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: Sexy Selfies

Karlie Adams
WBFF Fitness, fitspofox on Instagram

Hanah Jamroz
Physique competitor, therippedbarbie on Instagram

Gabrielle Aberastain Oro
IFBB Bikini, gabrielleoro on Instagram

Suelen Bissolati
Thunder-thighed Rio model, suelenbissolati on Instagram

Syleena Adams
NPC Physique, syleenaa on Instagram

Chelsea Hagan
NPC Physique, chelzzz123 on Instagram

Janaina Ferreira
IFBB Figure, janabodyfitness on Instagram

BONUS!

Syleena Adams sexy on stage winning the NPC San Diego

Enjoy!

Pic of the Week

Loyal readers may remember that when we revealed Sophie Arvebrink as one of our Women of the Year 2013, FMS writer 6ft1swell also revealed that he was suffering from a rare condition that had left him quite unable to type his favourite Swede’s name without adding the word “Sexy”. And you may also remember that in a supposed effort to cure himself of this condition he had hoodwinked the FMS bigwigs into letting him have a one-way ticket to Stockholm to report on the lovely Sophie’s activities.

The plan was for him to send us a regular piece to be published on the blog entitled Swell’s Postcard from Stockholm, but we had heard nothing at all from him since.

Until last week, when this image, sent from Swell’s email, arrived in the FMS inbox.

It appears to be Sophie. It’s sexy enough, for sure. And it was definitely taken by Swell’s FMS issue camera*. Quite what Swell was doing in Sophie’s kitchen as she put down her protein shake to admire her hip veins is anybody’s guess, as is whether Swell was there as a guest, or (I wouldn’t put it past him) as an intruder. Is he co-habiting with Sophie? Or is he now finding out what prison is like in a Scandinavian social democracy?

You’ll know as soon as we do.

For now, let’s just thank Swell for the pic, and all follow Sophie on Instagram.

Enjoy!

* Yes, FMS has a “Q” who gives us all gadgets that might be useful when in the field female muscle spotting – the cameras are tiny, and take very good pictures even when the field agent is shaking uncontrollably under the influence of The Madness.

Media Watch III: Good News!

In our look at some of the British women who have recently been featured in their local media (see Media Watch I), FMS noted that in a couple of these articles it was reported that “lots more”, “record numbers” of women were taking up bodybuilding.

And we didn’t have to wait long for some stats on the subject to turn up.

The Daily Mail, that most female-muscle-friendly of British newspapers, confirmed the very good news that there has, indeed, been a huge increase in the number of young women working out multiple times per week. A survey of 2,000+ gym-goers revealed a 62% increase in the number of women working out at least four days in every seven over the last twelve months, and that the average age of these women is just 24.

Furthermore, the survey, carried out by a sports supplements supplier, revealed that “as well as hitting the gym more often, these women are increasingly using supplements such as protein shakes to maximise the effectiveness of their workout” and, as a result, they have been dubbed the “Protein Princesses”.

But before you start imagining a generation of young women all wanting to look like Alina Popa, I should point out that the article does say that “unlike men, their main motivations aren’t to build muscle”. Burning fat and achieving a “toned and lean” look is what they want, and rather than taking inspiration from the magnificent muscular women this blog is devoted to, “health-conscious celebrities such as Miranda Kerr, Kelly Brook, and Kim Kardashian” are their role models, according to the Mail.

However, I suspect this may not be the whole story. The survey did not include a question about motivation. The assertion that the rise is due to “the increase in celebrities posting results of their fitness regimes on social media and the rise of celebrities now spotted with protein shakes in their hand” is purely the opinion of a spokesman for the company that ordered the survey in the first place.

An industry professional also quoted in the article has a quite different explanation. “The number of women who are immersing themselves fully into a health and fitness lifestyle is growing. Mainly because of the greater awareness of the benefits of exercise and how it relates to everything from our social lives, food and fashion,” according to the interestingly named Jéan LK, Head Trainer and owner of Timed Fitness.

