa is proof that a muscular woman is a beautiful woman, Zoa is proof of what hard work can produce, Zoa is proof that good things happen to good people. Let's be honest, we can look at Zoa, and you are blind to not think she is a beautiful woman. But that is not why I am a Zoa Linsey fan. Eventually if you get to know her, that beauty becomes the last thing on your mind. Because you are too busy respecting her for the bodybuilder she is and even more importantly for the woman she is.

Before the Olympia, everyone asked who I picked to win. I said Zoa. And I wasn't wrong. Zoa did win. Zoa won because she got on stage when most wouldn't have been able to. Zoa won because she was on stage with the Elite, making her one of the elite. Zoa won because she is Zoa Linsey. You don't need to be on stage with a check or a trophy to be a winner. A trophy doesn't make you great, you make you great, and Zoa you made yourself great, and so many people are so proud of you.

Zoa thank you for being a role model and an inspiration to me and so many other men and women.