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!

Peaks of the Day: Alina v Shannon: The 2015 FMS Hot and Hard 100 - Voting Now Open!

Last year, frustrated at the lack of real women in FHM's yearly poll, FMS sought to compile an alternative vision of female beauty. Over 40 of you gorgeous readers took up the invitation to vote, and The FMS Hot and Hard 100 was born.

Unsurprisingly, our avowed aim of replacing the FHM poll in the public consciousness hasn't quite come off yet, but we're not giving up, and so this year (and despite very real concerns about whether we can afford the time it takes to count the votes and compile the posts!), we're asking you to take the time to vote again. Starting now.

And we're delighted that helping us with our launch are the two women who finished head and shoulders (and abs and quads and glutes and biceps) above the rest in 2014. The Hottest and Hardest of them all: Shannon Courtney and Alina Popa*.

Shannon says...



I want your vote. I deserve your vote. Give it to me. Look how I've grown! I'm so much bigger and better... sorry, hotter and harder this year. Being your number one would mean so much to me, you know, really inspire me to make 2015 my year.



Alina says...



Being the Queen of Muscle, knowing I have so many devoted worshippers... it makes me feel so good, so strong, powerful, sexy! I love it! I absolutely adore being your number 1. Am I confident I'll win again? Of course! There are no IFBB judges voting, are there? No? Good! Then I'm positive I'll get first place again...



Finally, a quick reminder.

1. You may vote for up to 100 women. (Your choice if you rank them or not - but rankings are used as a tie breaker if two women have the same number of votes).

2. Vote for your favourites from the last year - it's not an all-time poll, it's a Top 100 Hot and Hard Women in the World NOW, so your thinking should be about active (though not necessarily competitive) muscle women only, please.

3. Send your list to 6ft1swell@gmail.com

That's it!

The sooner you vote, the greater the anticipation - the longer you get to sit back, relax and wait to see where your favourites have placed in the overall list.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy and get voting!

* Shannon Courtney and Alina Popa had nothing to do with this whatsoever, obviously.

August Picture Post: Sexy Selfies

Belinda Kiriakou
IFBB Pro Bikini, belindakiriakou on Instagram




Sue Lasmar
WBFF Pro Fitness Diva, suelasmar on Instagram



Hand & Hair Bra happiness! And she's Brazilian too!!!


SELFIE MASTER #1



Shannon Peters
IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, shacourtneyx on Instagram



Currently "on that thermoxyn and hemavol", Shannon gives you more look how I've grown... SINCE YESTERDAY! selfies than anyone I reckon, as well as all those ain't I just gorgeous head shots. And with her being off season now and all, there's been the odd night in, and even the night out selfie (top) to make me swoon all over the place.


Sonya Urff
NPC Bikini, twurff on Instagram



So much more than a woman who clearly adores her own bottom, Sonya Urff (really, "Urff") is a self-confessed Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering nerd, an undergraduate who describes herself as a "Future Rocket Scientist". So that's beauty, brains and a beautiful bottom she's got going for her. And if you like Sonya, you will probably also like her fit and very hot sister Kyrsten, NPC Figure competitor.

If she discovers a planet in the future, will it be the Planet Urff?


Giovanna Bottero (left)
Italian Bodybuilder, pictures of Giovanna at Girls with Muscle



Kim Ji-Hyun (right)
Korean Bodybuilder, pictures of her at Girls with Muscle


SELFIE MASTER #2



Michelle Davis
NPC Physique, mshelllll on Instagram



FMS has already drawn your attention to the skill "mshelllll" has with the phone camera, so it won't surprise regular readers that having both her hands full and her phone on charge is not going to stop her treating us to a good hard bicep flex. After 4th at the Jr USAs this year, she's been packing on the muscle (see top). YES!!!


Rebecca Sanders
Bodybuilder & Gym Owner, Rebecca Sanders on Facebook



I did wonder whether this was faked but some intensive investigation proved, in fact, that it is true: Rebecca Sanders really is this hot. Her goal: to bring the beauty back into bodybuilding. Good job so far, Rebecca. Quite possibly the next big thing. We'll be keeping a very close eye on Rebecca. Hard job, you know, but somebody's...


BONUS!

Double your pleasure as Kim Ji-Hyun poses for Muscle & Fitness



Enjoy!

August Picture Post: Gym Bodz

Disgust? Intimidation? Arousal? What would your reaction be? (I know it is hard to believe but there are some who would be disgusted at the sight of a genuine female muscle beast at their gym. Or at least they would claim to be disgusted...)



Reasons why it is probably not a good idea to get competitive or try to impress her by lifting as much or more weight than she is: 1. Risk of serious injury. 2. She is hardly going to be impressed if you can only do half a rep with that weight, is she?



