Marthe in the USA: When Marthe Met Reg

Making memories and enjoying every minute of it, said Marthe of her post-contest shoot with the "gifted and awesome" femuscle photography legend Reg Bradford.




Bradford's been around since I've been into female muscle (and he was taking photos of female bodybuilders even before that). Much of his work in the late 80s and early 90s got seared into the memory and was rediscovered with glee when the internet came along - truly a case of once seen, never forgotten. And though his style has, out of necessity I imagine, become somewhat less iconic than it once was, given the right muscle model - ie. Marthe Sundby - he proves he can still very much cut it.




You could understand why Marthe chose Reg because she was a fan of his work equally well as if Reg made damn sure he didn't miss his chance with Marthe Stateside because he was a fan of hers. Either way, the results speak for themselves. A top body in top shape, a top photographer, smouldering in her favourite pink, and plenty of her smouldering in black too - giving Marthe a "dark and mysterious" edge, according to Reg. Don't get me wrong, I love a Marthe selfie as much as, if not a lot more than, the next man, but it's great to see her shot by a pro, "building an archive" as she puts it.




She looks stunning in these shots I think. Powerful yet feminine, strong and sensual, oozing with a sex appeal that comes from her self-confidence. Nothing to hide, says Marthe. Be proud of who you are and what you do. Flex with style and grace.




And you can check out more of Marthe by Reg on her Instagram and Facebook.

Reg also has his own website, and Instagram, the excellently-named "Power Pecs".



Enjoy!

Marthe in the USA: Finals

I CAN & I WILL ROCK THAT STAGE! Marthe promised her Facebook followers on August 27th, two days before "so excited" she took to the stage for the second time to perform her routine. Now, unfortunately, although there is some video of the Women's Physique night show knocking around, there doesn't seem to be any (yet?) of Marthe in full flow, and so you will all just have to use your imaginations a little bit here.

Saturday, August 29th




But with the pictures available, and - with no little trepidation - using my own imagination, Marthe's routine appears to have been one of the most dynamic of the show. She certainly got the attention of Palumbo and Aceto. Best legs in the line-up, they commented. Probably too big but you can’t deny that they’re very impressive.




They also noted her "great back poses", but the highlight seems to have come when Marthe started to show off her considerable strength, flexibility, and athleticism.




She’s flipping! they exclaimed. Impressive for such a muscular girl!




Time of my life, Marthe confessed. I had so much fun on stage. And it certainly looks like she did too. But as much as she may have peaked during her routine, there was still a yet more ecstatic moment to follow: the twenty-four-woman posedown!



I love posedown! Marthe said, somewhat unnecessarily, on her Facebook.



She's obviously not the only one, but she really does look like she loves it just that little bit more than her fellow competitors. Is it just my imagination or do some of the other ladies look a bit reluctant to stand right next to our heroine and compare?

In the end, the judges' verdict was 14th. But her work in the USA was by no means done when she took off the posing suit that night (again, sadly, no footage of this seems to be available either). Tune in tomorrow to see what we know Marthe did next.

Enjoy!

Marthe in the USA: Prejudging

After arriving in Atlantic City, our heroine checked in for her pro debut (#78 - nice necklace) and dressed down for dinner! Just imagine how many unsuspecting punters were left gasping by her presence that night - and how many suspecting female muscle heads were consumed by "The Madness" when Marthe walked by in that dress!



Wonder if that taxi driver was of the unsuspecting or suspecting variety...

Friday, August 28th



Here she is, pumped up and ready to go backstage. True beauty is how one forum poster described her, and I know I'm biased and all, but I think they have got it bang on. Bronzed and beaming, she looks resplendent in her pink (of course!) posing suit.

And so to the compulsories, related to the waiting world (well, to FMS and at least ten or so other people who were following their excellent live from Atlantic City play-by-play commentary on the RxMuscle forum) by Dave Palumbo and Chris Aceto...



And the first thing they noticed was... Huge quads!



Great arms, freaky hamstrings and glutes. And remember, these are guys who have seen A LOT of female muscle in their time - they are not easily overawed. "Huge" and "freaky" are not words they use very often to describe female physique competitors.



But as impressed as they undoubtedly were with her package, they had reservations. Too much muscle? they wondered. Be interesting to see what the judges do with her...

Or in other words, "if we were judging this show, she'd be in the first callout, but knowing the IFBB judges as we do etc. etc." Or at least, that's what I understood!



Anyway, seeing Marthe in relaxed pose next to (the eventual winner) Mikaila Soto in comparison and you can really appreciate the fine margins involved between taking home some (of the not exactly bonanza) prize money or, as it turned out, not.



As long as you can take your eyes off Marthe's bum for a sec. *SWOOOON!*

In the end, Marthe was front and centre in her callout. The 3rd callout.



And yes, that is indeed Anne "Not So Freaky Now" Freitas to Marthe's right.



Guess the judges had made up their minds what to do with the both of them.

But even if I was disappointed that it didn't look as though she were going to keep her US winning streak going, Marthe told her Instagram followers that she was "enjoying every minute" of her experience as she headed for the beach before the finals.



We will see how she got on tomorrow.

Enjoy!