Julia Vins: Powerlifter

There seem to be very clear parameters when it comes to describing the subject of today’s post, the 18-year-old powerlifter from Engels in Russia, Julia Vins.

She’s the Bodybuilding Barbie. A doll-faced Russian teen [who] has arms that could crush you! She’s King Kong Barbie, the girl with the Barbie face and the muscle body. Don’t be fooled by the doll-like face, they warn, Julia Vins is one tough chick.

And after the lack of imagination in the headline, whether the sub-heading promises she could beat the crap out of you, break your arm, “destroy” you, or rip your face off (I made the last one up), it’s the the same story every single time. Without exception.

And the story is… pretty much what was covered in the headline. She’s beautiful, she’s strong. Or she’s beautiful and powerful. Or she’s beautiful, she’s young, and she has “a body like the Hulk”. The horror! The horror! Conventional beauty from the neck up, “manly” from the neck down. And only 18. The horror! The horror!

It’s the kind of thing that can provoke the (normally peaceable) female muscle brethren into lashing out. We read the dumb comments attached to the stories and our ire gets ignited. For me, it’s not even the ones you expect that get me riled – “that is a man” or some similar variation is so old, and so obviously nonsense that I don’t get wound up by it anymore. Instead it’s the ones who lay out their theories of what a woman should look like that rub me up the wrong way. Take this masterpiece on the subject of Julia’s breats: I am mostly against community standards and believe everyone is free to do whatever they wish and people shouldn’t negatively criticize them about it BUT it is horrible to lose a part of your body because you are dedicated. Breasts are awesome to look at. There really is nothing that signposts impending stoopidity like a big old BUT in the middle of a sentence, is there?

Most recently, I found myself feeling the exasperation of a fellow female muscle head when he posted this on his excellent Tumblr, Mike ‘Mires Muscular Maidens…

So this popped up in my Facebook news feed today. Naturally I recognize her as Julia Vins, who is kind of internet-famous for being both feminine and muscular.

(Gasp!)

I followed the link to the clickbait-y article, which has you click through no fewer than 8 pages. The commentary on the pictures isn’t as offensive as it could be, I suppose. (There’s a “joke” about how she might beat you up if you ask her out, ha, ha.) I always shake my head when I see people who are floored that a woman can be beautiful and have muscle all at the same time. For some reason, the misconception persists that muscles are just for men, and women with muscle must be “manly.” At least articles like this spread the word that that’s not the case.

It’s not often I agree 100% with anybody, BUT on this occasion…

At least articles like this spread the word. So true. And the main reason I should calm down, stop reading the comments and see these stories in a more positive light.

The fact that Julia has become the (doll-like) face (and Hulk-like body) of so many stories, or more accurately, so many versions of the same story, has got her a legion of fans, both male and female. It’s hardly surprising. Despite her youth, she is, after all, a powerlifter of some note. Already a national champion, her “best lift” stats continue to rise – most recently, as far as I can ascertain, she improved her squat to 180kg. Initially, I set a goal to become stronger because I have absolutely no confidence in myself, she says. I do what I want. This is my life. There will always be people who respect my choice, but it’s impossible to please everybody. I am following my dream.

Guess I shouldn’t worry so much.

Check out Julia’s website and/or follow her Instagram. There are a plethora of clips of her on YouTube, and not just on her channel. A good example of the typical Julia story can be found here, and an appearance she made on Chinese(?) TV here.

Enjoy!

GIFs of the Week

In a bumper week for GIFs (or my discovery of them at least), it was impossible to choose just one, so, you lucky people, today we have not one, but two magnificent muscle women for your viewing pleasure, in no fewer than FIVE genius gifs.

They are taken from a new Tumblr blog, It Is What It Is. (full stop included), which, I should warn you, is most definitely not safe for work (least of all because of the Health & Safety implications), and is not exclusively a female muscle blog.

To start with, it’s Shannon Courtney. To the power of 3!

At first, she’s all smiles…

But pretty soon Shannon is gurning like a raver…

And you can feel the intensity of her effort as her huge arms (and everything else) assert their power over the iron. Grimacing yet insanely gorgeous, Shannon is oblivious to the guy who seems to have wandered into her domain by mistake, his attempt at looking casual (ie. act as if he hasn’t come to ogle the Queen of the Gym) fails miserably, the gif loop turns him into one shifty-looking mofo!

Just imagine what the view must be like from back there. The Courtney glutes snug inside her tight light blue leggings, her lats and rear delts exploding out of her vest as she curls the weight… No wonder his hands are in his pockets!

