Sweat. Sweet! (The Smell of Female)

Question: What's the sexiest smell ever?

Answer: The smell of my wife.



Chances are your answer, dear reader, was both different and the same. There's a fair chance your sexiest smell is that of your partner - or if you don't have one right now, that of an ex-partner (apologies if this brings up any painful pangs of longing).



Ever fancied someone only to be turned off by their smell when you got intimate?

I know I have. Many years ago I pursued a woman across half of Italy only to be nothing short of disgusted by her smell when I finally got close enough to really know it. And there's a very good chance you've had a similar experience. Some people - no matter how attractive they might be in other ways - smell just plain "wrong".



There is science to this. Apparently, we are attracted to those whose genetic make-up is most different to our own. Kind of makes sense if you think about it - you wouldn't want your sister's sweaty T-shirt to turn you on now, would you? Or, to put it another, less uncomfortable way, big genetic differences produce the healthiest offspring.



Attraction, or otherwise, for us men is most significantly a response to the female pheromone "androstenol", which is (like the male equivalent androstenone) a subtle, virtually undetectable scent in the normal course of things, even more so because Western culture places so much emphasis on hygiene. Washing off or masking those sexually-charged pheromones might make you more pleasant to sit next to on a hot day on the bus, but it does significantly mute their innate power to attract.



So it's no surprise that when scientists want to discover which scents attract and disgust us, it's to the gym they go to ask for the use of our sweaty workout gear. "Sweaty T-shirt" science is what it is known as, I kid you not. We may not be able to actually "smell" those pheromones, but we sure can sense them when they're there.



So I guess my answer to our original question should not be "the smell of my wife" but "the smell of my wife when she's covered in sweat". And while I might love looking at all these wonderful muscular women, their bodies - especially their abs - all glistening and sweaty, the chances are I wouldn't actually like the smell of many (if any!) of them at all. But that's OK, because I just imagine they all smell as good as my wife does!



And we finish our week of sweet sweet sweat with this HerMuscles Hall of Famer. Her name escapes me, but her sweat can't escape the sexy ridges of her abs, gathering in shiny little pools that seem to cry out "Drink me! Drink me!". Or something...

Enjoy!

Many many thanks to everyone who has sent (scent?!) in their favourite sweat-soaked pictures. We'll be putting them all together into one pheromone-tastic post in the very near future. So, er, make sure you keep those airways clear!

Not too late to send in more: 6ft1swell@gmail.com

Favourites Fortnight

Danielles

I often get asked who my favourite Danielle is. And the truth is I just can't decide.

See if you can pick yours...


SIDELL



25 years old
5'10"
Crossfit



"BigD"



Instagram
Website


REARDON



23 years old
5'0"
Physique



"Lil Monstar"



Instagram
Facebook


So, who gets your vote: Sidell or Reardon?

More favourites tomorrow...

Back Is Beautiful: Freaky Fantasy Favourites

For our final offering of Back Is Beautiful week, a selection of favourites, a little bit of fantasy, and (everybody's favourite) some proper female muscle freakiness.


No, I'm not the biggest fan of "excessive" tattoos (although it is nice of her to wear a reminder of what I should be doing more of) but yes, I want to cup her lats in my hands and give them a good squeeze to see if they are as hard and sexy as they look.


If I could have my "give a back massage to the Crossitter of your choice" wish right now, hot (and sweaty) Danielle Sidell would be the only name on the shortlist.

FREAKY!

Anne Freitas' rightly famous "Christmas tree" erector spinae (that's spinal erector muscles to you and me). Also known as "those abs things in your lower back".


Back is most definitely beautiful. The genetically-gifted Nancy Lewis (left) and Desiree Ellis display the results of their hard work (and more besides).


Emily Ingram, an NPC Physique competitor from Georgia (and mother of four) needs a better camera and could probably break your fingers with her rhomboids.

FREAKY!

