San Delivers Results

All About the Suit?


The St. Charles Sun ran an article headlined, “Female bodybuilders: All about suit.” I don’t agree with the headline but I can’t fault the writer. You have to credit suit designer Amy Ardizzone, of Suits by Amy, and competitor Michele Wood for that conclusion. A competitor’s suit is definitely important but the most important thing? Nah, I would go that far.

A couple quotes from the article that place the importance on the suit…

“The suit is the most important thing,” said competitor Michele Wood of Chicago. “You have to have a blinged-out suit.”

Every leglift in the world can’t compensate for awkwardly fitting attire, custom suit designer Amy Ardizzone said of the fierceness of the competition.

“Your suit fit can mean first or last place.”

I give Amy props for starting her own business and convincing the writer that the suit is more important than the physique on stage. It’s not every day a suit designer gets an article devoted to their business.



Advertisers Get Punched in the Face


I love this quote. “If you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they’d punch you in the face!” Hugh MacLeod.

punchedinface

Think about this the next time you advertise a product or service. Consider this line of thinking when promoting yourself as well.



Citizen Cope Sideways


It’s Mellow Monday with Citizen Cope’s “Sideways”.

These feelings won’t go away
They’ve been knockin’ me sideways
They’ve been knockin’ me out lately
Whenever you come around me



Hardbody Shot of the Day: Stacey Oster


Stacey Oster was one of the first women to achieve IFBB Bikini Pro Status this year. Keep your eye on this hardbody as she begins to heat things up with her modeling. We shot in my studio earlier this year where she was rock’n an Ed Hardy dress.

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IFBB Bikini Pro – Stacey Oster



Supplement Sunday: Chewable Vitamin C


One supplement I make sure to take every day is Vitamin C. It’s available in a variety of forms but I always found myself gaging when taking it in the pill format. Call me crazy but gagging isn’t on my TO DO LIST every morning. That’s what led me to chewable Vitamin C. There are a variety of chewable brands out there and believe it or not some taste horrible. I’m not sure how you can make a chewable pill taste like poo but some have manage to do it. If you’re dieting for a contest the chewable form probably isn’t the vitamin for you as it typically has some sugar in it.

Learn more about Vitamin C and how it can help you stay healthy.



Free Ride: Bizarre Barton Gym Ad


This ad for David Barton Gym is definitely different but so are his gyms. I ran across this ad on a blog and it definitely caught my attention.  The copy on the ad reads, “Hire one of my trainers and membership’s on me.”

**Thanks to the watchful eye of hardbody readers it was spotted & noted that the woman shown is IFBB Figure pro, Alicia Marie. Nice catch!

davidbartongym
David Barton Gym Ad.

Curious what a David Barton Gym looks like? I was and ran across this New York Mag piece on one of the newest gyms.

Any hardbody peeps been to one of these gyms?



You’re Going Down


The Sick Puppies rock “You’re Going Down“.



But don’t cry like a bitch when you feel the pain



This is my own time. But I gonna improve it.


This is a visually different but cool ad out of Brazil.

brasil

The copy reads, “This is my own time. But I gonna improve it.”



Sound of Madness


Shinedown jams “Sound of Madness“. ROCK ON!



Jen Hendershott’s MTV MADE


Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 12th! Why? IFBB Fitness Pro Jen Hendershott’s episode of MTV’s MADE will air at 11am on that day. The episode will feature Carter Gregory and his quest to be a bodybuilder. Jen was his coach throughout the journey, documented by MTV. I’m told he was not only made into a bodybuilder, but he also learned a few life lessons along the way. Something I think every competitor can related to.



2009 IFBB New York Pro Figure Competitors


The IFBB Figure Pro ladies will take the stage one last time before the Olympia. The IFBB New York Pro will be held in conjunction with the NPC Team Universe & NPC National Fitness Championships. The action goes down Sept 18-19 at the Tribecca Performing Arts Center in New York, NY.

Competitors slated to compete as of today:
Susanne Bock
Andrea Carvalho
M.J. Fox
Brandie Gardner
Lisbeth Halikka
Candice Keene
Emily Nicholson
Marie Pierre Ripert
Elissa Schlichter
Angela Terlesky
Siobhan Tewari
Rosalind Venterpool
Nicole Wilkins-Lee

Nicole Wilkins-Lee is already qualified for the Olympia with her Orlando Pro win earlier this year. She’s gotta be considered the favorite to win this show as well. Emily Nicholson will be making her pro debut off her win that the NPC USAs and Candice Keene will look to bounce back from her last show.