And meanwhile, in another gym on the other side of town…

Dana Capobianco is feeling rather good about her chest.

Now, I am putting these gifs in the opposite order to the original poster for good reason. Drink in the muscle (above), because the second one is all about the expression on Dana’s face – although the viewer should spend a little time looking at Dana’s top and noting that her pump has extended to, has stimulated, all parts of her chest…

That look off camera with the tongue action and the smile – I don’t know who or what she is looking at, but if I was it, I think I would just die right there – then her eyes roll back in ecstasy as she clenches her teeth, hits the pose, and ripples..

I think I need a lie-down.

Enjoy!

#my gifs on deliciousyleftarcade

Olympia 2014 Review: The MUSCLE

The other day, when we profiled all five female winners at the 2014 Olympia, I may have had you spitting out your breakfast cereal by saying I was impressed, yes, impressed by the muscularity of some of the fitness and figure competitors.

MUSCLE IN FITNESS


Regiane Da Silva, Whitney Jones, Fiona Harris & Amanda Hatfield (previously Amanda Swallow – remember her?)

My surprise that there was so much muscle in the, let’s say, ‘smaller’ divisions – and note I’m not talking about the bikini girls here – has nothing to do with these women suddenly getting big, and everything to do with my own ignorance. At any other show I go straight to the female bodybuilders, spend some time with the physique women, and pay little or no attention at all to the fitness and figure contests. But this year’s Olympia was different. I’ve pretty much watched all there is to watch of the contests from bikini to bodybuilding (the women, that is – I don’t think I’m about to break the habit of a lifetime and start checking out the men!). I stand by my first impression. I haven’t changed my mind. There sure is some muscle in fitness and figure.

MUSCLE IN FIGURE


Krista Dunn, Jessica Graham, Zsuzsanna Toldi & Candice Lewis

The shame is that they don’t get to really FLEX it!

Of course the physique competitors do get to flex it, and they clearly love every minute of it. And what a thrill it is to see them in all their lean muscle glory!

MUSCLE IN PHYSIQUE


Jillian Reville, Karin Hobbs, Jacklyn Abrams & Sabrina Taylor

But having said all that, the difference in muscularity between the three divisions pales in comparison to the difference in muscularity between the physique division and the pure, unadulterated BEEF of the freaky Olympian female bodybuilders.

If watching the physique competitors flex their way through prejudging, comparisons and their delicious funky routines is a thrill, when the BIG girls come out and start hitting their compulsory poses, it’s pure female muscle lovin’ ECSTASY.

THE MUSCLE

One by one these magnificent women emerge and take their place front and centre. Just watching them walk makes me swoon as their thigh muscles ripple with every step they take. I’m instantly transfixed, instantly intoxicated. And then they start to flex…

I’ve said before that if you accept the definition of sthenolagnia as “sexual arousal from the display of strength or muscles”, then the keywords for this particular sthenolagniac are display and muscles. As a result, and much as I’ve already enjoyed the walk-on, it’s unsurprising that the moment of greatest excitement for me is when the first compulsory pose is hit – or rather, the moment just before, the moment of preparation for that first pose, the moment when my anticipation of that pose reaches its climax, and I can hear my heart pounding inside my chest. The days and weeks counting down to the Olympia have led to this. The display of the muscle is about to begin.

Some prefer the smoother, “off season” look, but from the very beginning of my female muscle slavedom I have always derived the most excitement, the greatest ecstasy, from the “contest-ready” look. Ripped, shredded, cut – whatever you want to call it – wins every time as far as I’m concerned. Every pulsating vein, every striation, every ripple of every muscle is there, fully pumped and visible in perfect detail.

And having explored the on stage experience of the female bodybuilder earlier in the year (see The Agony & the Ecstasy), FMS felt that this year we had a new level of appreciation of how the Olympian women were feeling on that stage in Las Vegas. I felt I could (unless I’m kidding myself) sense the experience they were having of being in their bodies, of being at their absolute peak – what Tanya Bunsell calls “the latent image in her mind’s eye”. This year it was more than pride that I saw in their faces, this year, as I watched them finally getting to display their work – their bodies, their muscles – the result of the agony of their contest preparation, I sensed their ecstasy.

For the first time in a while, highlights of the Olympia were (or are going to be) broadcast on nationwide TV in the USA on NBC. Now I doubt the persons responsible for the highlights show looked too hard for any narrative, any stories within the female bodybuilding division with which to grab their mainstream audience’s attention, but if they had wanted narrative, the stories were, most definitely, there.

