Archives for December 2008

UFC icon Randy Couture and his wife Kim played host to a holiday party this weekend. Spotted in the photo gallery on combatlifestyle.com was none other than IFBB Figure Pro Elaine Goodlad. Also seen at the party was American Gladiator and MMA Female super star, Gina Carano.

Elaine Goodlad and a friend with matching pjs.

P.S. Elaine you still owe me for that Randy bet you made in Kentucky. 🙂

Champion IFBB Figure competitor Gina Aliotti has launched her online store for her clothing line G-Fit. Gina shares, “G-Fit Sports and Active wear is designed for women of all ages. Our apparel is worn inside and outside the gym. G-Fit is designed for women who demand style, detail, comfort and quality.”

• Great for Travel
• Attention to Detail
• Wrinkle Resistant
• Flat Seams

Visit gfitsportswear.com and order your outfit today.

Erin Stern has a leading look.

Fitness Management Group (FMG) has announced they’ve signed newly crowned IFBB Pro Erin Stern to their roster. Erin tells me that she’s excited to work with FMG and is looking forward to her 2009 pro debut.  Congratulations to all parties involved and we look forward to seeing Erin in the pro ranks. If you missed my interview with Erin after her win at nationals, check it out here.

The following press release was issued today regarding one of the long time fitness photographers, Rob Sims and his new position with MavTV.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 18, 2008 — MavTV is teaming up with world-famous glamour and fitness photographer, Rob Sims, to expand on one of the network’s goals of offering compelling HD programming that focuses on beautiful women. Rob Sims will be looking for fresh, new talent to join the network as “Mav Girls” for several series ideas that are currently on the drawing board for 2009. He will serve as a creative director finding “Mav Girls” to help promote the network’s visibility and add to the stable of original HD programming content targeting men.

“MavTV is excited to have Rob Sims commitment to find us top models that want to help us promote our brand and draw attention to the HD original programming content produced by our company in a variety of different genres targeting men. Rob is a powerhouse in the world of glamour and bikini model photography, so attractive talent seeks him out. Using Rob’s photography skills and contacts will help the MavTV brand build on our ability to entice great looking women into shows on the network to both promote the brand and our original series,” said Steve Severn, CEO of MavTV.

As MavTV broadens its original series lineup centered around motorsports, ultimate fighting, gadgets, comedy and beautiful women, Sims will add over 20 years of experience and a keen ability to find, train, and shoot top models. Each year, Sims shoots more than 25 magazine covers and 3,000 pages for some of the world’s top publications.

“If viewers want to get up close and personal with my models, HD is the only way to truly see it and MavTV will become an excellent showcase for my work,” said Sims. “No other cable network is committed to searching out and shooting the hottest models, so I am really looking forward to helping MavTV give men more of what they really want to see in a Maxim style format.”

Sims will add a new dimension to MavTV’s current female-focused series offerings such as “Bikini Allstars,” “Best of the Best,” and “Fitness Beauties,” as well as participating in the creation of additional reality shows offering viewers behind-the-scenes action and personal interviews with the models.

About MavTV
MavTV is a 24-hour cable and satellite television network targeting the male demographic. It was launched on October 1, 2004 and is available in over 70 markets across the U.S., in Canada, the UK, Africa and Australia. With a variety of original programming that includes series like “AMA Motorcycle Racing”, “American Tailgater”, “Bikini AllStars”, “Ultimate Combat Experience”, and “Lucas Oil Motorsports Events”, MavTV also launched an HD feed in August 2008. In March 2008, the independently owned and operated MavTV partnered with Lucas Oil Products(www.lucasoil.com) in a comprehensive strategic agreement that includes a significant investment by Lucas Oil in MavTV.

On the Web: http://www.mavtv.com (MavTV)

About Rob Sims/ FMI
After 15 years of shooting professionally for more than 80 magazines all over the globe, Sims settled in Los Angeles in 1991 and began photographing celebrities like Halle Berry, Pam Anderson, and Whitney Houston from his Melrose studio. From this base, he shifted to his glamour and fitness photography specialty, shooting thousands of models, managing several internet ventures, and producing a multitude of DVD’s, including collaborations with National Lampoon.

