I think bikini was genius for the NPC . . . .It will introduce a new group of people to our sport as a whole. . .which means more sponsorships, more revenue, more recognition in the mainstream etc. Surprisingly enough it may even help the rest of our divisions . . . it will be introduced to people that are clueless about the bodybuilding world. Its already happened here locally. Family members came to see bikini and left wanting to do figure and bodybuilding.

I love fitness, figure and bodybuilding. I respect each division for their assets. I am not going to be a body builder and my fitness days are over . .. and I am not even close to being made right for bikini. Bone structure, genetics, desire and hard work play a role in where we all belong.

If you dont like bikini, choose your own division and focus on it! but allow bikini to introduce the rest of the world to our sports. it can do nothing but help the rest of us.

I know several of the girls who literally have worked their buns off to be succesful in figure for years but just couldnt do it on the national level . .. these girls just competed recently in bikini at the Muscle Mayhem in Kansas City and really made an impact with the head judge. He liked what he saw.

they lift weights, do cardio, eat clean . . they train hard . . they just arent big and dont have the bone structure for figure. but they have sass and posed well! Lordy does that need some help at the other shows. BACK off the straddle pose a wee bit ladies!! bad bad pictures if your not careful!

anywho . . .

In our area . .. bikini girls are working with pageant coaches to learn how to walk /pose with curves and stay lady like all at the same time . . . . I suggest doing that. . . even a few of my figure girls have done the same but tweaked it for them. All are quite feminine and graceful now. and the bikini girls are are very fit looking. They are really quite good.

Happy Training!!

Also,

J.M. Manion-
Thanks for the info and background of how bikini was born! I love that!

I am a bikini competitor (short division, 5′) & just competed at the NPC Cal May 23rd 2009 & came in 2nd place. Yes, I will admit not all the girls trained as hard or had as strict of a diet as would be respected by other competitors in figure or even other bikini girls! But there are still a large group of women who do put their all into competing. Although I myself am a trainer, I personally hired Kim Oddo to prepare me as I did not know anything about competing. He would be the first to tell you that I worked very hard for my physique & my diet was as restricted as a figure competitor.

Everyone here reading and participating in these message boards obviously have a passion and interest in competitive bodybuilding & all the levels that follow- we are all entitled to our own opinion but I think it’s unfair to classify all bikini competitors as lazy or women who don’t work hard! I think we should all have a certain degree of respect for all bodybuilders, figure, fitness, & bikini competitors because we are all here to stay. The women who work and train hard will be rewarded.

And Regina- I don’t think any of the judges are stupid- they will not reward a competitior who is obviously out of shape and not up to par with the bikini competitors who are on point!

I personally will be competing in Vegas at the NPC USA’s July 24th and 25th in the bikini class A (under 5′1”) and hope to get my Pro card! I wish everyone luck in every level of competition!

~Thanks again for the great discussion!

Michele D’Angona
Green bikini, Class A
http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/6962/event/6/mode/will/page/14

I agree about Jamie Eason, she certainly does have thee perfect bikini body. I would like to tell you that as I have talked to Jamie Eason quite a lot over the years, she actually used to be a figure competitor but I will tell you during her off season times just staying lean year-round she does about 30 minutes of cardio three times per week and looks incredible! Ask her. So, here you’re saying Jamie has the ideal bikini physique but she doesn’t currently do as much cardio or etc as a figure/fbber does…so, do you retract her as your ideal physique after knowing that? Didn’t think so! Not everyone ‘has’ to do 2 hours of cardio per day to look good for a show. I know some figure girls that only have to do 45 minutes a day and some less!

The fact of the matter is, regardless of the division- everyone works hard to be up on stage. That might be in the gym or out of the gym. Sometimes the hardest part of it is becoming a new competitor and getting up on stage. So, you’re going to have to be a little more respectful of your fellow competitors regardless of if you like bikini division or not. You are not going to get anything positive out of running down hundreds of other girls as well as running down the federation. It’s just not a good idea. No company is going to want to sponsor a sour personality like yours!!!

ALSO, and I find this VERY important to note: No matter ‘which’ girl gets up on stage, we need to remind ourselves that the girls that you’re saying “look like they never hit a gym” could have previously lost 150 lbs. You cannot judge a book by it’s cover! The first year I ever competed, there were three girls that had lost anywhere from 75 to 100lbs to compete in the show. Sure, their bodies looked somewhat like an average girl who doesn’t workout–but once you hear those stories it makes you want them to win because they worked twice as hard as anyone else. Some bikini competitors probably DO have to work just as hard as a figure competitor. You cannot judge based on looks because genetics aren’t kind to us all.

I really feel as though people need to GROW UP and accept bikini just as an evolution to competitions. Its not like NPC Bikini is the first federation to honor a bikini division…Have you ever heard of Ms Bikini Universe? Alicia Marie??? Nobody can say those girls don’t train hard.

I think everyone trains hard in one way or another. I don’t like your attitude Regina, you’re probably one of those girls backstage that sits alone in the corner because she’s so worried about everyone else that she cannot enjoy the show.

I welcome bikini with a wide open mind!

Isaac- here are some pics, I have been told that I will do well at Natls. I feel like my body type favors Ali and Kat Holmes. I am only 23 and hope to reach muscle maturity sooner that later! What’s your opinion on lean vs. deeper muscles?

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbPage.aspx?e=4716891&g=0R&s=25
(#2 in purple)
…And yes I do have some T&A, so don’t hate….my husband loves it !!!

If anything, you are the BIGGEST JOKE in this conversation!