I’m sure more women will enter this event before show time, so check back for an updated competitor list as the show gets closer.



Stay Safe Kids


There’s a good message in this Nickelodeon commercial with a competitor’s favorite bird, the chicken.



Atlantic City Pro Gets a Bit More Interesting


The competitor lists for the IFBB Atlantic City Pro have been updated again and the figure line-up just got a bit more interesting. Shannon Meteraud, who is already qualified for the Olympia in Fitness, has decided to jump into the Open and Master’s Figure competitions. Might she be using this as a tune-up for the Olympia and hope to collect a bit of cash along the way? She’s gotta be considered one of, if not thee, favorite to win the figure competitions. Sherlyn Roy and Nicole Pitcher-Scott have also been added to the mix and could be in the running for the top five at this show. Bethany Wagner will look to move into an Olympia qualifying spot in the fitness as her name has been added to the line-up.

Current numbers as of today are at:

Female Bodybuilders: 22
Fitness: 12
Open Figure: 29
Master’s Figure: 20

Don’t be shocked if there aren’t a couple more surprises to the lists before it’s show time.



Sneak Out


Rock on with Rose Hill’s “Sneak Out”. Happy Friday Hardbodies!



Hardbody A-list: FLEX Booth Girls at The Olympia


Wow! That was my response when I found which women would be working at the FLEX booth at this year’s Olympia Expo. When FLEX put out the Olympia Opportunity back in June, hundreds of women responded.  The final list has been compiled I challenge anyone to find a hotter group of hardbodies in Las Vegas on September 25-26th. Who are these A-list women who got the call?

• Nicole Wilkins-Lee
• Monique Minton
• Kathleen Tesori
• Jodie Minear
• Zhanna Rotar
• Jennifer Celeste
• Ali Sonoma
• Amanda Carrier
• Dianna Dahlgren

Looking for an excuse to stop by the booth more than once and not appear as a creepy stalker? The women of the 2009 FLEX Swimsuit Issue (minus Jenn Gates, of course) will be at the booth on Saturday (September 26th) from 11:30 am to 1pm to sign copies of the 2009 Swimsuit issue and take pictures with fans.

flexswimsuit

The women who appeared in the swimsuit issue and will be at the booth for the above mentioned time are:
• Nicole Wilkins-Lee
• Monique Minton
• Kathleen Tesori
• Jodie Minear
• Jessica Paxson-Putnam
• Erin Stern
• Felicia Romero

Props to FLEX for showcasing the best of the best!



Atlantic City Pro Continues to Grow


Updated competitor lists are available here for next weekend’s IFBB Atlantic City Pro. The number of entrants continue to increase but the fitness competition is at its lowest. Props to the female bodybuilders for showing that there is still an interest across the globe to compete.

Current numbers as of today are at:
Female Bodybuilders: 20
Fitness: 10
Open Figure: 26
Master’s Figure: 16

There are some emerging story lines to watch in each division.

Bodybuilding
Lisa Aukland will attempt to defend the title she won at this show in ’08. Rita Rae will be making her pro debut and a number of very good female bodybuilders will look to snag a qualifying spot to the Olympia. Nicole Ball, Kristy Hawkins, Klaudia Larson, Mah-Ann Mendoza, Brenda Raganot and Jennifer Sedia should all be in the hunt for a top call-out as well. This looks to be the most competitive show of the year.

Fitness
Despite the numbers being dismal there are a few headlines to watch. Tracey Greenwood is the odds-on favorite to repeat as champion again, at least on paper. She competed in this show a couple years ago and injured her thumb. She certainly will not be looking to repeat that act. I’m told she’ll be unveiling a new routine, which she’ll be duplicating at the Olympia two weeks later. Nicole Duncan is a promising competitor on the rise and will look to be in the money again at this show. I like her look and her routines, she will be a contender. The Johnson sisters will battle it out for the first time as fellow competitors. Safiya, the rookie, will take on the seasoned-vet Tanji at this event. Michele Mayberry showed promise at the Europa and could be in the mix for the top five. Laticia Jackson will look to improve on her Europa finish and head to the Olympia.