On the Web: http://www.fmimag.com (FitModels International)

It’s great to see women making the news in unexpected places and by conventional ways.

Breaking The Bodybuilding Norm
For many, weightlifting is simply an act of physical fitness. But for bodybuilders its an absolute passion. And while it’s always been a male-dominated sport, it’s become increasingly popular with the opposite sex.  And a mom from Brookings is starting to flex her muscles.

Meet Jackie Geppert, 32-year-old nurse, mother of two, and champion bodybuilder…enjoying a family dinner at home with her kids.

“They’ll ask me, how did your lift go today?” said Geppert.  “Because they can probably tell if I’m crabby or happy how it went.”

The gym is Geppert’s second home.

Read the Full Story and see the video on: KELOLAND TV

Amy in the 2007 FLEX swimsuit edition.

IFBB Fitness Pro Amy Villa Nelson checked in yesterday and provided an update on her new family addition. Amy and her husband, Eric, found out they are having a baby girl. The pregnancy isn’t new but the gender is for the proud parents. She tells me they will name her Ayden Mikayla. The little one is already taking after mom, taking a liking to jumping and kicking around. Mom and baby are doing well as they head into the last trimester of the pregnancy. Congratulations!

If you’re not familiar with the term, “Guerrilla Marketing” – wikipedia does a good job of explaining it.

Guerrilla marketing is an unconventional system of promotions, running on a very low budget, by relying on time, energy and imagination instead of big marketing budgets. Typically, guerrilla marketing is unexpected and unconventional, where consumers are targeted where they would not be expecting, which can make the idea that’s being marketed memorable, generate buzz, and even spread virally. The term was coined and defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his 1984 book Guerrilla Marketing. The term has since entered the popular vocabulary to also describe aggressive, unconventional marketing methods generically.

This is a perfect example of what was described above. The fitness industry could take a cue from AXE deodorant on how to creatively market with a small budget. AXE sent a guy to  a women’s only running event and seconds before the start he sprayed himself with AXE deodorant. The lad was running for his life as the women’s race began. Funny, simple and not something you’d expect to see at the beginning of a race. It also created a buzz – this is a key component that many people fail to do.

Think of yourself as a product or if you have a product take a step back and look at it. How are you marketing yourself or your product? Could you utilize guerilla marketing to your advantage? Maybe, maybe not. That’s for you to decide but it can be an effective tactic if done correctly.

I’m a social networking geek. It started with Friendster years ago, then it was myspace and now it’s facebook. I’m amazed at the technology that facebook has to offer it’s collective society. The coolest thing has been hearing from people I haven’t seen or heard from in over 15 years. I find myself spending far more time than I need to updating my status, participating in snowball fights and wondering what the hell I am doing getting poked at and why am I poking this person back?! I ran across this amusing video that pretty much sums up the social networking sites. If you don’t participate in any of them you won’t see the humor in this but those of you who have myspace and/or facebook accounts will get a chuckle.

There are a number of great things that can come from social networking sites and like anything there can be drama. When we conducting a poll a few months ago, the majority of voters said that “YES” myspace or facebook caused drama in their life. Maybe you moved a friend out of your top friend’s list on myspace and it pissed that person off. Did you move them from the number 2 spot to the number 6 spot? Ohhh don’t do that. My new favorite drama causing move on facebook is updating your “status”. If you change it from “single” to “it’s complicated” watch the messages pour in.

Check back as I’ll explore the topic of social networking and how you can use it to your advantage in the days ahead.

Everyone is feeling the crunch in the economy and now a beauty web site is looking to help out. How? By renting out your eyelids as advertising space. Feelunique.com is offering the opportunity to earn 10 pence per wink in return for putting the company logo on your eyelid. That’s about 15 cents per wink and you can earn up to £100 per model (roughly $154.00). Don’t worry the logo is only temporary.

Amy Rebours of the web site shares, “We all take notice when we’re being winked at so what better way to advertise feelunique.com than on people’s eyelids. It’s a genuine marketing first, which encourages people to spread a feel-good winking moment and earn some much-needed extra income in the process.”

