Bikini Division...

Originally Posted by kimm4

Oh I never tease

But I was told there would be teasing.

[planettamar]

Being a figure athlete that trains my ass off and DOES NOT USE DRUGS....ever.....I am going to switch to Bikini.....why? Because I am naturally muscular and what most people call "pretty" and I want to showcase my hard earned body that I have been training hardcore at the gym 6 days a week for a good 12 years (not to mention all the athetics that I did in High School). :-) I was very skeptical about Bikini UNTIL I decided to look up a trainer and get the best. Hany Rambod suggested to me that I do Bikini this year instead of figure because I expressed to him my distinct dislike of performance enhancing drugs and physique altering drugs. I do not CARE what other people do with their bodies, especially men. Actually, I almost think that those are necessary in Bodybuilding for many men, especially those without great genetics. And of course, they have changed the name of the game from classic lines like Arnold and Frank Zane to the mass monsters of today. Seriously, I do not care. I love Bodybuilding in all of its forms, and am trully entertained by it when I go to a contest. I just do not believe that drugs are for me. Being that said, after seeing what the Arnold Amateur Bikini competitors looked like (many of them looked like crap in my opinion...big fat bellies, back fat, and awful legs) I am convinced that I can compete in this and bring in an athletic, feminine, and slightly muscular look but without going overboard and killing my face in the process. I think Bikini will have to work out a lot of kinks, but I think it will end up being the "sport" for NATURAL FIGURE ATHLETES that want to stay with the NPC instead of jumping ship and going to the WBFF, FAME, or Musclemania! I love the NPC! I know JM Manion personally and he told me a few years back he could see me on the FIgure Olympia stage. That sparked an interest in me to compete in Figure and after having knee surgeries and all I finally had the chance to really do it. I think that I could possibly win figure naturally, but it may take a lot longer! I want to help set the standard on natural muscle, tight waist, longer and leaner lines, and even maybe slight vascularity in this new division. I am 5'9" and am built like I am 5'2".....super small bone structure and can put on muscle easily and lose bodyfat easily. I am a fitness model that has been in numerous magazines, such as American Curves, PlanetMuscle, and Southern Musle Plus. I train at the gym 6 days a week and do mostly weight training (and I go heavier...I am not a pussy in the gym). I still believe that cardio is essential for myself to lost that God Awful bodyfat that makes my Booty...Bootylicious in the offseason.......so I will do a combo of cardio and weights, yoga and pilates, stadium running....whatever Hany Rambod wants me to! Incase you do not know who Hany Rambod is....he is Kristal Richardson's trainer, Jay Cutler and Phil Heath....just to name a few. :-)

Please do not think that I am directing this message to you in a MEAN way. I am just explaining why I think that Bikini may actually be good. Believe me...I know that us Figure/Bikini girls do not train nearly as hard and heavy as you guys do, but we do train and we do have to diet! I do not think this is going to turn into a Hooters/Hawaiian Tropics pervert Bikini competition....there is going to be muscle here....check out the pics from the AC Amateur this year...most of the girls had muscle on them. :-) Have a wonderful day!!!! xoxo Tamar

www.myspace.com/planettamar (Check it out.....I am very nice and love sports)
www.bodyspace.com/planettamar
www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tamar.htm