Figure
Maggie Blanchard is down to compete in Figure and I’m not sure why. She’s competed in Fitness but will look to try her hand in the figure competition apparently. Tivisay Briceno has been on the bubble the last couple of shows and will look to move up into a qualifying spot for the Olympia. Candice John will make the trip from Trinidad and hopes to be in the top spots. She turned some heads last year in NYC and could do it again here. Cheri Lewis will return to the stage again after a couple years off. Marie Ann Newman is wasting no time in making her pro debut as is Elissa Schlichter. There are no “big names” in this contest which makes it a bit more exciting to follow as it is anyone’s game.

The same holds true for the Master’s Figure division. There isn’t anyone, at least on paper, that you can point to and say, “Oh this is her show”.

Props to Tony Blinn from IFBBpro.com for the list update.



Leaping Liza


IFBB Pro Liza Kampstra recently leaped out of a plane. No, she hasn’t lost her mind and tells me the skydiving adventure was “a total spontaneous thing”.  The figure turned bikini pro says, “I wasn’t nervous at all – actually, being on stage at a competition is WAY more nerve racking for me and it was beautiful,exciting and absolutely amazing!  I got a video too and I even got to steer the parachute!”

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Liza over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Look for Liza on stage sometime next year in when the IFBB introduces its bikini division.



New IFBB Bikini Pro Kat Holmes


Today’s Hardbody Shot of the Day is of new IFBB Bikini Pro Kat Holmes. Kat recently won the overall bikini crown at the 2009 North Americans. We captured this image earlier this year in Las Vegas, NV. Congratulations Kat!

katholmes



Olympia OhYeah! Girls


ISS Research has some of the best tasting products in the industry. Every bodybuilding/fitness show I find myself walking by their booth several times for their OhYeah! bars. I’m sure this year’s Olympia will be no different.

The Olympia Expo (September 25-26th) features a number of hardbodies at a variety of booths and ISS Research has announced their line-up for the big event. If you’re attending the expo, check out the OhYeah! Girls representing in Las Vegas.

The line-up features:
• Brooke Johnson
• Lori Harder
• Janelle Nicolo
• Sonya Vecchiarelli
• Cristin Kiberz
• Kimberly Kimble
• Siobhan Tewari
• Brianne Blessing

Tell them you HARDBODY.com sent ya and let us know what you think of their products.



Social Networking Failing to Influence Women’s Purchases


ADWEEK.com has an interesting article on social networking and it’s influence with women.  The article says, “75 percent of women reported that social networking sites have little bearing on their purchasing decisions.” That’s a fairly significant percentage for brands targeting women with social media.

I found this to be the most compelling piece in the article:

“Although women are socializing a lot more with each other, they are not interacting with brands more. The brands are falling behind in this game and they are not opening dialog with women in this arena,” said Wise. “We’re seeing a divide right now of where the women are leaping ahead of the brand and the brands are struggling to find how best to interact with them.”

Despite poor sentiments and engagement, the survey found that women are frequent users of social media. Over 75 percent reported more activity on social networking sites this year. Over half (54.1 percent) visited such venues at least once daily and 30.8 percent visited weekly. Less than one in 10 visited monthly (7.4 percent) or once every few months (7.7 percent).

Facebook dominated women’s social media use at 66.4 percent. MySpace followed at a far second at 16.3 percent. Twitter (3.1 percent) and LinkedIn (1.4 percent) were also mentioned.

It’s clear women are using social media sites but brands are failing to influence their purchases with them. It presents companies with not only a challenge but also the opportunity to be creative and engage women online with their brand. I can’t point to any company that’s done a good job of utilizing social media for women. Can you?

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Third Bombshell Signs with FMG


Team Bombshell Fitness is having quite the year. The ladies, coached by IFBB Fitness Pro Shannon Dey, continue to do well on the competitive stage. Many people are taking notice, including the Fitness Management Group (FMG). FMG signed their third bombshell to an exclusive management contrac. Earlier this year, figure competitor Andrea Watson joined the group, next was bikini competitor Jaime Baird and now it’s Cheryl “Don’t Call Me Downtown” Brown.