Visit feelunique.com to find out how you can wink your way out of these hard economic times.

This just in from Betty Pariso, promoter of the IFBB Europa shows…

We are excited to announce that The Vitamin Shoppe Corporate will be the Presenting Sponsor for the:

ORLANDO – Europa Show of Champions Sports & Supplement EXPO
DALLAS – Europa Super Show Sports & Supplement EXPO

Event web site: www.orlandosportsexpo.com

Also look for specific Vitamin Shoppe stores in each EXPO market who will be offering discounts tickets.

Sugar filled, non-diet soft drinks could get a shakedown in New York if the Gov. David Patterson gets his way.

From Topnews.us:
In an effort aimed at close the $15 billion state budget gap, New York Governor David Paterson is calling for a 15 percent tax on soft drinks – the “obesity tax”, which turns public concerns over obesity a politically-acceptable target for taxation.

The tax will be imposed only on regular, high-calorie soft drinks, like non-diet versions of Coke and Pepsi, and could generate more than $400 million, along with helping to curb obesity. In fact, some public health advocates support this soda tax, for the singular reason that it might lead to healthier choices.

The specifics of the proposed tax are yet to be released, as the details of the governor’s budget plan are expected to be unveiled on Tuesday.

Ed Sherman, at McBreen’s Beverage in Lynbrook, opines that the soda tax could be quite confusing. Sherman said: “There is a fine line with a lot of sodas. It would be a difficult thing to regulate what’s considered diet and what’s not considered diet.”

The tax is expected to face opposition from both Coca-Cola and from Pepsico, which has its corporate headquarters in the New York state.

The American Beverage Association (ABA) has argued that lack of exercise, genetics, and other factors need to be taken into consideration while studying the causes of rising obesity rates. ABA president, Susan Neely, said the idea of taxing a single category in response to obesity concerns was “misguided” and “ridiculous”.

According to Neely, “there will be strong opposition to this kind of tax, given the economic conditions.”

Jennifer Aniston is on the cover of GQ magazine sporting nothing but a tie and it’s causing quite a stir. Why is that? It’s not the first time she’s posed for provocative photos. Most women would love to have her body and let’s not forget she is 40 years old. Aniston has been marketed with mostly a wholesome appeal in her roles on TV and in the movies. Some people feel this photo is inappropriate for her image while others are cheering, “You Go Girl.”

Jennifer Aniston on the cover of GQ.

It brings up a topic that many women ask me about in the fitness industry. Should I take provocative photos?

I personally don’t care what anyone does. It’s up to the individual to set their own boundaries of comfort. However, there are a few points to consider when thinking about posing provocatively…

• The images will always be around after you take them. Most of the time, the model will not own the copyright to the images. This means the photographer owns the photos and depending on the model release can use them even if you have a change of heart later on.

• Some magazines will not use women in their publications if nude or topless photos exist of them. That’s their right and something to consider when taking photos for web sites or your own member’s section. Other magazines embrace it and want to see that. Consider how you want to market yourself and what image you want to be known for if you want to be in a magazine.

• Many times it’s how the photos are shot that make a bigger impact. The image of Jennifer Aniston is shown in a tasteful, professional manner. This is a far cry from a hotel room where a model has no makeup, the lighting is terrible and does nothing to further the woman’s image. My point – if a photo is shot in a provacative manner it doesn’t always equate to being bad or distasteful.

• If you’ve taken nude / topless photos in the past but don’t any more, so be it. Chances are they will show up online somewhere and there is no sense in trying to deny it or being ashamed. If you’ve done them and choose not to do them now, say so. At the time maybe it was in your comfort zone but now it changed. No big deal, just be upfront about it and not try to deny or hide from doing it.

Bottom line is think about your goals and aspirations for the future. Trust your gut. If it feels like a bad idea, don’t do it. If you have no problem with it – then embrace it and don’t be ashamed for doing so. If you want to do provocative photos, (however you coin that… be it nude, topless, thong, implied nude or whatever it may be) take the photos with someone you trust and know will present you in a positive light.