Myriam Capes OUT of 2013 Fitness International

Considered a big favorite entering this year's Fitness International, Myriam Capes is out of the show due to injury.

No Mimi at this year's Fitness International
Photo credit: FLEX Online

Here's her official statement below from her Facebook page in her native French and translated to English via Bing:


Je vous annonce officiellement que je ne compétionnerai malheureusement pas au Arnold Classic cette année suite à une blessure au dos. Rien de majeur ne vous inquiètez pas mais mon état ne me permet pas de me lancer à nouveau au travers d’une autre préparation. C’est après 12 années sans répris, plus de 30 concours Pro à mon actif dont 4 OLYMPIA et 3 ARNOLD que mon corps me demande un peu de repos!! Alors je me dois de l’écouter afin de revenir en force en septembre pour OLYMPIA afin de monter à nouveau sur le podium!!! Ou qui sait peut-etre avant étant présentement en traitement intensif avec les meilleurs thérapeutes!!! À suivre… Je vous tienderai informer!! Mimi xo

I announce officially that I do competionnerai unfortunately not at the Arnold Classic this year due to a back injury. Nothing major do not worry but my State does not allow me start again through another formulation. It is after 12 years without resumed, more than 30 competition Pro to my assets including 4 OLYMPIA and 3 ARNOLD my body a little rest wonder! Then I have to listen to him to return in force in September for OLYMPIA in order to reach the podium again! Or who knows maybe before being currently under intensive treatment with the best therapists! To follow… I inform you tienderai! Mimi xo
(Translated by Bing)

With a new Fitness International champion a guarantee this year with Adela Garcia sitting out, many saw Myriam as the main person that could give Oksana a run for her money at the Arnold. The way it sounds, she could be ready in time to compete at the Olympia in September and possibly the Arnold Classic Brazil later on this year. The fitness line-up is now at 10 competitors, making it one of the smallest fitness line-ups in the history of the Arnold.

We at Fitness Athletes Network wish Myriam a speedy and safe recovery and hope to see her back on stage at the Olympia!

Adela Garcia to Sit Out 2013 Fitness International

DOMINATION. That would be the key word used to describe Adela Garcia in the IFBB Fitness Division. Very few have had a presence in the industry quite like Adela has. Since 2010, she has won the Fitness International championship. In total, she has won 5 Arnold titles, with her win this year breaking the record of most Fitness International titles, which was previously held by Susie Curry at four. Today, Adela announced that she would sit out the 2013 Fitness International, making way for a new champion to be crowned in 2013.

Adela Garcia, 3X Defending Fitness International Champion, will sit out 2013 Arnold.
Photo credit: RxMuscle

Here's her official statement via her Facebook page:

After returning to the stage in 2009 I haven’t formally taken a break from the competition arena. I feel that it is time to give my body some rest and take a step back- and prepare myself mentally and physically for the 2013 Fitness Olympia. I have talked to my family, my manager Fitness Management Group (FMG), my trainer Mike Davies's Fitness Factory, and my sponsor GNC Live Well and we have decided to take off from the 2013 Fitness International. It was a hard decision for me as I love competing at the Arnold Sports Festival - but after doing 4 shows I feel that I need this break to get back in focus.  

I will be training hard this coming year and be back on stage at the 2013 Fitness Olympia where I will reach to join the legacies of Lenda Murray, Ronnie Coleman, and Lee Haney! 

Although I won’t be competing in Ohio, I will be in attendance representing my Sponsor GNC and showing my support for the contest. 

Thank you all for the amazing love and support!!!

Adela has more then earned this break. As mentioned before, she has been a domination force in the fitness division for quite some time. Champions deserve a break just like everyone else.

With this news, a new champion will emerge for the fitness side of the Arnold. Should Oksana Grishina, Tina Durkin, Myriam Capes, and Tanji Johnson have Fitness International invites (and quite honestly, I don't see why they won't), those four will no doubt be in everyone's favorites to win the Fitness International title next year. Maybe it could be someone who people have put under the radar. Regardless, this news today has further made the Arnold more interesting to watch come 2013.

