Abs Queens

Swell Pick:
JOHANNA DEJAGER
















Nicknamed 'Blonde Bomber', and a competitive bodybuilder for the best part of fifteen years, Johanna prided herself on being 'Naturally Built', giving her old website the title of her bodybuilding philosophy. Her biceps were rightly-renowned for both their size and shape, but Swell always loved her abs just as much, if not more.



Her obvious genetic gifts were, she thought, enhanced by a childhood on a dairy farm, and it's easy to imagine her building up her arms by carrying heavy old milk churns around. How this background helped her in the abs department is less obvious, but Swell can certainly imagine the stunningly-beautiful Johanna in her Daisy Dukes as a dream farm girl - for a female muscle head anyway!



Johanna always seemed to be in a permanently ripped state, which, given the sheer number of contests she competed in (many of them drug-tested) is probably not surprising. But it's one thing to have ripped abs, and quite another to develop the kind of deep deep ridges of muscle that Johanna brought to the party.



I believe anyone can obtain their desired look naturally through planned nutrition and exercise, she once said. And after many many years of competing as an amateur, Johanna became a pro in 2008, then made just one appearance (winning the lightweight class at the 2009 Ms International) before retiring.

And here's a taste of Johanna and her sexational six-pack from her old website...




As I'm a greedy man, and as I mentioned yesterday, it's not easy choosing just one Abs Queen, and anyway, it is my blog, so I'm going to give myself another pick today...



Swell Pick:
BONNY PRIEST














Flexing off with Melinda McNabb for the title of Texas Abs Queen, Bonny Priest wanted to be a bodybuilder from a very young age, getting her mother to buy her muscle magazines from about the age of ten or eleven. I thought those girls were so cool. I would look at the mags for hours everyday "dreaming" that someday I could be like that. Never thinking that someday I would be on the pro stage myself.



But she did make it, winning the NPC USA Championships in 2003 after five years of competing, and thereafter appearing at four Ms Olympias, her best placing 4th in 2006 behind Iris Kyle, Dayana Cadeau and Annie Riveccio. But Bonny was under no illusions as to what the future held for female bodybuilding. In 2004, she said, there doesn't seem to be much of a future for women's bb'ing. She continued to compete until 2007, but as a gym co-owner (with her husband), she had something to fall back on once she had hung up her posing suit.



I'm never quite sure if it really is the abs that I love about Bonny or whether it's the total package of muscle, beauty and oodles of sex appeal, but you never forget your first eight-pack, so that alone justifies her inclusion on our list.




Bonny once said, I absolutely love being on stage. At that point in the contest prep, I know that I look the best I've ever looked in my life. For that moment I feel more confident & happier than ever. My favorite part is the posing routine. I've worked a lot of years trying to perfect the routine and bring a little more entertainment to the audience. Decide for yourself if you think she succeeded as you watch her routine at the 2004 Ms Olympia.



Enjoy!