Here was Yaxeni in her 17th (yes, SEVENTEENTH!) consecutive Ms Olympia. Here, for the first time, were more competitors from outside the USA than from within – and the majority of those, like Yaxeni, from South America. Here was Alana, making her Olympia debut and breaking into the top 5, and here was Christine, another first timer – two women whose journeys to the Vegas stage couldn’t have been more different. Here was Alina, the (STILL) uncrowned Queen, adored by the female muscle fans, adored by the female bodybuilders themselves – the current paragon of the female bodybuilder. And here was Iris, champ for the ninth year in a row and the tenth time in all…

I’ve been told that the majority of the audience at the Olympia is male and that they attend to see the men. But I would bet that all around the world there are other men, like me, like you perhaps, who, for financial reasons or reasons that are more personal (the very reasons that prevented me from watching the Olympia live, for example), have not been to and probably never will go to the Olympia or any other bodybuilding show, but who nevertheless make up an enormous audience for these magnificent women and their show, the greatest female MUSCLE show on the planet.

13th SIMONE OLIVEIRA (Bra), 12th LISA GIESBRECHT (Can)

11th CHRISTINE ENVALL (Aus), 10th MARGIE MARTIN (USA)

9th RITA BELLO (Arg), 8th JENNIFER SEDIA (USA)

7th SHEILA BLECK (USA), 6th ANNE FREITAS (Bra)

5th YAXENI ORIQUEN (Ven)

4th ALANA SHIPP (USA)

3rd DEBI LASZEWSKI (USA)

2nd ALINA POPA (Rom)

Ms OLYMPIA IRIS KYLE (USA)

Enjoy!

And you can watch these magnificent women hit their first round poses here.

한국인 of the Day: Yeon Woo Ji

She is probably the sole woman featured this week who needs absolutely no introduction whatsoever to any of you lovely readers. Yeon Woo Ji cemented her place as the first Korean female muscle superstar last year with her Overall Physique victory at the Arnold Classic Europe and, of course, with her appearance at #26 in the FMS Hot and Hard 100, the only Korean and, behind Penpraghai Tiangngok, the second highest-placed Asian-born hot and hard woman on the list.

Seriously though, her rise into the IFBB pro ranks before she had turned 30, like her rise in notoriety and popularity among fans from all over the world, is, of course, mainly due to the winning package of muscularity and femininity she is able to bring to the stage – and methinks the stunning exotic beauty doesn’t hurt either. But me also thinks Yeon Woo Ji‘s somewhat unusual (for a Korean, anyway) competitive history has also played its part in enabling her to be the first Korean woman to hit the kind of international heights that her compatriot sisters of iron have failed to reach.

The man who has to take most of the credit for transforming Yeon Woo Ji from skinny to international female muscle star is also responsible for the ring on her finger. Jong Sup Won, a bodybuilder himself, introduced her to the sport, first became her trainer, and later became her husband. And it was, I believe, his decision to compete in the USA that resulted in his wife following him as supporter and competitor, and led directly to her gaining greater exposure to the international brethren.

Her competitive career (as far as I know) began, conventionally enough, as a figure athlete and bodybuilder in Korea. But not for her the typical progression from Korean champ (which she has never been) to the IFBB Asian and then, perhaps, World Championships made by Mi Hee Yu or Lee Hyeon Joo (to name but two examples). Instead, as noted above, Yeon Woo Ji went to California with her husband in 2011.

At the 2011 NPC California State Championships she competed in Figure. Although she didn’t place in that show, the wheels had been set in motion. She returned to California to compete at the Memorial Day Muscle Beach Event later in the year, won her class (OK, she was the only one in it) AND the Overall Figure title. Then, in December 2011 she was back in California again and finishing 2nd, as a bodybuilder this time, at the NPC Excalibur. By then, she had come to the attention of more than one high profile female muscle website, and suddenly she was all over the fansites.

Back in Korea in 2012 Yeon Woo Ji finished just 3rd in the national championships, but also – if the prevalance of clips out there of her appearing on Korean (and Chinese) TV is anything to go by – gained a measure of mainstream media exposure. More importantly for what followed, though, she also made the fateful decision to focus her efforts on Physique (hubby probably had something to do with that too!).

Which brings us to her triumph in Madrid last year. At the time (see Contest of the Day, November 2013) FMS reported that though we found her to be looking “sensational” in photos of the event, footage of her posing had left us a little “underwhelmed”. Having revisited both in the course of putting this post together, I stand by that appraisal. I’m not saying that she didn’t look as sexy as hell during her free posing routine – a dazzling vision of feminine muscularity – just that she didn’t MOVE quite as sexily as hell as she had done in my imagination when I saw the contest photos. Thus, underwhelming.

