A few hardbodies caused some commotion at the Miss America pageant. A story described the contest as, “almost exclusively by Amazonian gym buddies with seriously sculpted figures.” A number of the contestants were seen rock’n more muscular physiques than in the past. The writer goes a bit over the top with some of the assements but overall it’s great to see fitness making headlines in the mainstream.
Check out the full story here.

There is still chance to cast your vote in the Bodyspace / IRONMAN spokesmodel search. 10 finalists have spent the last couple days in LA doing a number of events in the final round. 5 women and 5 men were chosen out of thousands of applicants. Tomorrow night the one male and one female winner will be announced LIVE on the bodybuilding.com IRONMAN webcast. You can cast your votes on bodybuilding.com for you who think should win.

I ran into one of the finalists and hardbody.com reader, Allison Either tonight. She was excited to be part of the final group and hopes to hear her name announced as the winner tomorrow night. This Canadian cutie has been around the fitness scene awhile and thinks she has what it takes to win. I can’t say I disagree with her. She won last year’s Arnold Amateur fitness and will be competing in it again this year. Good luck Allison and all the other finalists.

To see more photos from the final round photo shoot click here.

I’m still trying to figure out what the hell Twitter is all about and how it’s beneficial. Do any of you use Twitter and if so why is it what all the cool kids are doing these days?

You can follow me at http://twitter.com/liftstudios. Just don’t ask me what it means to be following me. You can also follow Muscle & Fitness‘ tweets.

Props to Carla for a job well done. She appeared on KWGN to talk about staying fit while pregnant. Check out the video below for her segment.

Her new DVD “Training for Two” is available for purchase on her web site.

Actress Rhona Mitra has been appearing on a number morning show programs to promote the new Underworld movie. Every time she is interviewed she talks about the variety of workouts she went through to prepare for the role. It looks like the workouts have paid as she’s buffed up a bit since her days on The Practice and Boston Legal.

Abs of steel on Rhona Mitra. LOL

Anyone plan on checking this movie out? It opens tomorrow.

Many IFBB Pros are taking advantage of their professional status and holding women’s only camps. Many women use these camps for motivation and information. Each camp offers a little something different and held in a variety of locations. The biggest key (aside from your budget) is to finding one that suits you and your needs. Some pros like Monica Brant and Jen Hendershott have proven camps while others are just getting started. IFBB Pro Figure competitor, Jessica Wright has turned her boot camps into a full-time business in Indiana. She may not get a great deal of exposure in the fitness magazines but this woman has found a successful model for her camps. Trainers Mike Davies and Kim Oddo often hold camps with pros they train as well as by themselves.
Here’s a few of the camps put on by IFBB Pros. Have you attended one of these camps? If so let us know how it went. Do you have a women’s only camp and it’s not mentioned here? Drop me a note and I’ll add it to the list.

CAMPING WITH IFBB PROS
If you’re new to the industry or looking to gain insight at what it takes to be an IFBB pro consider attending one of these camps. This is your chance to learn from some of the industry’s top pros. All of these camps are designed specifically for women and are women only events.

Adela Garcia
3 x Fitness Olympia Champion
2 x Fitness International Champion

O.F.F. Challenge Camp
Next Camp – Jacksonville, Florida – March 13-15, 2009
More Info: www.adelafitness.com

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Monica Brant
Fitness Olympia Champion
Fitness Icon

F.E.M Camp
Next Camp – Pensacola, Florida -  March 20-22, 2009
More Info: www.femcamp.net

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Jen Hendershott
2 x Fitness Olympia Champion
Fitness International Champion

Phat Camp
Next Camp – Phoenix, AZ – Jan. 20 – Feb 1, 2009
More Info: www.getphatwithjen.com

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Julie Lohre
Top IFBB Fitness Competitor

FitBody Camps
Next Camp – Feb. 27-28, 2009 – Cincinnati, OH
More Info: www.julielohre.com

