Olympia 2017: That Katie Lee etc.

Female Bodybuilders still go to the Olympia shock!

Nicky Chartrand (above) was just one of many so-called "proper" FBBs who convened (with the rest of the muscle world) on Vegas for the event, including the newly-crowned Queen herself. If the pictures of Helle with friends (considered and rejected by the editorial team) are anything to go by, she had a lot of friends there.



I should say I did argue that you only really get the sense of how big Helle is when pictured with friend, but I was outvoted and I'm not bitter. Besides, we have Katie Lee's many many interviews with various Olympian women to illustrate just how much a really big girl can be bigger than, say, a pretty big girl like Heather Dees.



See what I mean?

For a significant number of fans, these (usually pretty dull truth be told) interviews conducted by Katie were the highlight of their vicarious Olympia experience, and I must say if you turn the sound down and just watch Katie (or Heather, but I recommend Katie), specifically her arm, the 2 minutes 36 seconds just flies by.

And here's another "proper" FBB. Too big for this world, but not for the Olympia.



I'm thinking I should know who the other woman in this picture is, and I'm also wondering whether she is having her picture taken with Irene or Irene's having her picture taken with her, if you see what I mean. Irene certainly looks excited.

And also in that category...



The too-tatted-for-some Cammie Spindel I know. But who's her (at least equally impressive - and much-less-tatted) friend? Perhaps this one is a bit easier to work out seeing as Cammie has a pass and her friend has a bag. If Cammie's friend is indeed a punter, then she is one very impressive punter. You could almost say Katie-like...

Our second installment of the divine Ms Lee and her massive, hypnotic arms sees Kaite (dwarfing and) catching up with another Figure Olympian, Wendy Fortino, who it must be said is a lot more entertaining than most female muscle interviewees.



And so to our award for the woman most about the Olympia...

I think it's fair to say it would be easier to count the women Esther "Tete" Rodriguez Sosa (see FMS passim) didn't get a picture with than those that she did. Our "Tete" selection includes "proper" FBB Janeen Lankowski, fellow Mexican Sandra Grajales Romero, pro Bikini's sole Hot and Hard 100 rep Yarishna, Las Vegas businesswoman Larissa Reis, and the one and only last Ms Olympia.




But it's not just at the Expo where the muscle is at, but everywhere. Or so it seems.



You could probably get a serious swoon on just using the lifts and walking around the hotel(s), stalking the corridors... Who the sizzlers above are I do not know (again, feel like I should, certainly wish I did) but there's no mistaking a glammed up Karina.



And for our third (and last) Katie interview, we move up a division to Physique, and the "super ripped" Jodi Boam. On this occasion, Jodi really is worth listening to ("I get to flex in Physique, that I love"), and you may not just want to watch Katie.



And finally, the award for the place most FMS staffers would have liked to have been during the Olympia goes to the swimming pool where Singapore's finest Melissa Wee was (really really) showing off (almost all) her very Christian yet sinfully sexy bod.



Forgive me Father for what I am about to do...

Olympia 2017: FBBUK: Emma Paveley

The identity of Britain's sole female representative at the Olympia in 2017 would have been a bit of a surprise at the start of the year, but she did not arrive unheralded.

Emma Paveley of the United Kingdom came out of the blue to beat [Ryall]
Graber in Vancouver. It was her pro debut, and her Olympia debut could be equally electrifying. The former elite gymnast has a strong routine, but her cute physique may not be enough to get the judges' attention in round one. Even so, the routine counts for two-thirds of the score in fitness, and she could make a lasting impression at the finals. I'm not suggesting that Paveley could win, obviously, but she's my long-shot pick to knock one of the previously mentioned athletes down to seventh.
Ruth Silverman, Women's Olympia Predictions, Bodybuilding.com, 29/08/17



Her rise from Junior Fitness to the first rank of her sport has been thoroughly deserved and - if you are a budding UK Fitness competitor - inspiring. She was British champion for the first time in 2014 at the age of just 22, and by the time she was 23 she had European and World bronze medals and a second British title to her name. Her big breakthrough though came last year, when a win in her class at the Arnold Classic Europe plus another British title plus victory at one of the Diamond Cup events added up to mean that for 2017 she would be competing as a 25-year-old IFBB Fitness pro.



