Arnolds Review: Swell Digs Amateurs

FIGURE PHENOMS

ELISE FARGIE
Winner, Class F



We do like it when we pick 'em.

Elise was an FMS Woman of the Week this time last year, in particular the "gorgeously thick and defined abdominal ridges" on this Australian Figure champ drawing our attention. Here she won the tallest of the Figure classes, quite surprisingly if her own reaction is to be believed. I came into this show with a goal of making Top 10, she wrote afterwards, and completely exceeded alllllll [sic] my expectations!



These past 6 days have been the BEST experience of my life...

Pleased for her. Elise comes across as very genuine on her social media. As a mother, she has quite a lot more to do than most while preparing herself for such contests, and as an Aussie, she had further to travel than most of the other Figure ladies as well.



More Elise at the Arnold Amateur.

ALICIA BELL
Runner-up, Class C



In direct contrast to Elise, Canada's beautiful Alicia Bell had "high expectations" of herself at the Arnolds, and couldn't help but be a tad disappointed - even though 2nd is nothing to be sniffed at - by the outcome. However, 3rd at last year's Canadian Nationals, and now 2nd here, I'd say Alicia is definitely heading in the right direction.



It's a fun ride watching her prepare for these shows. Alicia is one of those Figure ladies who never stops showing off her increasingly freaky and separated muscles - "my delts have delts!" - as the big day approaches, and her prep for the Arnolds was the most enjoyable watch yet. One of the many reasons why she's so popular not just in my house and the FMS office, but across the female muscle fan forums as well.



Watch Alicia backstage at the Arnolds.

LOLA MONTEZ
Winner, Class C & Overall



It was always going to take something, someone special to beat Alicia, and here she is.



If you've never seen a naked Lola Montez in one of those clips that populate areas of the internet not solely reserved for female muscle (clips that enable Lola to fund the lifestyle that enables her to look like this), then I suggest you seek one out sharpish.



Having said that though, even the blandest images of Lola covered up (to some degree at least) are hot enough for me and my imagination, let alone her sizzling IG clips - like this one, for example, taken after the Arnold pre-judging. 1st callouts. Dead Center, she triumphantly announced. See you at the finals. Her "#1" sign at the end of the clip leaves no doubt where she expected to find herself placed. And she was not wrong.

PHYSIQUE DREAMS

LEA LOUISE GEIGER
5th, Class A



Familiar from NPC Nationals past as a Bodybuilder, Lea has been a Physique competitor since around 2015, although not very often and with no great success.



Only the top 5 (out of 20 in the class as a whole) got to perform their routines here, so this was probably Lea's biggest achievement in her nigh-on 10-year career to date.



Haven't managed to find anything from her on social media, but I did find this random - but hot as only women admiring muscle women can be - clip from 2015. Enjoy!

ANGELA YEO
3rd, Class A




We finish today's diggery with two women who've been all over the forums in the last few months, the first Angela Yeo, recently featured on FMS for one of the many muscle fetish-y clips she puts up on her Instagram, clips that have had the brethren becoming increasingly breathless in their praise for her. Clips like this one...



I have never been through anything quite like this, said Angela as she prepared to say goodbye to Columbus, "looking filled up and pretty". I am SO PROUD. I can't wait to find out what will fire me up like this again. OMG am I ready to lift!!!



There's a growing number of us always ready to watch.

LINA MARIA VARELA
Runner-up, Class A



Over the last twelve months, Dominican Lina Maria Varela has gone from being an undeniably attractive but largely unremarkable Figure competitor to a bona fide shredded Physique goddess - one of my top swoons for 2017 without question.




Her countless sweaty workout clips and the fact that she's not been shy about showing off her gains have endeared her to the wider female muscle lovin' world as well, and that very much includes you lovely FMS readers. You'll find out more next week, but it's not hard to see why she'll be making her Hot and Hard 100 debut this year.



She's obviously a name (and body) familiar to most, but what might surprise you about Lina Maria though is her age. Although I'm not sure exactly when she was born but at her most recent contest before the Arnolds - the NPC Clash of Champions in October last year - she won both the Open and the Masters over 35 Physique titles.

And we leave you today with Lina Maria getting oiled up and much much more!