But my own ignorant opinion shouldn’t in any way detract from what was an undeniably incredible achievement. In winning the Arnold Europe, not only did Yeon Woo Ji become the first Korean IFBB Physique Pro, but she also entered the history books as the first Asian to win such a high profile international title.

So, what’s the next move for the trailblazing Yeon Woo Ji?

Whatever it is, the female muscle fan world will be watching…

You can watch Yeon Woo Ji‘s Arnold Europe routine on You Tube thanks to videosmusculares, follow her on Facebook, and fill your boots with her pics and clips on Female Muscle Clips, HD Physiques, Her Biceps, Krivs Studio AND – in Madrid from last year and at her most groin-activatingly gorgeous and BIG – on Female City Flex.

And we finish both this post and our week of the country’s fine female muscle with 3+ minutes of Korea’s gorgeous and very first female muscle superstar. Enjoy!

August Picture Post: Sexy Selfies

The final installment of our August Picture Post…

Mercedes Ciprut
Fitness Freak, ciprut on Instagram

From Vancouver, Mercedes describes herself as an “Energizer Bunny”, so you can use your own imagination on that one. Her exotic looks and sexy muscles are currently causing a bit of a stir among the female muscle lovin’ brethren on Tumblr.

Massiel “Massy” Indhira Arias
Celebrity Trainer, mankofit on Instagram

More exotic looks and sexy muscles from “Mankofit”, a Dominican-born NYC-based personal trainer who is on a mission. One day I hope to be the influence of a new generation of trainers that teaches people a lifestyle instead of a quick fix to a summer bikini body, she says. And it’s hardly surprising given that she originally started working out as a way of battling depression that she’s such an advocate, describing exercise as the highlight of my life. Check out her website for more.

Josee Gallant
Physique Athlete turned Crossfitter, josee_gallant on Instagram

A bit of a serial selfie taker is Josee. I don’t need much to be happy, she says. A good workout, a good pump, a mirror, good lighting, and voilà! Frankly, FMS thinks it is actually a bit of a shame that she’s been devoting herself to Crossfit since June-ish given that she has such potential as a physique competitor (see below), but at least she’s still flexing for her cameraphone on a pleasingly regular basis. She seems to have a different look every day, but she’s always muscular and gorgeous.

Robin Dee
Heavyweight Bodybuilder, robintripledee on Instagram

Every ounce of her [200+lbs pure muscle body] is sexy, writes one forum poster. Her shoulders are wider than a barn door, and I am not sure I have seen an FBB that is sexier than Robin in tight clothes. She is the queen of selfies, and that is no small compliment! She has a gorgeous body, and she shows it like she knows it.

Michelle Lewin
IFBB Pro Bikini, michelle_lewin on Instagram

I love to sweat like a maniac, says Michelle, as reported by UK “newspaper” the Daily Star just over a week ago. Seems the woman they call “La Cuerpa” is something of a rising star not only among the brethren, but also with the wider public as a result of the kind of mainstream media interest that only a bikini model can generate these days. But fear not, bikini girls can be just as freaky as the big girls, even if it is in a slightly different way. There’s nothing more motivating than when you find a new vein, she says. Nice! Oh, and you’ll be upset to know the Instagram account that we’ve linked here contains ONLY her lingerie and bikini photos. Sorry.

Juliana Malacarne
IFBB Pro Physique, julesfit10 on Instagram

The woman FMS readers voted the 4th hottest hard woman in the world (and the #1 Brazilian) is, like a fine wine, getting better (ie. hotter and harder) as she ages. This post-workout delight is by no means the sexiest recent selfie we could find of La Malacarne, but we thought if we DID post the sexiest one, you wouldn’t make it to the end of today’s post and consequently held it back.That’s how much we care.

Georgina McConnell
UKBFF Physique Competitor, geeeorgina_1993 on Instagram

Photo dated 21st August. Oh my!

BONUS!

Josee Gallant oozes muscular sex appeal all over the place during her routine at the 2013 New Brunswick Provincial Bodybuilding Championships before she started her venture into the world of Crossfit training. Don’t you agree that while there’s nothing wrong at all with Crossfit, Josee should probably give physique another go?

Enjoy!

August Picture Post: Happy Birthday Mavi!

