Back Beauty

POWER

Tara Green-Webber is a 25-year-old Canadian professional powerlifter. As with other women in her sport that we've met on FMS, her numbers are eye-watering.

SQUAT! 640lbs/290kg BENCH! 385lbs/175kg DEADLIFT! 500lbs/227kg

But hang on! Forgive me, but isn't that a posing suit she's got on there?



Not an IFBB-sanctioned one perhaps, but definitely a posing suit. Seems Tara is preparing for her very first Bodybuilding show. Back is coming along nicely, she says, with endearing understatement. Can't wait to lean down and see what's really there.

"What's under there" looks like muscle to me, Tara.

Check out her Instagram for more.

How's your close-grip chin-up technique, by the way?



Penpraghai Tiangngok, who'll be making her Olympia debut this weekend, shows us how it's done.

Enjoy!

Back Beauty

THE BEST?



They say that bodybuilding shows (female and male) are won "from the back", so it stands to reason that all great champions past and present have, out of necessity, superior back muscle development. Consequently, the conversation about the FBB with the "Best Back Ever" has never proved an easy one for fans to resolve.

And no, I am not about to attempt to resolve it.



However, what I have found it is possible to say is that, after extensive (and for once I am not being ironic when I say that) research, there are some FBBs who always tend to be in the "Best Back Ever" conversation, and today, in the first of two archivey posts this week, we have a sort of poll of polls Top 9 all-time female muscle backs.

In no particular order, they are...

LENDA MURRAY



Size, detail, aesthetics... Lenda's back, her champions say, has it all, and it's hard to argue. In her career, especially the second half of it, she came up against some of the biggest and best FBBs ever and "out-backed" them all on the Olympia stage.



KIM PEREZ



Creating shock and awe wherever she went (I imagine), Kim's upper body was undeniably one of the greatest, and biggest, in the history of FBBing - her back "the eighth wonder of the world", as one of her supporters puts it. Best back? Kim Perez - easily! proclaims another, with all the certainty of the true believer.



BRIGITA BREZOVAC



One of only two European backs that regularly make it into the discussion, Brigita's was, I think, at its best when covered in sweat (but then again, that would be true of pretty much any body part of any FBB any time!). You take my point though, not the most awe-inspiring contest back, more of an every day OMG I can't believe there are guys in that gym who witness that and don't melt into the equipment kind of back.



LESA LEWIS



This post is bringing back some memories, I must say. Memories like the many hours of quality time I spent with the hulking, nude Lesa photographed with love and his customary skill by Bill Dobbins - pictures I have sadly failed to track down for today. Whether she had the best ever back may be debatable but for me Lesa Lewis is still, for all Cass Martin's charms, the sexiest bodybuilding construction worker ever.



BETTY PARISO



It's easy to forget just how big some of these women were. Watching a Ms International from the early noughties recently the sheer size of Betty Pariso (height, width, mass) made me gasp. Fortunately there was no one around to hear me. She was like a living morph, a fantasy dreamt up by some female muscle artist. A meat feast deluxe. Her muscles posed for themselves, one forum wag writes, and that may be true, but gosh weren't they breathtaking when she took control and really made them work.



IRIS KYLE



Despite all her recent tribulations, Female Bodybuilding's most decorated is still just that. I'm hardly Iris' biggest fan, but if pushed to pick just one back to worship for the rest of eternity, then this one would be in a tie for first with another which is to come later in today's post. Young Iris had a fine, detailed, aesthetic back, Champion Iris had something all together meatier. 3D like nothing seen before or since. Olympias were won over and over again as soon as she turned and faced the back of the stage.



MARIE-LAURE MAHABIR



Hard to convey to the female muscle lovin' youth the effect pictures - Dobbins was again responsible for some of her most memorable images - of a woman like Marie-Laure in an issue of Muscle & Fitness, Flex, or Musclemag could have on a teenage female muscle fan back then. Dark, exotic, athletic, powerful and sensual, she was truly the stuff of fantasy. Guadaloupe? my teen self wondered. I didn't know where it was, but I knew I wanted to go if I could find women like Marie-Laure there.



MMMMONIQUE JONES



When I think about, writes one forum bod, after a barrage of stats, Monique may have or had the biggest back of any Female Bodybuilder thus far. Though not a dominant competitor on stage like Iris, she remains second to none in back development. Now very much into her coaching, she's treated audiences to more than a few thrills with her guest posing over the years, and that back, as an Instagram follow will confirm, is still well worth watching in action. I do wish she'd come back and compete again.



