FMS @RP2018: Swell Digs

Six women across three divisions (sorry Benny Boy, no "proper" FBBs today) that made quite the impression on ol' Swell during (and since) last weekend's IFBB Arizona Pro.

In the order they stepped on stage...

FITNESS

KRISTINE DUBA




We've already featured Kristine's breathless routine (see Tuesday's Tales from the Feed) but any excuse for a few more of Gene X's pictures of this bouncy blond goddess. She's been a Fitness pro for five years now, and though - amazingly - she's never won a title, Kristine has been to the Olympia twice - 8th in 2016 her best placing. She won't, sadly, be there this weekend though. Sadly for the Olympia audience that is.

FIGURE

TRACY WILLIAMS




Earlier in the week I may have been guilty of giving the impression the Figure division was a bit of a one-woman show - that woman being Cydney Gillon - but in fact there were 24 other women in the line-up. And in a division that only lets in bottoms that provide the most extreme aesthetic pleasure for the viewer, the pleasure was all mine when Tracy Williams faced the back. Probably the most ripped Figure competitor on the night, Tracy (11th) was not as loved by the judges as she was in my house.

KAREN REYES




We couldn't help but notice her in Tampa (when James Cook took a LOT of photos of her - see FMS passim) and she finished 15th on her pro debut. Here, she had enough going on to finish just outside the top 6. Karen hasn't got much attention from the female muscle lovin' community thus far, but I'm sure it won't be long before her smouldering beauty and banging Figure bod start to get much more IG monitoring.

PHYSIQUE

RESHANNA BOSWELL




Any women who starts her thirty-second "presentation" with a full frontal most muscular (even Physique-style) is fine by me, and Reshanna went on to display her obvious charms with similar gusto for the other twenty-nine seconds too. Sadly, as she finished outside the top 10, we didn't get any more of this gorgeous woman in the evening, but she's on the FMS Watch List now, so she can expect a bit of Instagram surveillance. "Bigger and better" next time, promises this mouth-watering hunk of Chicago-based muscle. A physique worthy of the biggest division of all?

DENISE CADENAS




The Physique Masters Winner, the well-enhanced Denise finished 7th in the Open class. Like Reshanna, Denise added a full frontal most muscular to her presentation, and thankfully so. It's the only angle from which the judges (and audience and 600+ live feed viewers) could see past those mighty enhancements to her (almost as) plentiful pec meat. With all that going on upstairs her posing suit was in mortal danger - note her tight, tanned, muscular glutes and what's trying to disappear between them.

AMANDA PTAK




And our last bit of diggery may be somewhat sentimental, but all the same we very much dug the fact that finally the woman formerly known as Amanda Folstad got to make her pro debut. Once (in a galaxy far far away, ie. 2011) Amanda was a young Heavyweight(!) at the NPC Nationals. Eight long years later and now an Over 35, she won her pro card at the NPC Masters Nationals earlier this year. Great to see the Viking Blond Goddess pose on a pro stage, however briefly. She had "zero expectations" on this occasion, but is determined to be back. Much to improve on! she says.

Enjoy!

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!

Candids: Life with Amanda

We might dream that life with a female bodybuilder consists of her hanging around the house in her underwear while we keep her in steamed chicken breasts and make sure there's always plenty of massage oil in the house. Ok, ok, this is what I dream about, I don't want to be putting words into your mouth. You might after all, dream of something else entirely. Anyway, while I might dream the underwear-chicken breast-massage oil scenario, the reality of life with a female bodybuilder is, without doubt, much more interesting. Take life with Amanda Folstad (full name: Amanda Michelle Folstad-Ptak). Amanda doesn't lounge around her house in her underwear. Or if she does, she doesn't tell the world about it on her Facebook page. But she does share a lot of other things. And here's a taste. A taste of life with Amanda.



On top of preparing for this year's NPC USAs, where she competed in Physique, the last twelve months have been pretty exciting for Amanda (and her husband) as they went into business. In July they opened a One Stop Nutrition franchise in Mesa, Arizona, where they are based. Don't say you don't know where to find her if you're in the area.



Amanda loves new clothes, shoes and trainers, and tends to model them for her followers more often than not, although not always as flexibly as here. And Amanda really loves dogs, confessing to being a boxer and bulldog girl.



Another of her loves is 'Home Decoration' (DIY to us Brits), and it certainly looks like she knows what she's doing. And despite my dreams it doesn't look like she's going to need my (or anyone's) help 'Grillin up the foooood' as she puts it.



It should be clear to you by now just from this little selection that life with Amanda is infinitely more varied and interesting than I had dreamt. And I'm not surprised. Female bodybuilders are, out of necessity, the kind of women who grab life with both hands, living it to the full, and very much on their own terms. It's not just their bodies that are exceptional. And Amanda's is no exception.

Enjoy!

Domestic (Muscle) Goddess of the Day

Sunday is Muscle Barbie Day

[That's 'barbie' as in Australian English for 'barbecue', not as in 'Barbie and Ken'.]

My kind of Sunday. Amanda Folstad cooks up some good-looking meat as a reward for me mowing the lawn, but it's not nearly as appetising as her beefy arm. I, for one, would love to give that a squeeze before sinking my teeth into it.



You'd think Kortney Olson would know a thing or two about a good 'barbie' as she's now based down in Oz. But judging by this pic, she doesn't seem to have realised you're supposed to actually cook something on it. Hard to be critical though when she's dressed like that. Thighs and heels specially for you, Aiden. Enjoy!

More sizzling (literally) female muscle tomorrow.

Pecs of the Day

Amanda Folstad

She's not what I would call my favourite bodybuilder, but Amanda does remind me of a woman I 'knew' (more than) a few years ago. I'm not saying this woman was anywhere near as muscular as Amanda, but she was not a million miles away facially, and she did have a little pec cleavage, as she had been a champion gymnast as a teenager, and had carried on working out after giving up the sport. Good memories. GREAT memories.



Enough of my misty-eyed reminiscing. What's not to like about Amanda herself? An on stage most muscular pose is always to be commended, especially when traps like those pop up in the process. And what's more, we can always rely on Amanda's girl-next-door style beauty to help us in the 'Muscle Women Look Like Men' debate.

Not my favourite, but I still love her!