Yep, I'm calling freaky on Georgina McConnell. Not because her back is freaky like Freitas-freaky (although if she keeps going as she has until now, that is going to be a very real possibility at some stage), but rather because of her incredible development for her age. The biggest and best 19-year-old back on the planet.


FMS favourite Danielle Reardon (see Hot and Hard 100 #32) puts the muscle into the physique class with her back in this nicely-lit (I wonder if by accident or design?) shot taken in the countdown to her recent revelatory appearance in St. Louis.

FREAKY!

When Ruthie Lucchesi (left) and Jacqueline "Jay" Fuchs spread their lats, they stay spread [eh? - ed.]. Jay's latissimus dorsi, in particular, seem to go on forever, and make her waist look absolutely tiny in comparison. Freaky and very very sexy.


Athena Signakis' back seems to be pure muscle with a thin layer of skin over it. A living anatomical sculpture. And one I can quite easily picture myself attempting to massage, attempting because I press as hard as I can but can't make any impact on those slabs of granite (and meanwhile Athena lies there, feeling nothing and wondering whether I've started yet). And if you can pull your eyes away from that magnificent sight for a moment, check out Aleesha Young and what I can only describe as her "lat overhang". Mouth-watering female muscle meat right there.

FANTASY!

Pure fantasy. Shredded contest-ready (and tanned up) backs just waiting for you to warm up your hands and apply that oil. And make sure you don't miss any of those little crevices between her bulging muscles. Get your fingers right in there. I'm feeling light-headed just thinking about it. The pleasure of actually doing it would no doubt leave me in need of some resuscitation. From the top: Karina Nascimento, marvellous Mindy O'Brien, and I don't know but feel I should. Please, if you do know whose succulent back this is, comment below, or email 6ft1swell@gmail.com.

SUPER FREAKY!

Maria Rita Penteado and the only erector spinae I know of that make Anne Freitas want to "work harder on the lower back". Abs on the back. Incredible. I mean, how do you even flex them? Nothing happens when I do it. Try it for yourself!

OK, then. One more...



Enjoy!

Tube of the Week: Crossfit Special

The first stage of the CrossFit Games is The Open, which runs for five consecutive weeks. Each week, a "workout" is proscribed. Athletes must complete the workout within the week and their performances are then ranked. If they finish in the top 48 for their Crossfit region after the five weeks of The Open, they're invited to The Regionals, and from there they can qualify for the ultimate event, The Games.

It really is an Open competition. There's no seeding, no automatic qualification for the top 10 from last year. Nothing. Each new year starts with a completely clean slate and whole new set of workouts. To defend her title, 2013 champion Samantha Briggs must first do the workouts and submit her scores like everybody else.

As the Crossfit website explains: No test, regardless of its lofty claims, can grant legitimate title to the best without first providing access to all. The Open is a truly "open" competition. Anyone from anywhere can participate.

The name of each workout is "14" (for the year) .1, .2, .3 etc. for the week. So, the workout for week two of this year's Open was "14.2", week three "14.3" and so on.

Every Open workout needs to be validated to count. Competitors will have two options to validate their performances. They can work out at a local affiliate, where they will be judged in person, or they can submit video evidence of their performance to the entire community. There is no limit to the number of attempts an athlete can make, provided the score is submitted prior to the close of each week.

Today, our Tube of the Week Crossfit Special looks at the best performances from weeks two and three, workouts 14.2 and 14.3. Why? Well, first of all, at the time of writing, these were the two most recently completed (at the time of publication the fifth and last week will be coming to a close). And secondly, it just so happens that the best in the world for those workouts were two of FMS' favourite CrossFitters.


14.2 CAMILLE LE BLANC-BAZINET

Last seen on FMS in our Hot and Hard 100 Countdown (see #53), the very gorgeous Camille had already lost out to Talayna Fortunato in a head-to-head workout battle earlier in the week, her defeat blamed on her feeling a little under the weather. However, Camille recovered and, as the clips shows, returned to record not just a better time, but the best time in the world for 14.2 with her second attempt.