Her journey began back at school in Manningtree, Essex. I was known as "the girl with the six-pack" because I had a ripped six-pack from being a gymnast, she told her local press after her win in Vancouver earlier in the year. I had bigger biceps than all the boys. But I used to be very ashamed of my muscles and broadness, thought it wasn’t womanly. Fortunately all that changed after her first time on stage in 2011. It made me realise that lifting weights gives you the ability to shape your body, she continues. I am now super proud to show off my shape - all the right curves in all the right places - my great legs, my waist. I have never felt so comfortable in my own skin.



So Emma headed to Olympia for what was to be only her second show as a pro. Pinch me now! she exclaimed after seeing the official list of competitors. Can't believe I get to share the stage with these incredible ladies! With hard work and passion you really can turn your dreams into reality. Then they sink in! Fitness Olympia here I come!




Her mere presence at the event was, on a personal level a dream come true (or, as the more focused Emma puts it, a "goal achieved") and for British female bodybuilding, a historic moment. She became the first Brit to compete at the Fitness Olympia since Kizzy Vaines in 2011, and only the fourth since its inception back in 1995*.



She was in the third callout ("totally expected") during the presentation round, then vowed to "show them what we've got" for her routine. The scorecard reveals she was dead last after round one, then her routine pushed her up to 11th overall - which was kind of as Ruth Silverman predicted. Though Emma didn't finish above any of the big names, she did show she very much belonged among the elite. Her "moment of a lifetime", as she described the experience, may well come round again very soon.



So, how does Britain's Olympian Fitness pro celebrate?



VIP Pool party. Obvs.



After time in the sun with her significant other, Emma was "back to normal life" and reflecting on the year she had had. INCREDIBLE. It's pretty amazing to think that in one year I've become an Arnold Fitness Champion, won British title no.3, turned pro, won my pro debut AND been to the Olympia. Is she about to ease up a little, spend some time away from the stage, focus on her personal training business? Of course not. I will make next year even better! she promises. You wouldn't bet against her.



Congratulations Emma!

If you want to go even deeper into her story, Emma has appeared previously on FMS many times. From her 2014 IFBB Worlds bronze, to her astonishing pro debut in Vancouver via UKBFF British wins, and the Arnold Classic Europe. In fact, we're rather proud to say that having done our research, the best source of Emma Paveley information, better even than Emma's own Fitspo Next Door website, is ourselves!



*In case you were wondering, Christine Tooze was 9th in 1995 - still the best placing by a British woman. Claire Hillman - who, like Kizzy Vaines (2010 & 2011), competed at two Fitness Olympias - achieved a 10th place in 1996, 15th in 1998.

Olympia 2017: Natalia Coelho

Seems it wasn't just my loins that were aflame then...

Anyone who was lucky enough to catch all the action from last weekend's Figure Olympia says that they've witnessed the most competitive line-up from top to bottom in the history of the show. 21-year-old superstar Natalia Coelho came out and absolutely lit the place on fire from the minute she hit the stage. The strides that we saw her make this year were about as dramatic as anything I can remember seeing in Figure, and when you consider she's just starting to discover how to manage her talent, it's scary to think how good she might be three years down the road.
Dave Palumbo, Muscle in the Morning, 26/09/17



She was (and I believe still is) the youngest woman ever to become an IFBB Figure pro when at just 19 she earned her pro card at the 2015 Nationals, and since then her star has continued to rise. Last year she competed no fewer than six times, finishing in the top 4 placings on four occasions to qualify for her Olympia debut. In 2017 she only needed to compete twice before bagging her place, following up a 2nd in Orlando with victory at the Dallas Europa. This was Natalia's second Olympia, and - you don't have to take my word for it, just trust Dave - though she didn't place, she made heavy impact.