MARIA VINCENZA ‘MAVI’ GIOIA

Born: 30.08.77, Mesgane, Italy

FMS Hot and Hard 100 #3

37 today!!!

mavigioia on Instagram

Mavi, buon compleanno da tutti i tuoi fans FMS!

Tanti auguri!!!

August Picture Post: Rivers of Blood

Even if you happen to be the kind of guy (or girl) who is open about their attraction to muscular females, you probably leave this particular aspect of it unsaid (I imagine). Not an easy thing for the non female muscle head to, er, get their head round this one, if possible at all. In fact, do we even truly understand our own endless fascination for the mighty rivers of blood that traverse the muscles of our goddesses?

Perhaps they are just another example of the “otherness” of the female bodybuilder. Sure, there are some naturally vascular women out there (just as some FBBs are naturally more vascular than others), but being covered from traps to calves in pulsating cord-like veins only seems to occur in our beloved muscle babes.

Perhaps they serve as our guidelines for worship. Are them veins showing us exactly where to lick/kiss/touch for her pleasure? Unfortunately, I have never had the chance to put this theory to the test so I’ll have to take someone else’s word for it, but I have been told that if you tap the inner base of a flexed female bicep it activates a neural pathway that runs all the way to the vaginal wall, so that does make me think there might be something to it. Anyway, if true, it’s yet another good point to make when explaining your sthenolagnia to friends, family or therapist (“You don’t even have to find their erogenous zones! They’re all marked!!!”). Nice idea, isn’t it?

And that would mean that for some, if not most, if not ALL, female bodybuilders, well, that erogenous zone pretty much covers their whole body. Yep.

Returning to something akin to reality [surely not! – ed.], perhaps we should just file these under “Freaky and I Love It!” and not worry ourselves too much with the whys and wherefors. Let’s just sit back, relax and get our vascular freak on.

And there are few freakier and (therefore) few sexier sights in the female muscle lovin’ world than pulsating rivers of blood adorning magnificently muscled legs. Now I’m not normally a “quad” type of guy, but I have to confess that if you delve into the freakier corners of the FMS collection, you’ll find plenty of this sort of thing.

These women embrace their “otherness”, and it’s not just about the veins that adorn their muscles, it’s the muscles themselves. They celebrate their freakiness, delight in being different. They revel in their rivers of blood and make no apologies for doing so. Maybe the confidence that takes is the key to the attraction of it after all. Or maybe it’s just that I’m wired to find, say, the vascular mosaic of Margie Martin‘s quads (below) every bit as unique and beautiful as a work of art – and a lot more erotic!

And finally today, a little nostalgia: the “classic” vascularity of Robin Parker.

Giffed for your pleasure by Erotic Muscle Beasts on Tumblr

Enjoy!

August Picture Post: Gym Bodz

SHE LOVES LIFTING

It means I can lose fat without having to eat next to nothing and do loads of cardio!!!

My new hobby! Lifting is so much fun and such 
a big achievement when you go up in weights.

I am a woman in the free weights area. I get some looks…
most are guys who watch me get heavier weights then they are using.

Women that use free weights always exude a look of confidence.

I can squat more than my 220lb boyfriend…
and he brags about that to people.

I love the look of my muscles after a really good session in the gym.
Makes me feel powerful.

The only thing sexier than a girl walking into the weight room 
is a girl walking out all pumped up!

Real quotes from My Fitness Pal

Enjoy!

August Picture Post: The Superior Woman

The female bodybuilder. A different, superior species?

see also: Sexy Sophie Shows It Off (Pic of the Week 23.1.14)

August Picture Post: Dona Oliveira

There’s only going to be a skeleton staff at the FMS office during August. But rather than leave you completely FMS-less, the blog will, for the next four weeks, be more of a daily “Picture Post” kind of thing as our writers recharge their batteries. There’ll be less of the prose (that you love so much, I’m sure!) but still plenty of fine female muscle to enjoy, and we’ll be back to normal again in September.

DONA OLIVEIRA

Last week, we celebrated Trish Swander‘s return to competiton. Well, in Tampa this weekend a blast-from-the-EVEN-FURTHER-past is due to step onto the stage in the Physique division: the (now) 53-year-old 1980s legend Dona Oliveira.

Much-loved by UK female muscle-blogging hero PumpItUp, and one of our very own Swell’s biggest teenage kicks at the time he first awakened to the pleasures of the muscular female, Dona’s career highlights were winning the 1985 NPC Nationals & World Games, and becoming the 1986 IFBB Pro World Champion.

Read all about her career and her comeback in a two-part interview on RxMuscle.

Enjoy!