Surely these theories aren’t the whole truth, though. Surely at least some of these Protein Princesses have taken their “fitspiration” from the less famous and more muscular. Thankfully, it’s not exclusively celebrities like Lucy Mecklenburgh and Millie Mackintosh (don’t ask, I have no idea, they just happened to be mentioned in the article!) who post the results of their hard work on social media, as the majority of today’s illustrations testify. And you don’t have to go back very far in the FMS archive to find evidence of this. Only a couple of weeks ago we learned and reported that Emily Chorley had been inspired by images of Olya Haidner and Nicole Wilkins (see Emily Chorley: Just a Normal Person?) – surely Emily isn’t the only one.

And anyway, even if women are inspired to go to the gym by the less muscular and more famous, and even if they go there with no intention of building muscle, so what? At least, they’re going. And as far as I’m aware, there’s no better place than the gym to get inspired to build muscle. If only 1 in every 1,000 (or fewer than that even) of the Protein Princesses end up deciding that they want to be more than just “toned and lean”, then that’s still a lot more female muscle in the UK than ever before.

And that, I think you will agree, is most definitely good news.

Enjoy!

Wings of Strength

I think there’s been a misunderstanding, and I want to clear things up.

More than a few bloggers have been claiming that Jacqueline “Jay” Fuchs wants them to soap/scrub/rinse/dry her back. Well, she doesn’t. It’s me she wants.

Good. I feel better for that.

So much better in fact that I am prepared to show I hold no grudge whatsoever with those making misguided claims concerning the above scenario. Let’s face it, Jay does have a really really wonderful back and all, exactly the kind of back you’d exchange a body part for the chance to soap up, but she isn’t (thankfully) the only muscle angel with such wings of strength. And I’m not a greedy man, so to show there’s no hard feelings, let’s say I get to do Jay, and you can take your pick from the others…

Now, that’s not such a bad deal, is it?

I mean, if I’m prepared to offer you Jill Rudison, Ms Quads Not Included herself, and all her glorious muscular detail above, you know I’m feeling generous. Jill, I’ll say when she pops round for one of her bi-weekly visits to FMS HQ, Jill, I’m sorry I won’t be able to check those cuts out from now on, you’ve had your last special massage off me, I’ll say. But don’t worry, [insert your name here] is going to take over, and he (or she) is quite the muscle worship artist, I’ll say. And I know that he (or she) is really looking forward to getting his (or her) hands on those rhomboids of yours, I’ll say.

Or how about the beautiful Russian figure competitor Olga Chestoperova? Granted, she’s considerably less well-known than La Rudison, but if Olga from behind isn’t rocking your boat, she was recently featured looking absolutely glorious on the mighty PumpItUp, so check that out before you ask me what else I’ve got on offer.

Here (left) we have another of Swell’s big 2014 crushes, the recently-competed Brooke Black, in a selfie that wouldn’t have looked out of place if we had posted it as part of last week’s Muscle in a Dress celebration. Or if Brooke doesn’t appeal (iffy reputation and all), then I’m sure the scenario on the right will. Just take a moment to put yourself in that room (behind the camera, perhaps?) and think about what happens next… And no, I don’t know who they are. A Google Images search turned up “Best Guess – female muscle porn star”(!!!) which hardly narrows it down these days.

Feast your eyes on the beautiful symmetry, the insane definition, and on the big, full muscles all over the piece of female muscle art that Ayanna Carroll has created with her back. Feast your eyes as you imagine the fun you could have if tomorrow was the start of a long weekend, Ayana was in this shape, had just handed you a bottle of oil with the instruction to “use it all”, and you had nothing else to do.

Ok. Some of you, I see, are still playing hardball. Well, perhaps Marthe Sundby‘s post-pump lat spread might make you change your mind about continuing to hold out for Jay. Look: it ain’t gonna happen, pal, so give it up. I am offering you Marthe! I’d tell her to go and do her post-pump posing somewhere else. I’d tell her to go and do her post-pump posing at your place. I would do that for you, I really would.

And if you are still here, then this, I’m afraid is my final offer. Virginia, an oiled up explosion of muscle, and it’s you – YOU – she wants to get top of hers undone (her fingers are a bit on the sticky side you see) so you can really get busy exploring…

Enjoy!