I imagine her lowly (non-)placing had something to do with exactly what left me and (apparently) much of the audience in the auditorium gasping for air - that incredible definition. Too much for Figure is what I've heard said, but more than enough for me. Her legs have been (rightly) lauded ever since she first stepped onto a pro stage (regular readers may remember Swell learning the correct term to describe them was "feathered" back in 2016), and they did not disappoint here either. But then there were her abs, which looked too perfect to be true (if you told me they were painted on I'd be tempted to believe you), and that pec line, those shoulders, and when she turned around glutes that seemed to ripple from top to bottom and side to side with every move she made. Gasping I was! Gasping in awe and excitement and wonder...


With Candice and Nicole backstage and elsewhere at the Olympia

Before I get too carried away, let's investigate just what it has taken for Natalia to attain such physical perfection, shall we? She'll tell you herself, it's got nothing to do with luck. If you want to "look good" in front of thousands, she says, you must outwork thousands in front of nobody. Nobody sees how hard you work, they will say it's genetics, it's easy because you are young, or because you have more time than they do. Simply work harder and be more dedicated and passionate than they are.



And in a world where passion and dedication are a given if you are going to get remotely near where Natalia is, her passion and dedication have been exceptional. I moved from Brazil to the USA, leaving my father, friends, school and everything to work hard to achieve my dreams, she says. After studying bodybuilding - reading and watching many bodybuilders past and present, training techniques, nutrition videos etc., I decided to start competing. I knew it was all about a strong mindset, so I invested as much time working on my mindset as I spent training and prepping my meals. I started training to compete when I was 15, did my first competition at the age of 17, and turned pro at 19. I haven't stopped competing and I don't plan to.



Natalia's progress: (top): 2015 NPC Nationals (left), and Miami Pro 2016;
(bottom) Tampa 2016 (left), and acknowledging the crowd at the Olympia

At 4am, I do my cardio, go to work from 5.30am until 1pm, then go to college and basically have class all day long. After college, I go home, get my pre-workout meal in, and go train late at night. After training, I go home, study, take one online class, and prep my meals for the next day. No mention of sleep but one assumes...



We spend an increasing amount of time here at FMS in touch with brethren from around the world getting local news, local knowledge, opinions and views. Many of our contacts aren't quite as au fait with the world of Figure as we like to think we are, and we've been doing some experiments since the Olympia, with our Figure-hazy contacts as our guinea pigs. Who are you looking at tonight? they invariably ask us. We casually drop them a pic or two of one of those who finished above her - Latorya or Nicole, Heather Dees or Sandra Grajales, all gorgeous on the Olympia stage. Then we hit them with Natalia. And without fail, without fail it is as though a bomb has been detonated through their computer screen. She absolutely blows them away.



It is indeed scary to think how excited I might be getting looking at Natalia three years down the road. My ticker barely made it through her Olympia appearance this year. I really should schedule a check-up, but you know, it's finding the time to do it...



Watch a massive Katie Lee marvelling at Natalia's ability to prattle on about herself here (dedicated? passionate? 100% obsessed is what she is and I LOVE it!) and for those among you who are quite confident in your own heart's robustness, FMS invites you to have yourself this volcanically hot Natalia-based treat on us. Enjoy!

Olympia 2017: Phenomenal Figures

Watch those calves bulge! See the definition in her thighs! Feast your eyes on those ballooning lats spreading and spilling over the strings of her posing suit! A posing suit that's at least a size too small anyway... My conversion into a bit of a Figure/ Bodyfitness fan(atic) has been one of FMS' most recurring themes over the last year or so. Are these women getting more muscular - Cydney Gillon seemed to grow in the week between the Arizona Pro and the Olympia! - or was I just not paying attention before and now there's no Ms International and no Ms Olympia to obsess over, at the A and the O Figure phenoms provide a significant part of the female muscle fix I crave?

MELISSA BUMSTEAD (unplaced)




It was a couple of years ago when she won her pro card at the Canadian Nationals that this sensationally gorgeous woman first showed up on the FMS radar, and I have been hooked ever since. She had some decent finishes in 2016, but it was her win at the Lenda Murray Pro Am earlier this year that enabled her to make her Olympia debut here. I'm not going to argue with the judges about her (non-) placing. I'm just going to enjoy those abs, those shoulders, and that big, beautiful smile. A stunner.