We at Fitness Athletes Network wish Adela best of luck in her break and training in the coming year, hoping to add to her already-impressive resume as elite fitness champion!

Bodybuilding.com to Provide Free 2012 Olympia Webcast

Not everyone can make it to Las Vegas for the Olympia, so Bodybuilding.com will once again provide the Olympia for free via webcast on their site. This has been done ever since 2006 (that year, it was a paid webcast. It became free the following year), and with the way viewing on the Internet has change since then (iPhone, iPad, Android, tablet), you can pretty much watch the Olympia from pratically any internet-enabled device you want to.

2011 Olympia Champions. Who will successfully retain their title in 2012?
Photo credit: Mr. Olympia website

Here's the press release from Bodybuilding.com:

Boise, ID – August 24, 2012 – Bodybuilding.com, the Internet’s most-visited bodybuilding and fitness site and largest online retailer of nutritional supplements, will once again offer a free worldwide webcast of Joe Weider’s 2012 Olympia Weekend, presented by MuscleTech.

With one of the best lineups of athletes in the contest’s 46-year history and more than $1 million in prize money, the 2012 Olympia is a must-see event. Thanks to the live webcast, everyone can tune in!

Bodybuilding.com will webcast live September 28-29, 2012, from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada beginning at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time (9:30 ET) both Friday and Saturday nights.

The webcast kicks off Friday with an insightful pre-show discussion from industry expert Dr. Layne Norton and veteran bodybuilding commentator Larry Pepe. Training experts Neil Hill and Kris Gethin will also make cameo appearances to provide additional insight and commentary.

The competition begins with the beautiful ladies, featuring: Fitness Olympia, Ms. Olympia, and Bikini Olympia finals, followed by the Mr. Olympia Open Judging round.

Co-hosts Carla Sanchez (professional IFBB Fitness competitor and coach) and Dina Al-Sabah (professional IFBB Figure & Bikini Competitor and fitness model) will announce the women’s competitions.

The winners of the 2012 Bodybuilding.com Supplement Awards (24 different awards, including Brand of the Year, Supplement of the Year, etc.) will be announced during the webcasts. The Bodybuilding.com Supplement Awards have set the standard for recognition of the best products and brands in the fitness and supplement industry for the past eight years.

On Saturday, September 29th, the webcast coverage will culminate with bodybuilding’s biggest annual show: The Mr. Olympia Finals. Reigning champion Phil Heath will battle to defend his title against fierce challengers, including the formidable Kai Greene and the reigning Arnold Classic Champion, Branch Warren.

The Saturday coverage will also include the beautifully sculpted women of the Figure Olympia and the men’s 212 Showdown (men’s bodybuilding lighter weight division).

Stay tuned for details and more 2012 Olympia Weekend coverage available soon at Bodybuilding.com!

Bodybuilding.com offers more than 13,000+ health & fitness supplements and accessories to help more than 10 million people every month achieve their health, fitness and appearance goals, as well as more than 35,000 pages of FREE information, including more than 20,000 articles and videos, expert online trainers, and new content added daily!

With this being the first Olympia under the new guidelines (Olympia Qualification Series), expect history to be made in all of the divisions. This could make things very tough for Adela Garcia, Nicole Nagrani, Nicole Wilkins, and Iris Kyle in their title defenses. Who do YOU think will walk out with Olympia immortality next month? For those that can't be there live, the next best thing will be the free Bodybuilding.com webcast! 

Olympia Qualification Series Announced

Just announced today, the IFBB is launching an Olympia Qualification Series! What the heck is that, you ask? Take a look at this:

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, March 13, 2012 - The IFBB Pro League, in conjunction with Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend, announced the creation of the IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series, a points-based system that will help determine qualifiers for all six IFBB Pro Olympia divisions.


The IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series will award points to competitors placing in the top 2 to 5 of all Pro League events. At the end of the Olympia qualifying season, the five (5) competitors with the highest points totals in the IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series will qualify to compete at Olympia Weekend.

