Tuesday 15 July 2014

Chicago 2014: Abs & Thighs

As it is the most recent incomer to the FMS Hall of Fame, it seemed appropriate to focus just for one day on some of the women in Chicago - both bodybuilders and physique competitors - hitting this most sexual and revealing of poses.

PHYSIQUE

A familiar face in an unfamiliar division: former bodybuilder Tracy Mason (left) competed in WPD for only the second time in her career in Chicago; ripped Margarita Charaim (right) enjoyed her highest ever pro finish, coming 7th.
imagebam.com imagebam.com
imagebam.com imagebam.com
If physique is going to bring in hordes of good lookin' women like this, says one forum poster, I'm all for it. Jen Louwagie (left, 8th) and Russia's Olga Belyakova (right, 12th) brought beauty and sex appeal to the Chicago stage, if not the best abs!

And the beauty and sex appeal keeps on coming with Nola Trimble (left, 11th) and her six-pack; and Kimberly Baum (right, 10th) and her dazzling smile.
imagebam.com imagebam.com
imagebam.com imagebam.com
In her fourth show of the year, Tish Shelton came in 9th - as she had in her first show of the year. Sandra Lombardo (right) followed up second place in Toronto with third (and more Olympia points) in Chicago. And deservedly so we say.

Readers may remember our anonymous female competitor calling the abs and thigh her "trigger pose". Trigger for what? you might ask. Well, think about the muscles you need to flex to pull this pose off and you don't have to use your imagination very much. So, who, do we think was having the most fun on that stage in the WPD?

imagebam.com imagebam.com
Well, we nominate LaDrissa Bonivel, who seemed to us to be having more fun than most in her division while hitting her abs and thigh. Not surprising when you consider she has almost ten years of competition behind her as a figure then physique competitor - so she should be pretty efficient at "triggering" by now is the theory. And furthermore, her 6th place finish was her highest placing as a pro, and I would imagine that is just about guaranteed to make a woman feel good about herself.


BODYBUILDING

imagebam.com

And so to the biggest girls of all. The ones who really do have lots and lots of "thick muscle converging", as our anonymous female competitor put it, when they hit the abs and thigh. I imagine that being at a pro female bodybuilding show and hearing the inhalations and exhalations of these magnificent beasts as they crunch down onto their abs must be almost as exciting as the visual of seeing those abs crunched down on. I imagine it sounds something like a steam train that's just started moving, ie. POWER IN ACTION. I imagine when this sound of power in action and the muscle visuals are provided simultaneously by (left to right) Kovack, Goroshinskaya, Giesbrecht, Gerard, Gaillard and Envall, then more than a few of the female muscle lovin' spectators in the audience must surely get a bit, er, "overwhelmed". Please confirm or deny.

Kim Perez (left, 8th), in her first show since 2012, had the forums alight with chatter. Posters praised her ever so exciting hugeness in the upper body department, but also there were those moaning that once again Kim's legs have let her down, and sometimes both opinions could be found in the same post. I'm crazy about Kim Perez, one fan commented, before adding, quite reasonably that she still can't bring up her legs to match her awesome, unrivalled upper body. So far I think we all agree, but unfortunately this fan didn't stop there. I think at this point she should slim down and defect to physique, he added, prompting another member to reply with what we were all thinking, only wittier: Go wash your mouth out with soap young man.
imagebam.com imagebam.com
Nancy Clark (right, 15th) fared badly with the judges again, and will probably want to forget 2014 results-wise. She did a lot better with the fans, though. To my eye anyway, she's been making gains and looked even more sexily shredded this time than she had in Chicago last year, when she was awarded 5th. At least one forum poster agrees: Anyone know why the heck Nancy Clark keeps placing so low at these contests? Based on my analysis she should be placing well within the top six.

The judges did like the legend that is Christine Envall, though. Her 3rd place here and her 3rd place in Omaha means she has a real shot at making 2014 the year she finally graces the Ms Olympia stage. None more deserving. And an FMS shout out to Christine as well for choosing a less modest posing suit than the majority of the field. Maybe "old school" (huge & shredded muscles + hankies & string posing suits) is the way forward in terms of getting fans back to the sport in greater numbers? Maybe.
imagebam.com imagebam.com
And going one better than "Big Chris" was the very exciting, very very vascular Lisa Giesbrecht. This show has always been about conditioning over size, one (much more knowledgeable than I) fan has pointed out (who knew? Different judging styles at different shows. Makes sense, just never occurred to me. So much I still have to learn...). And when Lisa's conditioning is right, it's freaky right. VEINZZZ!!!

imagebam.com
The top six, left to right: Sanchez, Blaino, Giesbrecht, Bello, Envall and Miller demonstrate power in action as one. Utterly intoxicating, I imagine.

But the FMS prize for The Best Abs and Thigh Poser, also known as the "I'm Having More Fun Up Here Than You Could POSSibly Imagine" award, goes to a woman who always gives the impression she'd rather be naked at home surrounded by mirrors...

The one and only Roxanne Edwards... CRUNCH!

imagebam.com imagebam.com imagebam.com imagebam.com

... and Roxanne is also up for the Best Teeth Award.

Enjoy!

No comments:

Post a Comment