You can check the exact specifications for each workout, including this one, on The Games website, but essentially it's squats followed by pull-ups. Two rounds of 10 reps for each in the first three minutes, then 12 reps for the next three, 14 for the three after that and so on until the athlete fails to do two rounds of each exercise in a three-minute period. Camille performs a world-beating 404 reps by the time she fails.

Just watching will probably leave you breathless...




14.3 DANIELLE SIDELL

FMS' Crossfit correspondent dubbed ex-figure competitor Danielle his 'One to Watch in 2014', and clearly he knows what he's talking about. She premiered on FMS in January (see Swells Digs) where we noted it would be our pleasure to take our correspondent's advice and "watch" Danielle, who at 5'10" (1.78m) is a proper power Amazon.

14.3 was a combination of deadlifts and box jumps with an eight-minute time limit. 15 box jumps every time, but the deadlifts not only increase in number by five for each new set, the weight ALSO increases each time. So in set one Danielle is deadlifting 95lbs (43kg) for ten reps, but by the fourth set she's lifting 185lbs (84kg) for 25.




Phew!

And in case you're wondering who was the world's best for 14.1, and also, incidentally, the number 1 ranked CrossFitter overall at the time of writing (ie. after the first three workouts had all been completed), here is a clue.



Follow the Leaderboard on The Games Website

Enjoy!

Dedicated with thanks to Aiden

Sweaty Saturday

There's already #flexfriday (be warned, women AND men flexing after the jump) and even #tittytuesday (not exclusive to female muscle, of course, but Ashlee Chambers is a fan), FMS is proud to present Sweaty Saturday [actually New York got there first. There is a real Sweaty Saturday there, this year it was February 22nd - a day of fitness, health and wellness. New York City’s finest fitness studios, health brands and wellness experts will offer special classes and amazing music, and there will be plenty of nutritional advice, limited edition goodies, raffles and giveaways. A portion of the proceeds from Sweaty Saturday™ will go to Partnership for Healthier America, which is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. - ed.]




Well, what can I say? Well done New York! That really does sound like a very good cause and a lot of fun at the same time. However, it's probably not quite as much fun as I can imagine having with these sweaty six-packs... and my tongue! And I'd be happy to lick them all clean to raise money for whatever cause or charity you fancy.



I am a Crossfit woman... I sweat, grunt and curse (from the Crossfit Woman's Creed)



Seriously, I will lick Bella Falconi's abs for charity. If Bella is up for it, of course.
I'm already looking forward to taking the sponsorship form round the office...

You're doing what for charity?!

Licking clean the sweaty six-packs of muscular women. As many as I can in an hour. You can either sponsor me by the six-pack, by the litre, or, you know, you can just pop twenty quid in the envelope. What are your plans for this weekend?



You might well be thinking I am beginning to sound like one of those guys who pays top dollar for the used (and unwashed) gym attire of his favourite goddess (again, I think if you want some of that, you could do worse than follow Ashlee Chambers). And you might be right. It's not something I've ever thought about before, but one day I'll find myself needing to spend that lottery windfall somehow, and these gym heroines always seem to need to supplement their incomes, so why the hell not? Aren't you even a little bit curious to find out what these sweat-soaked tops would smell like after the workout (and a couple of days in the post following your successful bid)?



And did you know, the more muscle she has, and the heavier she gets, the more sweat she can produce? For example, gorgeous Amanda Folstad Ptak (FMS Hot and Hard 100, see #51) recently told us that she "can fill a bucket with it these days".



If I'm all alone on this one and you've all stopped reading in disgust, then FMS may be taking a large financial hit in the very near future. You see, FMS Inc. has recently invested a not inconsiderable sum in a joint business venture with Virginia Sanchez Macias. If we (and Virginia) have misjudged the market for her post-workout sweat in a bottle, and this product sells as badly as the "Holland Canter Action Girl" figure, it could mean financial ruin (for FMS that is, Virginia should be OK. She can always auction off her tiny sweat-drenched workout vest to make ends meet, after all!)




Sudor de Tora will be available in the shops by the summer.

Enjoy!