And a big shout out to Insane Muscle Girls for bringing the Jay pics to FMS‘ attention – although the ludicrous claim that Jay really wants him, rather than me, to do the soaping does detract from what is otherwise an absolutely flawless blog.

By the way, the timing of today’s post, with its rather contrived title, is no coincidence. Wings of Strength (the website) should be applauded by all of us female muscle heads for their support of female bodybuilding over the last few years, and in Chicago today the latest event made possible by their sponsorship comes to a close.

Favourites Fortnight

Tazzie Colomb Clip

It’s hot down there in the shemuscle gym. Hot and sweaty. Damn it’s hot in here, says Tazzie, already pumped, vascular and drenched in sweat when the clip begins. With much grunting, groaning and heavy breathing she performs a set of dumbbell presses, her chest and arms getting bigger and more vascular with every rep. The set over, she flexes for the camera, she flexes in the mirror. Oh man, my shoulders are pumped up! See the veins in them? she asks us. And then the top comes off…

I must have watched this clip twenty, thirty, even forty times perhaps, and each time I am absolutely hypnotised. This is female muscle at its most powerful, bestial even, but also at its most arrogant. Tazzie owns the space, in full muscle goddess strut as she piles extra weight onto the barbell for her second set of topless barbell presses.

Boy, I like being strong, she says, her voice deep and sexy. Being strong is a whole lot better than posing on stage and getting judged. Nobody can take it from me. It’s so good being strong, it feels so good. She roars through a second topless set, a set which I have hardly ever watched in totality before roaring myself, if you know what I mean.

That SheMuscle.com gym dungeon has been the setting for a number of memorable female muscle moments, but for my money, Tazzie’s pumped up muscle sweatfest is my pick of the bunch. And if this post is beginning to sound like an advertisement for SheMuscle.com, that isn’t my intention at all – though if any SheMuscle.com bods want to take it as such and feel they should reward me in some way (lifetime free membership, for example), well that would be absolutely fine too!

Enjoy!

Tube of the Week: Crossfit Special

The first stage of the CrossFit Games is The Open, which runs for five consecutive weeks. Each week, a “workout” is proscribed. Athletes must complete the workout within the week and their performances are then ranked. If they finish in the top 48 for their Crossfit region after the five weeks of The Open, they’re invited to The Regionals, and from there they can qualify for the ultimate event, The Games.

It really is an Open competition. There’s no seeding, no automatic qualification for the top 10 from last year. Nothing. Each new year starts with a completely clean slate and whole new set of workouts. To defend her title, 2013 champion Samantha Briggs must first do the workouts and submit her scores like everybody else.

As the Crossfit website explains: No test, regardless of its lofty claims, can grant legitimate title to the best without first providing access to all. The Open is a truly “open” competition. Anyone from anywhere can participate.

The name of each workout is “14” (for the year) .1, .2, .3 etc. for the week. So, the workout for week two of this year’s Open was “14.2”, week three “14.3” and so on.

Every Open workout needs to be validated to count. Competitors will have two options to validate their performances. They can work out at a local affiliate, where they will be judged in person, or they can submit video evidence of their performance to the entire community. There is no limit to the number of attempts an athlete can make, provided the score is submitted prior to the close of each week.

Today, our Tube of the Week Crossfit Special looks at the best performances from weeks two and three, workouts 14.2 and 14.3. Why? Well, first of all, at the time of writing, these were the two most recently completed (at the time of publication the fifth and last week will be coming to a close). And secondly, it just so happens that the best in the world for those workouts were two of FMS‘ favourite CrossFitters.

14.2 CAMILLE LE BLANC-BAZINET

Last seen on FMS in our Hot and Hard 100 Countdown (see #53), the very gorgeous Camille had already lost out to Talayna Fortunato in a head-to-head workout battle earlier in the week, her defeat blamed on her feeling a little under the weather. However, Camille recovered and, as the clips shows, returned to record not just a better time, but the best time in the world for 14.2 with her second attempt.