Tomorrow, Swell digs some Arnold pros.

Size Matters @NPC Nationals 2013

Today, more matters of size from the heavyweight class at this year's NPC Nationals, with not one, not two, but FIVE big and beautiful women. You lucky people!

LEA LOUISE GIEGER



Sporting the kind of jawline we haven't seen since the days of the great Michelle Neil, Lea Geiger finished 10th in what was, as far as I know, her first major show.

Now, I'm not saying anything about anything, but let's compare Lea at a show in 2010, which was the Natural Northern USA (drugs tested), and the 2013 Lea. We can certainly see that three years has been plenty of time for Lea to put on an impressive amount of muscle...




Lea was a competitive figure skater as a child, and says she started lifting after she was so struck by 'the amazing physique' of a woman she saw in the gym as a college student that she introduced herself and started working out with her. From Pittsburgh, Lea is now a personal trainer who gives out advice on Ohio Health Radio (really! Check it out, Lea and Dr Sam Christian MD, Saturdays at 10am on WTTF, and online here).




LISA FONSECA



Lisa Fonseca was another of the competitors with little contest experience, although she seems to have a lot of potential. Compare Lisa's previous outing at the Southern States Championships to her condition at the Nationals and the progress is obvious.



Hopefully, she'll be adding to her YouTube channel in the future so we can keep an eye on how this 40+ muscle woman progresses in future. Despite finishing at the bottom of the class, she certainly seemed to be enjoying her experience at the Nationals, and there's some serious size under that posing top.




APRIL O'REILLY



Joining Lisa at the bottom of the class, but like Lisa, still a winner, April O'Reilly had plenty of size but fell short on conditioning. However, don't discount April for the future, because on the evidence of her 2012 NPC Southeastern USA win below, when she does get it right, her size means she brings a very attractive package to the stage.



From Florida, April's husband runs a fishing charter business - again, really! Captain Mick O'Reilly is proud enough of his wife's achievements to let all his fishing buddies know about how she's getting on via the Pensacola Fishing Forum. And who can blame him? I wonder if the name of his charter business, Angry Bird Fishing Charters, has anything to do with when April's on the contest diet...



I rule our house! says Cap'n Mick. At least when she is at work... Arrrrgh!


KELI WATKINS




A lady who never seems to get it wrong when it comes to preparing for contests is New Jersey's Keli Watkins, who deservedly finished runner-up to Victoria Dominguez.




If we follow Keli from (top left) her victory in 2007 at the Eastern USAs via the 2009 (top right) and 2011 (bottom left) North Americans to this year's Nationals (bottom right), her consistently spot-on conditioning and increasingly impressive muscularity suggest that it won't be too many more shows before Keli will be appearing with Victoria in the pros. In Fort Lauderdale, I thought she had the best abs in the class, and some lovely mouth-watering veins traversing her back.




Mmmm. yes. Big and ripped is GOOD!


WENDY WATSON



And finally, another of the amazing over 40s, the more familiar face and compact super-muscular package of Wendy Watson, was awarded 8th place.



Wendy is an achiever in her professional life as an engineer as well as in the world of competitive bodybuilding, working in the Business Development arm of a Pittsburgh-based manufacturer of engineering equipment for the global market. I am fortunate to have a company who is supportive of the time this sport takes and blessed to make enough money to support my expensive habit! she says.



Wendy's size matter is how her bodybuilding transformed her life after years of battling with obesity. Everything in my life changed – my energy, my health, my confidence. Of course my body was the biggest change and I still can’t believe I can weigh 170lbs [77kg] and be in a size 4/6 after years of being in a 14/16 at a weight close to that. And she reckons what keeps her on track is preparing to compete. I love how I feel, but I still struggle with my weight – the big girl in me hasn’t left the building. My way of keeping myself in check is to choose a competition and focus on that date. The fear of getting on stage unprepared is more motivating to me than the pizza I want to eat. Once my head's in show mode, the only thing I see in front of me is the goal of taking my body to that level of competition.



Congratulations, then, to Wendy and all the other heavyweights, whether we've mentioned them this week or not, and irrespective of their placing.

Our review of the NPC Nationals 2013 ends tomorrow.

And we reckon we've saved the best for last.