Arousal? Looks to me like Marthe Sundby is plenty aroused by the pump she's got going here. Training is my passion, she says. And she obviously means it.



Intimidation? Looking powerful, feeling powerful. And if you don't get your scrawny self off that machine and into a far corner of the gym tout de suite, Virginia is going to demonstrate how powerful she is by throwing you through the wall. Yikes!!!



Arousal? Muscles bulging in and out of revealing skin tight gym wear. Mouth-watering muscles, mouth-watering curves. Curves where lesser women don't even have bits. Superior women know what their muscle curvy bodies do to you. Aleesha knows. Kashma knows. Margie knows. One look and you're scurrying to the locker room.




Alpha. Gillian won't take that selfie till the last man/woman has been inimidated out of her space, until her ownership of the gym is absolute. Lisa, meanwhile, well, Lisa loves an audience, loves to have all eyes in the gym on her. Lisa loves a reaction, and judging from the position of the guy on the right's hands, she's getting one here.



Be warned. Your fascination for female muscle is limitless, but, as a man, multi-tasking is not your strong point. Attempting any kind of actual lifting while simultaneously checking her muscles out is going to be a fast track to injury and/or humiliation. Do not, under any circumstances, do as this Freitas-fixated fella is doing and attempt to press anything without giving it your full attention. Focus on ONE thing, dude!



Be warned. Tape it down! Seriously, if you know Shannon Peters trains in your gym (or you've found out where Shannon trains and made it your gym despite the fact it's a four-hour round trip) then you only have yourself to blame if everyone can see your mini Mars bar causing a commotion in your gym shorts. What did you think was going to happen? And now you are 'Stiffy Guy' to all at the gym. Including Shannon. Doh!

Enjoy!

August Picture Post: 241

With MARGIE MARTIN & friends

Margie v Shannon 2013, NPC USAs


(left) Now, having Margie (literally) on my back would make me work those calves harder, for sure. But can't I just sit up there with her instead? That would mean better calf results for Susanna, after all. I know, I know. I'm such an altruist, aren't I? Problem is, I just can't decide whether to sit at the front (grabbing hold of Susanna's shoulders, perhaps) or back (hanging onto Margie's thick lats). Decisions, decisions...



(right) No such problems about where I'd like to feature in this scenario...

Enjoy!

The Curse of FMS...?

We are pretty close to sacrificing the first goat we can find here. So far this year, 50% of the wonderful women we have written about as they prepared for the recent Toronto and very recent Omaha pro shows didn't even make it onto the stage.

Is FMS cursed?!

Granted, Anne "Freaky" Freitas had FMS salivating over her beastly pre-contest muscularity (see last Thursday) and Brazil's finest duly went ahead and carried first prize home from Omaha. And, also in our defence, Lisa Giesbrecht (featured on Toronto Bound) had come 5th in Toronto the week before Anne's victory.

However, neither of the other two goddesses we featured, the two who we were most excited about seeing in competition again, competed at all. We'd hate to think appearing on FMS had anything to do with that, but now it's happened twice...

First, Gillian Kovack, featured in Toronto Bound with Lisa G, was sorely missed from the line-up in Toronto. Well, she was missed by me, anyway. I was soooo looking forward to seeing Gillian all ripped, oiled and tanned again. Still, at least she attended the show, hanging out with new and old friends, according to her Facebook.



Change of plan! Gillian announced on May 26th, explaining that she did not feel quite ready for the Toronto/Omaha shows... Nooooo!!! Such a disappointment for a boy.

But, thankfully, Gillian went on to add that a couple more weeks though and I'll be right on point for the Wings of Strength Chicago Pro on July 5th. Hurrah!!!

Whisper it, but July 5th is approaching fast...

Whisper, because after Gillian's change of plan, Omaha came and went and the woman formerly known as Shannon Courtney was nowhere to be seen. As we scanned the results for news of her placing only to find no mention of her whatsoever... That's when we began to wonder whether FMS should just keep quiet about who we couldn't wait to see on stage the following weekend. Lightning had struck twice. And it crossed our minds that perhaps we do need a bit of voodoo around here to clear the air.



Of course we are not actually going to sacrifice a goat. Of course the lovely Shannon (now Peters again) has been going through a tough time. A weekend getting back to her roots in the country, riding her beautiful beast, doing what she loves in what she calls her happy place surrounded by family was, she understandably felt, the best way to spend the Omaha weekend. And she really does look happy there, doesn't she?



Pleased to report Shannon is back. It was leg day yesterday. Her favourite.



Only joking about being cursed. Really, no goats were harmed. But we are most definitely going to think twice about who we start bigging up as the Chicago and Tampa Pro shows approach. You know, just in case lightning strikes for a third time...

Big big love and our very best wishes to both Gillian and Shannon. We miss you.