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Jessica Wright
IFBB Figure Competitor

Indy Adventure Boot Camp
Next Camp – Multiple locations and times in Indiana
More Info: www.indyadventurebootcamp.com

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Shannon Dey
IFBB Fitness Competitor & NPC show promoter

Bombshell Fitness Academy
Next Camp – Multiple locations and times
More Info: bombshellfitness.com

Trish Stratus got her start as a Fitness Model and parlayed her modeling success into bigger ventures, most notably the WWE. Still in top shape Trish is featured on the current cover of INSIDE FITNESS magazine. INSIDE FITNESS is a Canadian fitness magazine published by Terry Frendo. Terry is doing a great job of putting out solid content with clean design.

If you’re in the Toronto area Tuesday, January 27, 2009 you’ll have the unique opportunity to meet Trish Stratus. Check it out and if you go send us your photo from the event. We’ll post it up here on hardbody.

Trish’s newest venture is Stratusphere Yoga, a yoga studio that offers multiple classes on a daily basis. A big shout out to all our Canadian visitors. Facebookers you can find the Inside Fitness Magazine group here.

IFBB Pro Adela Garcia has a new look to her web site. Check out the new site design and click around to see what’s happening in the world of Chica.

Adela Garcia launches a new web site.

Earlier I asked which IFBB Pro had a pet raccoon. A couple of people guessed it correctly and yes, it was none other than Michelle “Momma” Flake. I caught up with Momma Flake this week to get a photo of Roxy. It was then I learned that Roxy recently had a heart problem, fell ill and had to be put to sleep. As any pet owner would be, Michelle was devastated.

Roxy The Raccoon.

Next time I’ll check on the pet’s health before asking a trivia question.

Barack Obama the 44th United States’ President.

The United States of America has a new president, Barack Obama. Today, for the first time in my life, I was inspired by a president. Regardless of your gender, skin color or political views, you can’t help but recognize an individual with charisma and a rare ability to motivate. The new president did exactly that for millions of people across the globe today. There are many challenges ahead for him and the rest of the world but it was nice for one day to take a step back and recharge the life batteries.
Here’s to hope and a prosperity in the years ahead.

Lots going on with this Pro Figure Momma.

All of you moms-to-be as well as moms looking for some healthy tips, check out the newest article from IFBB Figure momma Meriza DeGuzman. She shares a number of helpful hints and tips for all the mothers out there. Keep your eyes out for Meriza in an upcoming issue of FLEX magazine, where she will be featured in the “Women are Back” section. The photos shot with a hardcore feel have been a hit with the fans and these will be no different. Meriza will be back on stage at the 2009 IFBB California Pro event in a few months. Best of luck Meriza!

Bodybuilding.com Site Awards Announced!

Thanks to Ron for posting up the props on me being selected “photographer of the year” by bodybuilding.com. I appreciate the award from them however I’d like to draw attention to the women who won awards on the site.

Female Writer Of The Year – Jennifer Nicole Lee
Jennifer was chosen as female writer of the year for her outstanding contributions and quality to represent the fitness world and Bodybuilding.com.

Female Transformation Of The Year – Tiffany Forni
After watching her mom and sister complete a fitness camp, Tiffany decided that it was her turn to get in shape. So with the help of her coach, she was able to drop 93 pounds and begin competing! Read on to learn how she did it.

Fitness Amateur Of The Year – Linda Reho
Linda is a 30-year old figure competitor who got her start after attending several competitions. She decided if the people on stage could do it, so could she. Most recently she competed in the 2008 IFBB North American Bodybuilding and Figure Championships, and placed 12th.

IFBB Female Bodybuilder Of The Year – Iris Kyle
Iris Kyle continues to improve and with a win at the 2008 Olympia assures that she is going in the right direction. This is just a taste of what she has accomplished.

IFBB Fitness Competitor Of The Year – Jen Hendershott
Jen Hendershott has placed in the top three in her last three competition, and most recently a win at the 2008 Olympia. This is just a taste of what she has accomplished.