Cheryl found success in the world of figure relatively quick, turning pro without years of  competitive disappointments. Last weekend in Cleveland Cheryl won her class and became eligible for IFBB Pro League status.

A  solid accomplishment.



Wanna be a Baller… Shot Caller


Lil’ Troy busts out “Wanna Be A Baller“. HOLLA Hardbodies!

But there’s got to be a BETT-ER WAYY!
A better way, better way, YEAH-AHHHH



Monique’s Tip of The Week…


…kinda. This is a pretty funny collection of outtakes with Monique Minton. Check out more videos at: videos.bodybuilding.com




Ann Titone Preps for Team Universe


NPC Figure competitor Ann Titone has come oh so close to getting an IFBB pro card this year. She hasn’t given up and will take the stage again at the 2009 Team Universe in New York City. “Money Mark” Mason shared this video of Ann’s leg training.

Good luck Ann and we’ll see ya in the Big Apple.



Christina Vargas in the Redzone


Props to new IFBB Figure Pro Christina Vargas for being featured in a new ULTIMATE NUTRITION commercial. I like the dramatic lighting of the commercial but wish they would have edited the first portion of her hitting the bag… it looks like she just bought a new pair of gloves and never punched before. The close up of her abs is cool though.

If the music sounds familiar to you, it’s because the same track is used in the Dennis James DVD. It looks like both spots may have been shot in the same gym as well.

You can see Christina during this year’s Olympia at the Ultimate Nutrition booth.

** Updated**
** See the comments from one of the industry’s top photographers Alex Ardenti regarding this piece. Thanks for the info Alex!



On the Race to Rule the World


The One” is a new song by Slaughterhouse. Check it out!

Sex, and drugs, and dirty money
On the race to rule the world, you
Cut your teeth on fame and diamonds
Your time is up now
(Three, Two) One



Jenn Gates Speaks Out


Last week we learned that Jenn Gates would be sitting out this year’s Olympia. Many times there are things that take place behind the scenes with competitors that the public never knows. Jenn Gates is the perfect example of someone who has had a much different life in private than in the public eye. She’s kept her personal life out of the public eye but for the first time she’s decided to share a story that few knew about.

Jenn went on Bodysport.com and openly discussed being in abusive relationships, her husband taking his own life and more. She also discussed being newly engaged and being pregnant with her third child. So why speak out now? Jenn wanted to clear the air and share her story on the things. After listening to her discuss what’s happened in her life you will gain a new understanding and appreciation for what she’s gone through.  She tells Bodysport hosts Terry and Anna that she anticipates coming back to the figure stage in 2010.

Props to Jenn for speaking out and sharing her story with everyone. Job well done by Bodysport for tackling this tough subject with her.



IFBB Fitness Pro Stephanie Worsfold Proud New Momma


One of the funniest pros you’ll ever meet, Stephanie Worsfold has been absent from the competitive stage this year and with good reason. On August 28, 2009 at 1:10pm, Stephanie gave birth to  7lb 11oz, 20 inch baby Morgan. Baby Morgan is doing well with mom in London, Ontario. Stephanie says he looks just like his daddy. Congratulations to Stephanie and her husband for the new addition to the family.

Stephanie on her way to the hospital.
Stephanie on her way to the hospital.

Stephanie & baby Morgan.
Stephanie & baby Morgan.



American Bad Ass


Kid Rock rocks American Bad Ass. Don’t have it too loud at work hardbodies but this is one to crank up in the gym.

I’m an… American Bad Ass
Watch me kick
You can roll with rock



Hardbody Shot of the Day: Competitive Obsession


IFBB Fitness Pro Tracey Greenwood finds herself a bit obsessed with winning the Fitness Olympia this year. Okay, not really but I wanted to portray that concept and Tracey was kind enough to help out. Here’s a look at one direction we took…

crazytracey.jpg
Tracey Greenwood obsessed with winning the Olympia.

Tracey just happened to have a straight-jacket to bring along. Why? You’ll have to ask her. Thanks to Lorena Gutierrez for helping out with the make-up and styling. We’ve already alerted Adela so she can watch her back around Tracey.



Disclaimer: Reader discretion advised, please consult your physician before beginning any exercise or diet program.