PAULA SUZUKI



She was different and unique, one apparently well-informed Paula fan tells us. She was 5'2" and had a lat spread that surpassed competitors a lot taller and heavier than her. Her back was disproportionate with the rest of her body, which made it look exaggerated, and at times took emphasis away from the rest of her impressive physique, but flexed or relaxed, her back dropped jaws. My tie for first with Iris, and by general consensus hers or Lenda's would be #1 according to my research.



So... what about you, dear reader?

Happy with that? Shock and appalled your favourite is missing?

Best Back Ever? Comments and suggestions below or to 6ft1swell@gmail.com

Back Beauty

MEEHAN & MORAR

Corinne Meehan, aka "munch muscles" on Instagram, looks pretty damn perfect from most angles, but these tanned and detailed little back numbers we like a lot.



Corinne's been competing recently, which explains the detail (and perhaps the exhibitionism too), and has also got plenty of attention from the big schmotography sites and brethren alike. It's not very hard to see why this lady from New York state with beautiful proportions is starting to become something of a Figure phenom though she's only competed twice so far and is still very much an amateur. Corinne is a classic beauty, with muscle as a bonus, as one forum bod puts it. Indeed. Quite gorgeous.

And for our short but very sweet backwards motion today we bring you Gina Morar.

Don't ask - we know NOTHING - though we do like the little jiggle at the end.



A lot.

Back Beauty

Having one of my periodic periods of back obsession lately.

This woman - new IFBB pro Sammica Cash - may be responsible.



This is by no means Sammica's only back shot worth your appreciation. Check out her Instagram for more, and/or recent contest images of her in pro card winning shape at the IFBB North Americans. Here's a short but oh so beautiful taste of the former.



Back Beauty all week on FMS.

Summer Break I: Day 6

In the past, FMS has tended to close up shop for weeks over the summer, usually during August. We've tried not to leave you FMS-less on those occasions, and have consequently come up with ideas like Legs Month, August Picture Post, and, last year, While the Slave's Away to tide you over while we're sunning ourselves.

This year we're not shutting up the offices for one long holiday but a series of shorter breaks, but our commitment to give you at least one stunning example of female muscle heat to look at every day remains. So this year it's Summer Breaks, and this week we're taking our first of the year. We hope you enjoy our selections.

HOT MUSCLE PACKED RAW SEX POWER



6 Weeks to go until Tampa, says Lisa. I fly out 5 weeks today. I get the feeling she's counting the days - as in she's excited, not as in she's a professional FBB who totally counts the days because it's her job. Looking to bring an improved package this year. My second year, she reminds us, under the guidance of Alina Popa.

Having seen the job Alina did on her last year, not to mention the job that Alina did on Elena Oana Hreapca to prepare her for that guest posing routine in Omaha recently, the mind would boggle even if Lisa wasn't currently posting image after image of her ever more freakishly extreme pumped up body. But that is, in fact, what she's doing.



Check out Lisa's Twitter and/or Facebook for more. Or there's always the website, where some of her new videos are apparently "too rude to put images up on the free front page". Given what she has put up in the past, they really must be a whole new level. The site has gone a bit more hardcore over the last few months, reads Lisa's description to "Naughty Time". Enjoy some muscle fuck action.



Truly the mind boggles.

Heat and the Hurricane: Theresa Ivancik's Countdown to the 2015 NPC Nationals

While I am slightly disappointed that Theresa didn't get her pro card this time - I think she was in her best ever shape here - there's also a large part of me that is secretly celebrating that fact. It's not because I'm a bad person, I just can't help liking the fact that now Theresa will have to do one more contest this year - the NPC Nationals in Florida in November. And that means more contest prep pictures...
FMS, "MUSCLE: Theresa Theresa", 21/09/15

As Lionel Richie is always saying, Well, my friends, the time has come... This weekend, your FMS Hot and Hard 100 highest new entry Theresa Ivancik will take to the stage at the pre-Christmas female muscle treat that is the NPC Nationals. And yes, there have been progress pics. Want to know how Theresa has been looking over the last month (not to mention much of what I've been looking at in that time)?

Then today's post is most definitely for you!

4 WEEKS OUT

4 weeks Miami!!!! writes Theresa. No stopping now!!!