Originally Posted by planettamar

Being a figure athlete that trains my ass off and DOES NOT USE DRUGS....ever.....I am going to switch to Bikini.....why? Because I am naturally muscular and what most people call "pretty" and I want to showcase my hard earned body that I have been training hardcore at the gym 6 days a week for a good 12 years (not to mention all the athetics that I did in High School). :-) I was very skeptical about Bikini UNTIL I decided to look up a trainer and get the best. Hany Rambod suggested to me that I do Bikini this year instead of figure because I expressed to him my distinct dislike of performance enhancing drugs and physique altering drugs. I do not CARE what other people do with their bodies, especially men. Actually, I almost think that those are necessary in Bodybuilding for many men, especially those without great genetics. And of course, they have changed the name of the game from classic lines like Arnold and Frank Zane to the mass monsters of today. Seriously, I do not care. I love Bodybuilding in all of its forms, and am trully entertained by it when I go to a contest. I just do not believe that drugs are for me. Being that said, after seeing what the Arnold Amateur Bikini competitors looked like (many of them looked like crap in my opinion...big fat bellies, back fat, and awful legs) I am convinced that I can compete in this and bring in an athletic, feminine, and slightly muscular look but without going overboard and killing my face in the process. I think Bikini will have to work out a lot of kinks, but I think it will end up being the "sport" for NATURAL FIGURE ATHLETES that want to stay with the NPC instead of jumping ship and going to the WBFF, FAME, or Musclemania! I love the NPC! I know JM Manion personally and he told me a few years back he could see me on the FIgure Olympia stage. That sparked an interest in me to compete in Figure and after having knee surgeries and all I finally had the chance to really do it. I think that I could possibly win figure naturally, but it may take a lot longer! I want to help set the standard on natural muscle, tight waist, longer and leaner lines, and even maybe slight vascularity in this new division. I am 5'9" and am built like I am 5'2".....super small bone structure and can put on muscle easily and lose bodyfat easily. I am a fitness model that has been in numerous magazines, such as American Curves, PlanetMuscle, and Southern Musle Plus. I train at the gym 6 days a week and do mostly weight training (and I go heavier...I am not a pussy in the gym). I still believe that cardio is essential for myself to lost that God Awful bodyfat that makes my Booty...Bootylicious in the offseason.......so I will do a combo of cardio and weights, yoga and pilates, stadium running....whatever Hany Rambod wants me to! Incase you do not know who Hany Rambod is....he is Kristal Richardson's trainer, Jay Cutler and Phil Heath....just to name a few. :-)

Please do not think that I am directing this message to you in a MEAN way. I am just explaining why I think that Bikini may actually be good. Believe me...I know that us Figure/Bikini girls do not train nearly as hard and heavy as you guys do, but we do train and we do have to diet! I do not think this is going to turn into a Hooters/Hawaiian Tropics pervert Bikini competition....there is going to be muscle here....check out the pics from the AC Amateur this year...most of the girls had muscle on them. :-) Have a wonderful day!!!! xoxo Tamar

www.myspace.com/planettamar (Check it out.....I am very nice and love sports)
www.bodyspace.com/planettamar
www.bodybuilding.com/fun/tamar.htm

I would say you set the standard. Hubba hubba.

[freebirdmac]

This is what confuses the heck out of me. Seeing muscular women lose in figure because they are too muscular and to me, the winners look more like what I'd think bikini would be. But bikini is supposed to be even softer than figure. It's like the only way women are going to be able to display really nice, no drug, muscle is in bodybuilding. Where you can't go very far without "assistance". Yeesh.

Good luck planettamar! You look amazing! I hope all of this variation in what the judges are looking for doesn't drive you postal Straighten the sport out!

[ntrllftr]

Originally Posted by planettamar

I expressed to him my distinct dislike of performance enhancing drugs and physique altering drugs.

Being that said, after seeing what the Arnold Amateur Bikini competitors looked like (many of them looked like crap in my opinion...big fat bellies, back fat, and awful legs) I am convinced that I can compete in this and bring in an athletic, feminine, and slightly muscular look but without going overboard and killing my face in the process.

I want to help set the standard on natural muscle, tight waist, longer and leaner lines, and even maybe slight vascularity in this new division. Please do not think that I am directing this message to you in a MEAN way. I am just explaining why I think that Bikini may actually be good. Believe me...I know that us Figure/Bikini girls do not train nearly as hard and heavy as you guys do, but we do train and we do have to diet!

I do not think this is going to turn into a Hooters/Hawaiian Tropics pervert Bikini competition....there is going to be muscle here

To break down the points you said here especially the one in bold.

I have to ask...

If you and other top figure girls compete in the bikini, wouldn't it ramp up the level of other competitors to start using "enhancing" drugs to compete with you and turn into another figure division?

In my eyes this division should be like a Hooters/Hawaiian Tropics class.

Just my take on it to keep things a little seperated.

Not trying to start anything here just throwing my thoughts out there.

.

[egoatdoor]

I think bikini will go in one of two directions which will put girls like Planet out to lunch again.

1) Judging will reward the untrained soft look, which means ladies with any muscle will be SOL. So, it will become like figure right now with muscular girls having to do what my friend did, which was lose her muscle.

2) Just as it dropped down from bodybuilding to fitness and then to figure, drug use will drop down into figure if the judging rewards the harder muscular look. So, to compete, ladies will be left with the choice of "using" or again being SOL.

Sad, but its reality and we live in the real world, not a utopia.