My only issues with the Figure division have nothing to do with the ladies and everything to do with the rules they compete under. How I wish they would get to flex like the NABBA Trained Figure ladies - who they are at least as muscular, if not quite as bone-dry conditioned as. Imagine that! Even better, imagine Candice or Latorya (3rd and 2nd respectively this year) showing their beautiful muscle bums in NABBA-style posing suits, bending over à la Kay Goodwin to ensure the judges get an eyeful.

HEATHER DEES (4th)




I first remember Heather as Heather Udy from the days of Hardfitness and the Muscletease schmotography site. I knew she was still around but I had no idea she had enjoyed such success over the years. She had two 4th places at Olympias in 2012 and 2013, and though this was her first Olympia since then, she enjoyed a 2nd at the Ms International in 2015 and this year won the 3rd pro title of her career in Hawaii. I also had no idea how excitingly thick she looks these days. Like a fine wine, it seems.




Which is not to say these phenoms don't work it. Given the restrictions they have to. The power stances, the not so surreptitious tricep flexing, and when they hold their poses they tense everything (and I mean everything). On heels too, which some may say have no place on a "bodybuilding" stage, but take away the heels and those quads are not going to ripple half as much as they stride forwards to assume the front and centre position and spread their wings for their first, breathtaking compulsory pose.

SANDRA GRAJALES (9th)




9th here was an improvement on her debut placing of 14th last year, and hardly surprising. She just gets better and better. Her abs are more and more veinsexy, her lats wider and wider, those thighs more and more gorgeous, and her good hard post-workout flexes just get gooder and harder. Over the last couple of years, Sandra's development has been essential viewing for many of the brethren, myself very much included, and there's nothing to suggest this young Figure phenom's rise will do anything but continue unabated. Top 30 in your 2017 Hot and Hard 100.




Yes, I said breathtaking, because at this highest level of Figure there is, these phenoms really can have me gasping for air. Perhaps not in the same way that Margie or Helle's first compulsory does, but for me it's as if these ladies inflate, pumped up in an instant as they spread their apparently immense lats, their abs tighten, and their magnificent thoroughbred thighs flare. They go from looking well, I wouldn't say "normal", but certainly not that big to suddenly looking pretty damn freaky, pretty damn drenched in muscle. And it's that sudden, shocking transformation that is so overwhelming.

JESSICA REYES PADILLA (8th)




Like Melissa and Sandra, Jessica is one of the Class of '15. Unlike Melissa and Sandra, I am ashamed to say Jessica has never featured on FMS before now. Her look here gave me a good, hard slap and demanded it though. Some of the best abs on show, and when she walked on a power stance that was all about the power. Toronto Pro winner this year, she failed to place on her Olympia debut but clearly learned her lesson, came back shredded, and deservedly (my ill-informed opinion) took 8th place.




As I sit here trying to think of new and original ways to big up the Figure ladies I am well aware that my zeal is wasted on the so-called "hardcore" fans who have probably already left FMS today (perhaps for good?!) tut-tutting as they went - "used to be about Bodybuilders..." But I also know there are plenty of Figure/Bodyfitness fans among the readership and I'm probably wasting my time with them as well because they don't require any convincing! Thirteen of your Hot and Hard 100 in 2017 were from the Figure and equivalent division, ten of them in the top 60, and five of the ladies who graced the Olympia stage this year were among them. It's hardly surprising such stunning women are so popular with female muscle fans, or indeed with their female followers either. Beautiful and graceful, they exude confidence and strength. Muscles and femininity combined. These phenomenal figures are packing serious sex appeal.



What's not to like?



The IFBB Figure and Bodyfitness ladies still might not get to really flex those hard-earned muscles in anger on stage, but as those of you who are already following these phenoms on social media will know, these women pack a shed load of heat!




Tomorrow, we devote a whole post to our favourite 2017 Figure Olympian.

Enjoy!