Pic of the Month: August

A clear winner for July's poll, with a whopping 75% of all votes cast (admittedly there weren't a LOT of votes cast but still, fair play, and I'm going to persevere with the polls as long as anyone bothers to vote!), it's Emma Tall and the pic that has been called "You Can Run (But I Can Hide in the Bushes with My Camera)".



And so to our five muscle beauties for August. Same as always - check them all out, choose your favourite then follow the link at the bottom to vote with a single click.

SAMMICA CASH - SHE'S A KNOCKOUT



Traps, delts, pecs, abs and biceps. What more could you want? (Actually, don't answer that, we don't want your "tattoo removal" comments.) Anyway, all those beautiful muscles plus our first acknowledged "glove bra". Well done Sammica! There are two types of fighters, she tells us, the first strike all over the place hoping one will land, the other, assured of their prowess and capabilities, hit once and destroy an opponent's desire to continue the fight! Look out for Sammica at the Tampa Pro this weekend.

JACQUELYN HICKERSON - FOCUS



Probably a bit artful to really win a popular vote (he said, playing the reverse psychology card on the clearly very cultured and knowledgeable readership), but there's a reason why Jacquelyn is surrounded by blur. I’m still learning to mentally blur things in my surroundings/life/mind that are unimportant, insignificant, or derailing, she says. I’d rather have a clear focus on what’s imperative. See? Visual representation of mental process. How often do you get that from your muscle goddess? [well, actually... -ed.] Swell loves what's inside the head of this beautiful, eloquent, witty young woman almost as much as the rest of her. Almost.

MARGA OVERBY - IN MY HOUSE (I WISH!)



I do love a topless back double biceps, especially when there's a thong involved too. Marga Overby was, I believe, last seen on stage in 2015, but if this pic is recent (and I've not been able to confirm that it is) then it looks as though she'll be back on stage again soon. Sadly, she won't be topless (from the front or rear) and sadly (and fairly obviously) this wasn't taken at my house (where the door frames are much wider).

BLAKELEE ORTEGA - A GROWING CONCERN



She'd be properly scary if she wasn't so damn cute, said FMS after bringing you "aspiring Physique competitor" Blakelee for the first time on the blog back in January. Progress has been made since then, and if you haven't been following her on Instagram, you should see what you've been missing. The moment when a young muscle women decides to go "full beast" is something I don't think I will ever tire of. As you read this, Blakelee will be just a single day out from her first show - the Knox Classic. I, for one, won't only be looking out for images from Tampa this weekend.

SHANNON COURTNEY - v.2018



New breasts, a bit of facial work, and she's kind of let the definition and size go a bit, but as far as I'm concerned, a new rush of Shannon pics on the forums means she's still got "it". There are, of course, those who don't like what they see so much - "I really miss the old Shannon" etc. - but there's many many more who, like me, are more than impressed with v.2018. She's maturing like a fine wine, reckons one (still) Shannon fan. Full-bodied and fruity. She's perfecting muscular sensuality, says another. I could go on, but I'd rather finish typing sooner rather than later and I think you can guess why...

So there they are, our August five.

When you are ready, vote HERE. It only takes a moment.

Thanks in advance. Enjoy!

NPC Nationals 2017: Jacquelyn Hickerson

I lost one time, says Jacquelyn Hickerson. I did NOT like it.




Two years ago, Jacquelyn made her first appearance at the NPC Nationals. She didn't look that bad, did she? But in a class of 17 women (coincidentally including the 2017 NPC Nationals Bodybuilding champion Fallon Brinson) she finished 11th. I assume this is the loss she is talking about, because she hasn't, as far as I can tell, lost since.



In the time since that Nationals debut first brought her to the attention of the collective female muscle lovin' world, Jacquelyn has become something of a pin-up. Her combination of ever-growing muscles topped with one of the most beautiful faces of any female bodybuilder and a playful, articulate and defiant Instagram presence has won her many an admirer. "A beauty", "awesome", "gorgeous", they said. "One of the best off-season looks around", they said. One of? Who else was on their list?!



So in August when she returned to the stage at the NPC Cajun Showdown, there was a bit of buzz on the forums. She didn't have a whole heap of competition, and she won.




She didn't mention it once on social media. Not a peep. Not a "look-my-posing-suit-arrived" pic, not a "here-we-are-in-the-car" travel shot, not a "tanned-and-ready-to-go" hotel number, not a "chillin-backstage" selfie, no "thanks-coach" with the coach and the trophy proudly displayed post-stage. Nothing. Nada. You wouldn't have had any idea she had even competed unless you knew she had competed, if you see what I mean.



Quite clearly, the Cajun show was just a formality for Jacquelyn, an i that needed a dot to qualify her for the Nationals once again. That was the title she really wanted, and wow was she focused on it. Or maybe my imagination... Sometimes you just gotta go off the grid and get your soul right. It's okay to get quiet and re-evaluate your goals. You're allowed. Not everyone should have the luxury of knowing all the things.

Told you she was articulate.



Anyway, the buzz. Come the weeks before the Nationals it was back. Anyone following her prep couldn't help but be excited when they saw, for example, how magnificently massive her shoulders (and everything else you can see in this pic) were getting.

And when images of Jacquelyn on stage in Miami appeared, we were not disappointed.




She f***in' ruled. Not just her class, but the whole Physique division (perhaps with the notable exception of Rachael Chaskey). No one even came close to her level.




And to my untrained eye she looks a lot like Jacquelyn knew it too. The smile never leaves her face, her eyes shining so brightly. She exudes confidence, arrogance even, and seems to have almost taken her own breath away. This should be interesting, she wrote, tanned and suited up before she took to the stage, the same smile, the same arrogance, already there. In every image I've seen of her at the show (and I've seen a few, believe me) she is so alluring, so powerful, so sexy. Utterly irresistible.



Two poses in particular I think capture her moment.



She looks nothing less than ecstatic.

And that aura didn't disappear when she did her round of post-match interviews either.

"Awkward interview", reckons one commenter on YouTube. I beg to differ. I think Ms Figure Olympia is more than a little overcome by the heaving mass of muscular womanhood that has just thundered up beside her. And Jacquelyn is just on another planet. I'm sure they communicated a lot more than the few words that actually are exchanged for the camera. Or is that just my imagination going a bit wild again?



Decide for yourself!

Happily, this was one of those all too rare occasions when the judges and my loins were in full agreement about the outcome. And obviously Jacquelyn felt like the right woman was going home with the trophy as well. Soon afterwards though she revealed that while her status in the sport may have changed, the motivation remains exactly the same. No win will ever taste more sweet than how bitter that one loss does...



In my head she's moving up to Bodybuilding for her pro debut.



Another Physique dream!