[kimm4]

Originally Posted by ntrllftr

To break down the points you said here especially the one in bold.

I have to ask...

If you and other top figure girls compete in the bikini, wouldn't it ramp up the level of other competitors to start using "enhancing" drugs to compete with you and turn into another figure division?

In my eyes this division should be like a Hooters/Hawaiian Tropics class.

Just my take on it to keep things a little seperated.

Not trying to start anything here just throwing my thoughts out there.

.

Yeah I thought the whole idea of the bikini division was to keep a soft look with very little muscle definition showing. Does anyone have the guidelines?

Figure started the same way and look what's happened with that...

Tamar, I think you have a great physique for competing in figure and it surprises me that you would switch to bikini!!

Best of luck to whatever you decide!!

[egoatdoor]

Originally Posted by kimm4

Yeah I thought the whole idea of the bikini division was to keep a soft look with very little muscle definition showing. Does anyone have the guidelines?

Here are the guidelines from the NPC website:

http://www.npcnewsonline.com/new/npcrules_bikini.html

The "scoring" criterion is very general:

Judges will be scoring competitors on the following items:
Balance and Shape
Overall physical appearance including complexion, skin tone, poise and overall presentation

[partsRheavy]

A few comments (from someone who likes to lift and enjoys the sport but doesn't see herself competing):

1. I don't think the bikini should be a part of the regular contest. I'm OK with having bikini girls as sort of like mascots or ring girls or ushers where they are present but aren't in the contest and don't take time away from the other competitors.

2. With figure competitors, it's clear that some have trained for years and work hard, but some look like they've only trained a little while. It seems that a tall, ectomorphic build (long and lean) is rewarded.

3. I'm aware they're "softening up" the figure and introducing bikini partly to get away from drug use. I think the real problem is drug use among people who haven't trained for years to begin with and are in a "last-minute rush" to do a contest. But, I notice also that the shorter more muscular girls get penalized in this process even though they may have trained naturally.

4. Men usually train by lifting seriously and regularly for several years (like 4 or more) before they even _think_ of entering a contest. You don't see runners or bicyclists or rock climbers on a mens BB stage, although they're athletic. They don't have enough muscle mass. Why shouldn't the standard be the same for women? Why should women get up on stage after doing mostly cardio-type activities without the heavy lifting?

5. There doesn't seem to be much of a place for shorter-limbed gals who have trained several years and have built up a good muscle base, except for bodybuilding, which gets derided as a freak show by some guys. Whereas, with men, many of the competitors are shorter-limbed.

[mavrick77]

Originally Posted by kimm4

This!!^^

It's getting worse with every show. The last show I did had bb, figure, fitness and fitness model/male and female! Women's bb was supposed to hit the stage at noon...we didn't hit the stage till after 2:30!!

BB's have to time meals, water, etc...in order to peak perfect for the stage...with all these new classes...well it's pretty much impossible to do.

This will be my last year competing. A big part of my decision is because of this...it's turned into a joke!

I am with you here kimm....this is my last year competing as well. I am either gonna do the northern kentucky (national qualifier) or another local show or both and then call it quites. But I can't decide what one to do, just because I refuse to go onstage not in peak condition...maybe the figure/bikini girls should try that as well.

[ntrllftr]

The Kentucky show is this weekend.

[mavrick77]

Originally Posted by ntrllftr

The Kentucky show is this weekend.

I know.....I might be a late entry, gonna see how I look on thursday. or I have almost 5 more weeks till the cincinnati

[ntrllftr]

Originally Posted by mavrick77

I know.....I might be a late entry, gonna see how I look on thursday. or I have almost 5 more weeks till the cincinnati

Yesterday was the deadline. NO late entries this year.

http://www.bodybuildingworld.com/Contest/2009npc/

[Mr. Someday]

Originally Posted by ntrllftr

Yesterday was the deadline. NO late entries this year.

Well I guess mav is doing the Cincy show! lol

[ntrllftr]

Originally Posted by Mr. Someday

Well I guess mav is doing the Cincy show! lol

The Natural Ohio is April 4th which is just a big show as the N. Ky.
I'm entered into that one as well.

http://www.daveliberman.com/

There IS a late entry in that one for an added cost of course.
I think 25 bucks more per division.

And there are crossovers IN the BODYBUILDING ONLY!
Figure are not allowed to cross over THANK G-D!
.