I am just glad for those who are in support of it and I’m happy that I’m not the only one on here that will stick up for it.

Rebecca Snide, Portage MI

When hearing that Bikini was a definate in our sport, I was thrilled. Over the past few years of training competitors I have learned that there are DEFINATE genetic differences in female athletes. At Bombshell, our training philosphy is very similar for figure, fitness and now bikini athletes. But what we find is that different bodies react differently to the training. For instance, my own weight training workouts do not vary too far from those of Jaime Baird, but when you put the two of us side by side there are two completely different physiques. No matter what I do, I could never have the curvey, soft yet firm look of Jaimes body, it’s simply not genetically possible. Likewize, Jaime can not reach my hardness or level of muscularity. Does that mean that one of us trains harder than the other? Definately not…it’s all about genetics and how a body reacts to training.

I can tell you for a fact, our bikini athletes train like competitive athletes and are in incredible cardiovascular and muscular endurance shape. For a woman to hold enough body fat to have a soft appearance, yet not have any celulite or visible fat is NOT an easy thing to achieve. It requires specific and athletic training combined a very specified diet.

Just like there are bodybuilders and figure competitors who get on stage that did not do their homework, I’m sure that there will be bikini competitors that do the same. Will they win a Pro Card? Just like with the bodybuilder or figure competitor, it’s very doubtful.

All of the girls who won their classes in bikini at the JR. USA’s have fantastic physiques, carried themselves with poise and made all of us involved in our sport proud. The Inagural selection of the bikini pros was excellent. These two athletes are a fantastic benchmark and a very solid beginning to the development of this division.

Also Regina, have this so-called judge that you claim doesn’t understand the point of the division to give me a call. I’ll explain it to him/her or forward them on to Sandy Williamson and/or their NPC district chairperson for a better explaination.

Isaac, BRAVO for writing this. I was reading all the comments on Siouxcountry.com as well & you’ve pretty much summed up my thoughts exactly!

For those of you that can’t see the difference between Bikini & Figure, I’ll point you to 2 NPC contests. Look at my father’s NPC Pittsburgh. Andrea Watson wins Figure overall & Jaime Baird (the Jaime posing above) wins Bikini overall. Cut to the NPC California States held the same weekend as the Jr. USA. Susan Salazar wins Figure overall & Michell Gullett wins Bikini overall. If you can not see the difference between the physiques here, then you are really not paying attention. It is very obvious the difference. The majority of the haters that are posting more than likely have not seen a competition that features NPC Bikini & Figure & are basing their comments on their own personal feelings & personal agenda’s.

I’m going to re-post what I did on Siouxcounty.com as it pertains to this discussion.

You can write all you want about NPC Bikini but those that already hate it without probably ever seeing an NPC Bikini contest or competitor in person will always hate it regardless.

Many of you probably don’t remember that NPC Figure had two years to grow before there was an IFBB Pro Figure contest. Sure, NPC Bikini is on the fast track giving it only one year before jumping over to the IFBB Professional League, but that is probably due to the fact that back when the NPC started Figure, many of the competitors who qualified to turn pro in 2001 didn’t know what to do with themselves until they were able to compete in the IFBB in 2003.

Did any of you know that this new division, which was finally voted up at the annual 2008 NPC Board Of Governor’s meeting in Atlanta, GA to be named “Bikini” was in discussion for close to two (2) years? Again, didn’t think so. There were several names thrown around. I personally came up with another name, as did several others. The name was voted on at the meeting & “Bikini” was the overwhelming choice. The reason “Bikini” was brought into the NPC is that there were numerous requests from competitors brought to the NPC through various chairpeople, judges & other officials. This applies to other things like the removal of the one-piece swimsuit from NPC Fitness & NPC Figure. The majority of NPC athlete’s spoke, the NPC took it into consideration & it was brought to the voting members at the NPC Board Of Governor’s meeting. But the talk for this, Bikini & other measures were spoken about for months leading up to this meeting. I know these issue’s were discussed amongst many NPC women’s competitors too. I can’t begin to tell you how many NPC women’s competitors have approached me over the years with questions and/or suggestions or engaged me in conversation about certain things within the NPC.

Those of you that are basing what you think about Bikini competitors on looks only have no clue how they train. Aren’t you judgmental? The same could be said about many women’s competitors in other aspects of the sport – ‘Oh that girl must not have dieted’, ‘Does she even know where the gym is?’, ‘Doesn’t she have any friends to tell her she shouldn’t have gotten on stage?’, & on & on & on. How do you know what or how they train or diet? Remember – EVERY “BODY” is different.

Like it or not, NPC Bikini is here to stay. And in 2010 there will be IFBB Bikini.

Issac – I do agree that it would be better classified as Fitness Model, like it is in some other organizations. I think somehow the work “bikini” makes it seem too everyday – to casual and therefore it seems to have not been taken as seriously by some.

Yes, a bikini look is softer. A figure look is softer then bodybuilders – so if we complain about soft lets whine about the figure and fitness as well.

Yes, it does take less effort to get a bikini body [lets cut the crap, it does]. So if that is a benchmark, it takes less effort to do figure then fitness, so lets all whine about figure now.

If we are going to piss and moan about bikini why only pick on one division? Lets all whine about figure being easier then fitness/bb [again, lets cut the crap it is] and say it doesn’t belong as well? So we can sit and pick apart divisions by level of ease, or we can welcome all new competitors.

I think both Shelsea and Stacey look great. Congrats to them both.

Attaining the female bodybuilder physique consists of far more than just lifting harder and heavier than a figure competitor but that’s an entirely different topic.