IFBB Figure Competitor Of The Year – Jenn Gates
She placed second at the Arnold, won Atlantic City and then won the Olympia. She has signed with Pro Fights Supplements, was featured in FLEX magazine, and is a mother of two. Overall she represents the industry well.

Congrats ladies. See the complete list of awards here.

StarPhysique’s Founder, Garba “Mister G” Onadja has informed us that he will be in attendance at this weekend’s LA Fit Expo. We’ll catch up with him in person to see what he has to say on camera. Which has a greater likelihood of happening… Him showing up to the Expo or this event getting rescheduled? Jennifer Nicole Lee is also slated to be at the Fit Expo working the BSN booth. We’ll get her thoughts on the matter as well.

An odd story from Italy…

An Italian postwoman won three bodybuilding competitions while she was off sick with a sprained wrist, a Trieste daily reported Monday. The 40-year-old woman, identified as A.C., is under investigation for defrauding the Post Office from April to November, the paper reported. Last year an Italian judge was reported for taking part in sailing events while off sick and a teacher for sending in sick notes while on holiday in Central America. Italy’s civil service has a poor record for absenteeism, clocking up about an average four days more than the private sector. Civil Service Minister Renato Brunetta has launched an ‘anti-slacker’ crusade which has made him one of Italy’s most popular ministers.

I guess if you’re on sick leave with a sprained wrist it means you shouldn’t compete in a bodybuilding contest.

The StarPhysique Awards. What? You’ve never heard of them? You’d think that an event that professes to be the “The Oscars of the fitness industry” would have a little buzz behind it. Fitness model, Jennifer Nicole Lee issued a press release last month where you’d swear it was an event as big as her Oprah appeance.

“Being honored is a milestone in my career. I am humbled to be among the best of the fitness industry and Mixed Martial Arts industry. And I would like to thank all involved to make this incredible event happen. I would also like to congratulate all other fellow athletes who are being awarded, especially my fellow Team BSN athletes. This will be an event not to be missed!” says JNL.

It appears the “night to remember” is a night that will never happen. The StarPhysique Awards were to take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village, California this friday. Ticket prices start at $185 and go up from there, but there’s no mention on the event web site that this event won’t take place.

Less than a week out from the event Garba “Mister G” Onadja, the founder of this event, emailed the nominees informing them of the news. Mister G told the nominees that it was, “due to scheduling and venue agreements not being met”. He went on to say, “After careful thought and deliberations, the alternative venue being offered was simply unacceptable for the type of show and presentation that we have worked so hard to prepare.” Many of those who were nominated booked their flights and hotel stays weeks ago. The founder will certainly be reimbursing them, right? Don’t count on it. The response was, “I understand that in many cases airline tickets have been purchased and will try, to the best of our ability, to mitigate this with either additional tickets to the event (at no cost) or complimentary travel and hotel accommodations during the ceremony for our awardees.”

The founder reassured the nominees that the ceremony would be held at a later date and would confirm in the next two weeks the new date. Good thing because now Mister G is now going to attempt to get Mario Lopez and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to attend.

This is a great reminder to be cautious of events and people who are unproven. There will always be some one promising the moon and delivery nothing. Many people may have good intentions but should that be a free pass to under deliver? I don’t know Mister G or his intentions, but I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt. An award show honoring hard-working individuals is cool but don’t compare an unproven, first year event to the Oscars. We all have to start some where but those who “get it” don’t try to be something or someone overnight.

I’ll keep you posted on any future developments with this event.

IFBB Figure Pro Desha Rodriquez has a nice little profile in the newest FLEX magazine. Pick up your copy of the February 2009 issue to read more about this Florida momma.

Desha heats things up during a Las Vegas photo shoot.
(not the shot in the mag but from the same shoot)

Current issue of FLEX magazine.

Filed Under: News & Features

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