Back Is Beautiful: Kovack's Back

Yesterday, I admitted I'd arrived a little late at the female muscle back party. I'd always thought of myself as an abs man, and, as a result, my favourite pose in competition was abdominals and thigh. I also said yesterday I'd come to appreciate the female bodybuilder's back so much more because of my own attempts to develop that part of my body, and the understanding it has given me of the physical and mental strength it takes to build such a back. But that's only partly the reason.

The rest I can sum up in two words: Gillian Kovack. Or, more accurately (and in a few more words) Gillian Kovack's back at the 2012 Toronto Pro.



Don't get me wrong, I must have seen hundreds, thousands of images of female bodybuilder's backs - from the old "Back Page" of the WPW magazines right up to the (not always very successfully taken) back selfies we see so many of today. Of course, I'd sometimes paused and marvelled at the backs I had seen. But watching Gillian's routine at that show turned out to be a kind of "Road to Damascus" moment for Old Swell.

Being an abs and thigh man, I’d always thought of the back poses as something I had to sit through before I got my favourite pose. The back double biceps and lat spread sort of got on my nerves as a result, and I would often find myself skipping them. I was always thinking, ‘Come on, let’s get to the abs'. But then in 2012 I was watching Gillian do the back poses in Toronto and it was like being struck by lightning.



And I wouldn't suggest for a moment that Gillian's back, magnificent as it was at that show, is the best or the biggest back I'd ever seen. Why it affected me to such an extent I can only guess. Gillian had been on the FMS radar for a while, and I already loved the way her sexy dark eyes would bore into the camera and the semi-smile on her face in these clips. Amused? Knowing. I loved that she'd put so much muscle on leading up to that show, and I loved that she'd gone from blond to brunette.

It was a kind of perfect storm. I was ready for Gillian to slay me. As I sat in front of the live feed (or perhaps I was watching a rerun, I can't be sure) it was, despite the quality of the field, Gillian's routine that I was anticipating most. And when it came, it was her back poses, firstly in a squat position, and then a final, joyous back double biceps with the full wind up, which left me, well, it left me a changed man.




And the good news dear readers is, Kovack (back and all) is going to be back real soon, at the Toronto Pro 2014, May 31st-June 1st. Sorry, I don't like to post progress pics, she says on her Facebook page, but I will be stepping on stage at my biggest & best yet. I, for one, will be watching with baited breath (and a dry mouth, no doubt).

How many weeks to go? Damn!

Get anticipated with Gillian's life-changing routine from 2012...



Enjoy!