From SaveWomensFitnessNow to Fitness Athletes Network...Why the Change?

In 2010, I created Save Women's Fitness Now, a blog that was influenced by Siouxcountry's Let's Save NPC and IFBB Fitness thread that started around that time. This blog was created to help reignite the fire and passion that the fitness division had during its birth.

On the same board, a discussion was brought up about how to help bring more competitors into the fitness division. An idea was brought up about having a place where people can view fitness routines. To the best of my knowledge, there wasn't a place specifically created for that...until now.

This year, I made the decision to revamp Save Women's Fitness Now, and turn it into the Fitness Athletes Network, expanding from just being a blog to a complete social network, including an official website,Twitter account, a newly revamped blog, and eventually a Youtube account. The goal of the Fitness Athletes Network is to help bring more competitors into the sport, as well as introduce the fitness division to aspiring competitors, and even high school and collegiate cheerleaders. The main site has clips of fitness routines from around the world from the National Physique Comittee (NPC), International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB), Fitness Universe, and beyond, as well as from former organizations.

Below are the links to the Fitness Athletes Network. Bookmark them and spread the word! If you would like to donate any clips or want to help out with the Fitness Athletes Network in any way, please email me as save_fitness@yahoo.com

Main website: http://www.fitnessathletesnetwork.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fitnessathletes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitnessathletesnetwork

And our blog's new address is http://fitnessathletesnetwork.blogspot.com.

Hope you enjoy the new facelift! :)

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.

IFBB Flex Pro Next Weekend

Next weekend (February 18th), two weeks before the Arnold, the IFBB Flex Pro will take place in Saint Monica, California, which will showcase the fitness divison. Minus a couple of names, nearly ALL the competitors will step on the Arnold stage, which makes this contest a big one. Depending on what happend at the Flex Pro, this could very well be an indicator for how the Arnold could end up. This will also be the first contest under the new rules and regulations that the IFBB laid out last year, which includes only the winner getting an Olympia invite as opposed to the top three in past years.

Here's the loaded line-up for next weekend's event:

Adela Garcia
Allison Ethier
Bethany Cisternino
Camala Rodriquez
Jodi Boam
Michele Mayberry
Myriam Capes
Oksana Grishina
Paula Gulman-Williams
Sheri Vucick
Tanji Johnson

For more info, visit their website at http://www.flexprochampionships.com/.

2012 Fitness International Invite List

It's OUT!!!! The 2012 Arnold list has just been released, with 17 names for the Fitness International! Did you favorites make it on there?

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

There will be more Arnold-related posts as we get closer to the big event. Until then, congrats to everyone that made the list! 2012 Arnold...here we come!! 

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!