Since the winner of each competition automatically qualifies, no points will be awarded for first place. Additionally, competitors placing in the top 5 at the Olympia automatically qualify for the following year.

The IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series will be effective immediately, and point totals for all 2012 contests will be included.


“We think this is a great way to expand the number of Olympia qualifiers beyond those who win contests and to build excitement for all IFBB Pro League events throughout the course of the year,” IFBB Pro League Chairman Jim Manion said. “It ensures that the best of the best will be competing on the Olympia stage.”


Points and qualifications in the IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series will be awarded as follows:


TIER 1 – ARNOLD CLASSIC
2nd – 8 Points
3rd – 7 Points
4th – 6 Points
5th – 5 Points

TIER 2 – SHERU CLASSIC, ARNOLD CLASSIC EUROPE
2nd – 6 Points
3rd – 5 Points
4th – 4 Points
5th – 3 Points

TIER 3 – NEW YORK PRO
2nd – 5 Points
3rd – 4 Points
4th – 3 Points
5th – 2 Points

TIER 4 – ALL OTHER IFBB PRO LEAGUE COMPETITIONS
2nd – 4 Points
3rd – 3 Points
4th – 2 Points
5th – 1 Point


Any questions regarding IFBB Pro Olympia Qualification Series should be directed to the Olympia office via email at rchang@weiderpub.com.

Source: http://npcnewsonline.com/olympia-qualification-series-announced/9768/

Seriously...how freaking awesome is this!! This is effective immediately, so the importance of doing well in the St. Louis Pro (as well as the remaining contest of 2012) just went up a BIG notch just like that. I have a feeling there's gonna be a few more competitors entering contests now with this new qualification series. Who knows...this might be just the thing to get more fitness competitors involved since the top five in each contest receive points and a possible opportunity to step on the Olympia stage. To view the current fitness rankings, including those that have qualified for the Olympia this year, click here.

Kudos to the IFBB on getting this together.

The Warrens to be on National TV

Photo credit: Bodybuilding.com

It's awesome to see those in our industry to be part of mainstream television. On her Twitter account (http://twitter.com/trishwarren), Trish Warren mentioned that her and her husband Branch will be on the Discovery Channel in the near future! Here's her exact Tweet:

Branch and I filmed a documentary for the Discovery Channel, I will keep you posted on when it will air! 

So as soon as I hear word of this, I'll pass this information down to you all. So, if you haven't gotten the Discovery Channel, now would be a great time to get it. Congrats to the Warrens! Hope many of you all tune in!

Mindi O'Brien Retires from Fitness

Fitness lost one of its top competitors today, as Mindi O'Brien announced via Youtube today that she is retiring from fitness competition. It sucks to leave a sport or anything you love for so long due to an injury. She's had a great career spanning 14 years, with great routines and what some people call one of the best physiques in fitness history, capped off by her trademark arms that would give any female bodybuilder a run for their money. Some of her highlights include competing in 6 straight Fitness Olympias (although she was qualified for 7, but skipped out of this year's show due to injury) and 5 straight Arnold Classics. She would finish her career at the first-ever Arnold Classic Europe, placing 6th.

Photo credit: RxMuscle.com

Here's a video of Mindi during her trip to Spain (including her fitness routine and posing round) and announcing her retirement from fitness:

What does the future hold for her? We're unsure, but we think she will stick around in the fitness industry in some form or capacity. We over at Save Women's Fitness Now congratulate Mindi on an incredible journey, and we wish her the best of luck in the next chapter of her life!

IFBB Advisory Rule about Competition Contracts and No-Show at Finals

This was released last week, from the IFBB:

Credit: IFBBPro.com

Let's start with the athlete competition contract ruling. There are those that take their time and want to see who else is competing and maybe they will wait until the very last minute to send in a contract. With this new ruling, that will be reduced dramatically as competitors MUST submit their contracts no later than a month (30 days) before the competition they plan to enter. And if they DO wait, they gotta pay up to the tune of 200 dollars. So make up your mind early, folks, and go ahead and submit those contracts.