You can check the exact specifications for each workout, including this one, on The Games website, but essentially it’s squats followed by pull-ups. Two rounds of 10 reps for each in the first three minutes, then 12 reps for the next three, 14 for the three after that and so on until the athlete fails to do two rounds of each exercise in a three-minute period. Camille performs a world-beating 404 reps by the time she fails.

Just watching will probably leave you breathless…

14.3 DANIELLE SIDELL

FMS’ Crossfit correspondent dubbed ex-figure competitor Danielle his ‘One to Watch in 2014’, and clearly he knows what he’s talking about. She premiered on FMS in January (see Swells Digs) where we noted it would be our pleasure to take our correspondent’s advice and “watch” Danielle, who at 5’10” (1.78m) is a proper power Amazon.

14.3 was a combination of deadlifts and box jumps with an eight-minute time limit. 15 box jumps every time, but the deadlifts not only increase in number by five for each new set, the weight ALSO increases each time. So in set one Danielle is deadlifting 95lbs (43kg) for ten reps, but by the fourth set she’s lifting 185lbs (84kg) for 25.

Phew!

And in case you’re wondering who was the world’s best for 14.1, and also, incidentally, the number 1 ranked CrossFitter overall at the time of writing (ie. after the first three workouts had all been completed), here is a clue.

Follow the Leaderboard on The Games Website

Enjoy!

Dedicated with thanks to Aiden

Sweaty Saturday

There’s already #flexfriday (be warned, women AND men flexing after the jump) and even #tittytuesday (not exclusive to female muscle, of course, but Ashlee Chambers is a fan), FMS is proud to present Sweaty Saturday [actually New York got there first. There is a real Sweaty Saturday there, this year it was February 22nd – a day of fitness, health and wellness. New York City’s finest fitness studios, health brands and wellness experts will offer special classes and amazing music, and there will be plenty of nutritional advice, limited edition goodies, raffles and giveaways. A portion of the proceeds from Sweaty Saturday™ will go to Partnership for Healthier America, which is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. – ed.]

Well, what can I say? Well done New York! That really does sound like a very good cause and a lot of fun at the same time. However, it’s probably not quite as much fun as I can imagine having with these sweaty six-packs… and my tongue! And I’d be happy to lick them all clean to raise money for whatever cause or charity you fancy.

I am a Crossfit woman… I sweat, grunt and curse (from the Crossfit Woman’s Creed)

Seriously, I will lick Bella Falconi‘s abs for charity. If Bella is up for it, of course.
I’m already looking forward to taking the sponsorship form round the office…

You’re doing what for charity?!

Licking clean the sweaty six-packs of muscular women. As many as I can in an hour. You can either sponsor me by the six-pack, by the litre, or, you know, you can just pop twenty quid in the envelope. What are your plans for this weekend?

You might well be thinking I am beginning to sound like one of those guys who pays top dollar for the used (and unwashed) gym attire of his favourite goddess (again, I think if you want some of that, you could do worse than follow Ashlee Chambers). And you might be right. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about before, but one day I’ll find myself needing to spend that lottery windfall somehow, and these gym heroines always seem to need to supplement their incomes, so why the hell not? Aren’t you even a little bit curious to find out what these sweat-soaked tops would smell like after the workout (and a couple of days in the post following your successful bid)?

And did you know, the more muscle she has, and the heavier she gets, the more sweat she can produce? For example, gorgeous Amanda Folstad Ptak (FMS Hot and Hard 100, see #51) recently told us that she “can fill a bucket with it these days”.

If I’m all alone on this one and you’ve all stopped reading in disgust, then FMS may be taking a large financial hit in the very near future. You see, FMS Inc. has recently invested a not inconsiderable sum in a joint business venture with Virginia Sanchez Macias. If we (and Virginia) have misjudged the market for her post-workout sweat in a bottle, and this product sells as badly as the “Holland Canter Action Girl” figure, it could mean financial ruin (for FMS that is, Virginia should be OK. She can always auction off her tiny sweat-drenched workout vest to make ends meet, after all!)

Sudor de Tora will be available in the shops by the summer.

Enjoy!