Her veins are popping out across her magnificent chest ALREADY! And are my eyes deceiving me or do some of those gorgeous striations have striations of their own?



I'm wondering to myself whether or not I'm going to be able to handle four more weeks of such pumped up and oh so very swoonworthy muscle. And the side view only makes me wonder more. Wow, says Mr Fit Vids on Theresa's Instagram, echoing my thoughts exactly. I see winner right there. And he should know, he's bloody filmed a few.

Perfection! adds one of her fans. Easy there fella! The final countdown's just begun, mate - remember what M-People have taught us: Things can only get better...



THE EYE OF THE TIGRESS: 3 WEEKS OUT



I squeezed my way into a medium, jokes Theresa. Ye Gods! Pretty good, comments "fan" "alexanderbauer", with, believe it or not, absolutely no sense of irony.



Looks like she squeezed her way out of it too. Getting ready to hit some back, Theresa tells us. Hang on! This is BEFORE she pumps up?! She must be joking again...



Arms and chest day get updates this week as well, and I don't mind telling you that at this stage I am as good as passing out with all the swooning Theresa is compelling me to do... But what's this? Look out! There's video... Pec flyes. Have mercy Theresa!!!

She ignores my pleas. She's relentless.



Good morning abs!!! Welcome back!!! writes Theresa. Email me if you'd like to order a wood mosaic of your favorite sports teams, replies "mosaicsbyjak". Matey, I'll bloody show you a mosaic, thinks I. She's got my wood mosaicking bloody everything!

2 WEEKS OUT

Getting tighter ;) ready to bring the hurricane to Miami!!!!



I'm not especially proud of the comment about Theresa's marvellous midriff and the consequent mosaic that I made before, so I'm not going to say anything about what her one week tighter abs follow-up caused to blow (with hurricane force). Nothing at all. Just enjoy those veins. Just enjoy imagining, as I did, all the bits of Theresa outside the frame of the photo. And don't think about hurricanes. Or blowing. Don't.



Arm day! Theresa tells us, displaying the beef. That's a lot of chicken consumance, replies an aptly named Dutchman, "surrealmanifest". Would love to see how those arms feel, replies another follower. Clearly I'm not the only person suffering some kind of mental breakdown during Theresa's contest prep. Pretty good, pipes up our irony-less friend "alexanderbauer", could be bigger though. "Ultakaka" is somewhat less reserved: No one in the world has the beauty, definition and size of this woman. She has the look and appeal to put FBBing front and center. Can't help thinking I've heard that exact same sentence a few times in my female muscle lovin' life! Sometimes I think of us female muscle heads as the crowd in "The Life of Brian" - I say you're the Messiah and I should know, I've followed a few! Theresa: THE (latest) CHOSEN ONE!



This is where I ended up after hamstrings and legs day, admits Theresa, showing us she's mortal after all... But by Friday, she was risen again - up and at 'em, perky as hell. And topless. Again. Fasted cardio... Breakfast in check!!! Clients... Training quads, then massage!!! A massage?! Here comes the swoon... AMAZING BEAUTIFUL ETC replies "serge473", caps lock on as soon as he hit the "a", and it seems he just couldn't get it back off again. Or type more than a couple of words before giving up. I know it's hard with one free hand and all, but really, was it worth hitting return for that?



PEAK WEEK: 1 WEEK OUT

Getting closer to show time!!! she says.



I obviously need to eat a lot more protein 'cos I feel like I peaked somewhat early in the piece. But anyway, it's time for Theresa to work on those shoulders, which, like Moon River, are clearly wider than a mile (there's such a lot of delts to see...)



The hurricane is getting tighter and stronger, she promises. And those glutes certainly look strong and tight enough to cause some damage. Effortlessly taking up the extreme weather theme, Theresa-fan "reubenpatel" confidently predicts You'll blow away the competition lookin that Dayyyym fine. And hello, "serge473" has got his caps lock off: Get'em girl! he writes. Good on him. Me? Well, I'm kind of hypnotised by the eyes...



I don't think I've ever been in such a state of extreme excitement while actually writing a post and I've written a few! So what is it about Theresa these days? Such confidence in her eyes about how hot she is, writes one forum member. Female bodybuilders seem to understand tacitly that they have it all over other women. Indeed they do. And some female bodybuilders, it seems, understand it just that bit more than others.

FMS will have news of Theresa at the Nationals later in the week.

Enjoy!