As far as the no-show at finals are concerned, good ruling on that as well. If you make it, don't bail out unless you have a legitimate excuse. If you're literally feeling like you're gonna pass out, then you clearly excused from the finals. Your health is more important than a trophy and a spot at the Olympia. But if you're skipping to be skipping, you better hope it's a VERY GOOD excuse, because it's gonna cost ya $1,000. And until it's paid off, you will be kept from competing elsewhere.

While I personally love these rulings, some of you might not. What are YOUR thoughts on the new IFBB rulings? Post them below.

Cheerleading competitions for potential fitness competitors?

This has been brought up a few times, so I'd thought I'd bring it up here. How many of you have looked into high school/college cheerleading competitions to recruit potential fitness competitors? The numbers have increased in cheerleading big time, and weight-training has become more of a staple for cheerleading than ever before. From what I've seen personally, some cheerleaders wouldn't look out of place whatsoever in a fitness show. What are YOUR thoughts on looking at cheerleading competitions for potential fitness competitors?

Trish Warren to Sit Out 2011 Olympia

Congrats to Trish on having a baby!
Photo credit: GMV Bodybuilding

Earlier today, Isaac Hinds mentioned that a top Fitness Olympia competitor would be sitting out this year. It's not been confirmed that Trish Warren will NOT be a part of the 2011 Fitness Olympia, and for good reason...she's having a baby! Big congrats to Trish and her hubby Branch on their upcoming bundle of joy.

You can read the full story on Hardbody News.

No doubt Trish will be missed on the Olympia stage this year, and no doubt the fitness top 6 will experience a shake-up as well. In my honest opinion, she was going to be a major favorite, right behind Tanji Johnson, to take Adela Garcia's title this year. It will be a while before we see Trish on stage again, but knowing her she'll return sooner than later.

On behalf of everyone at Save Women's Fitness Now, congrats to the Warren family!

Regaine Nails a Victory in Germany (2011 FIBO Power Pro Fitness Results)

The clear favorite going into this competition was Tanji Johnson, but due to passport problems, she could not make it to Germany, leaving Camala Rodriquez as frontrunner for the FIBO Power Pro Fitness, just coming off of a win the past weekend in New York. But two other fitness competitors had different ideas in mind. Regaine Da Silva emerged from the pact to pull off a big victory, her first pro win (I think) of her career, giving her big momentum heading into this year's Olympia and showing that she's no fluke in fitness. Diana Monteiro, in her pro debut, took runner-up honors and will join Regaine and Camala (who placed 3rd) in the 2011 Fitness Olympia. A great showing of talent overseas, and everyone that competed needs to be commented for their efforts. Congrats to you all!

RESULTS:
1. Regiane DaSilva
2. Diana Monteiro
3. Camala Rodriguez
4. Liudmila Somkina
5. Minna Pajulahti
6. Stacy McDowell
7. Ryall Graber-Vasani

SCORECARD:

2011 Arnold Amateur Competitors List (Fitness Division)

The 2011 Arnold Amateur list has been released. Here's the list of fitness competitors that will compete at the Arnold Amateur. There are 10 competitors in the short class and eight competitors in the tall class. Congrats to everyone that's on the list (in ALL divisions)! :)

Fitness Short Class (10)
Diana Paula Monteiro Noronha de Alemida (Brazil)
Maria Laura Cervelli (Argentina)
Samantha Kinnish (Australia)
Gloria Mohninger (Calgary, Canada)
Guryeva Olga (Russia)
Dawn Scholey (United Kingdom)
Stephanie Yu (Rochester Hills, Mich.)
Toni Wheeler (Morehead, Ky.)
Shalimar Wilder (Charleston, W.V.)
Paula Williams-Gulman (Hayden Lake, Idaho)

Fitness Tall Class (8)
Valeria Cristiane Aprobato (Brazil)
Angela Beavers (Smyrna, Ga.)
Tiina Kasvi (Finland)
Jayla McDermott (Trophy Club, Texas)
Meredith Miller (Westerville, Ohio)
Deborah Sizemore (Charleston, W.V.)
Czine Szilvia (Hungary)
Dvortsova Tatiana (Russia)

Fitness Week Kicks Off on Promoting Real Women Blog/Fan Page

Today began Fitness Week at the Promoting Women fan page and blog. Big ups to Jason Adams on creating this special week, as the fitness division is one of the most exciting parts about this business and they deserve as much recognition as they can get.

Jason kicked it off in a big way with an interview with the one and only Carol Semple:
http://promotingwomen.blogspot.com/2011/01/carol-semple-interview.html

Seriously, how big is that to get a former Fitness Olympia champion to kick off Fitness Week?! :)

He also posted a poem by fitness competitor Babette Mulford:
http://promotingwomen.blogspot.com/2011/01/poem-by-babette-mullford.html


To close out Day One, he posted a You Asked It segment with one of the youngest and most talented IFBB Fitness Pros in the world today, Victoria Larvie:
http://promotingwomen.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-asked-it-with-victoria-larvie.html

If you haven't join his fan page and are following his blog, you might need to start doing that. As I've mentioned in the past, Jason's a great person to know and is one of the guys who truly respects this industry. If you think the kickoff of Fitness Week was impressive, just wait until you see what happens over the next six days. You might get a special treat from yours truly "Hint Hint".

Anyways, hope you all enjoy Fitness Week on Promoting Real Women!!

2011 IFBB Pro Schedule (Fitness Only)

Here's the fitness shows schedules for 2011. This was just released not too long ago.

Women's Fitness Pro Show Lineup
Photo credit: IFBBPro.com

For the ENTIRE list of shows for each division, go to http://www.ifbbpro.com/news/2011-calendar-of-events/.

Tracey Greenwood Says Goodbye to IFBB Fitness

One of the top fitness competitors of all time says "adios" to IFBB Fitness competitions.

Considered by many to be arguably the best fitness competitor to not win the Fitness International nor the Fitness Olympia, Tracey Greenwood has decided to call it a career after competing for over a decade to the IFBB, winning several titles and being a top placer at many Arnolds and Olympias. Like many of you, Tracey has been one of my favorite fitness competitors. Her strength in her routines are unmatched, and she always brings out one of the hardest yet most complete physiques, making her a big fan favorite. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to see her on stage, but for those that have, she was a highlight for everyone.
 
Here's the press release from FMG, her management:

FMG PRESS RELEASE

July 20, 2010 - For those of you in attendance at the 2009 IFBB Fitness Olympia, you unknowingly saw the last competition of IFBB Fitness icon Tracey Greenwood. After a long and wildly successful fitness career in both the NPC and IFBB, Tracey has decided she will be retiring from competition due to lingering injuries and just moving on in life in general. Yes, Tracey had thought about retirement previously and honestly we laughed it off and told her that she still had her best in her and not to retire. That was in 2008 when she won the IFBB Houston Pro Fitness, IFBB Atlantic City Pro Fitness, won the IFBB Europa Super Show Pro Fitness for the second time and finished second at the IFBB Fitness Olympia. That same year she was voted the FLEX Magazine Women’s Athlete Of The Year. Glad you listened to us Tracey! In 2009 Tracey started off the year placing third at the IFBB Fitness International, won the Atlantic City again and unbeknownst at the time, finished her career in third place at the IFBB Fitness Olympia.


This doesn’t mean you won’t still see Tracey. She is an expediter at almost every major NPC national competition, along with all the competitions in the NPC New York-Metropolitan district, is doing her share of emcee work, is a personal trainer and continues to promote both the NPC Tracey Greenwood Classic and NPC Deleware States.

Although now retired, rest assured that at 41 years old, Tracey’s physique can still stand right up there with any IFBB Pro Fitness competitor old or new. And in the end, she’ll always be “Trixie” to us!

On behalf of every fitness competitor and fan out there, thank you so much Tracey for everything you've given to this sport. May you continue to be an inspiration outside competing, and may God bless you as you enter the next chapter in your life! :)