2005 Arnold Classic Fitness, Figure International and Ms. International Review

The second show HardFitness covered this year was the Arnold. Again in Columbus, Ohio were the climate was cold but not freezing as I thought it would be. The venue was downtown and all hotels were booked that weekend for this event and some other. The Arnold brings in the most people in the world even more than the Olympia. It has figure, fitness, bodybuilding all IFBB athletes plus powerlifting, martial arts, a fashion show, table tennis and many more. The expo is really crowded and full of different types of people. Saturday when the Pro men are competing is the most crowded. The expo did have some food inside so while visiting the numerous booths you could eat something.

The big battle was to on again. Monica Brant vs Jenny Lynn. I don't get tired of seeing these two head to head every time. Both were less conditioned than at the Figure Olympia. I don't think they were under the 20% rule but maybe they decided that they would tone it down a bit so other competitors would follow. Some girls came in looking much better than before such as Mary Lado. She put on some great muscle and her V-taper was impressive. She actually had the largest back even larger than Amber Littlejohn. Or at least it looked that way. Other competitors who looked great were U. K.'s Lynsey Beattie-Ahearne, she is our cover model for a reason. She seems to be overlooked due to the fact that she is new and from another country but rest assured her condition is impeccable. Latisha Wilder looked great as well, I had not seen her compete since the GNC I think. Her shape and looks were outstanding. Latisha Wilder has excellent shoulders and a great quad sweep. Another newcomer to the Pro scene Jane Awad did great for her first IFBB contest after having won her pro-card at North Americans in September. Jane's looks are mainstream which make her stand out a lot from other competitors. She will do good in this sport so good luck to her. Another girl who has been stepping up the ladder is Christine Pomponio-Pate being short she has the right amount of muscle and great symmetry. Shorter girls have to be careful in putting on too much muscle otherwise they'll look bulky. People were spoke negatively of competitor Jen Hartley around me. Some were amazed and how much smaller her physique was compared to all the other girls. One NPC competitor i overheard say that she could be up on stage and look better. They did admit Jen Hartley is a beautiful girl but if she wants to be on Pro stage she has to look like a Pro. She got her Pro card at Team Universe were people couldn't understand how she beat any of the top 5. Some people speak of politics and claim that the Arnold being such a prestigious event looses credibility with inviting a competitor that still needs to work on her physique. Fact is the Arnold is a huge event were many Pro competitors weren't invited, but that is between the promoter and the IFBB.

Fitness is a much more fun that Figure as the routines bring in that extra spice that even people who don't know the sport can be entertained. Jen Hendershott took the overall and Fitness International title. She absolutely deserved as she presented as always a great package. Symmetry, muscle and good conditioning. Her abs are always out and her delts are big, not to mention the great set of legs this woman carries. Tracey Greenwood is another competitor that show to show brings a very muscular physique and great symmetry. This woman should be placing much higher. I think Fitness at least should award the more muscular look since many of these girls since they do their routines will develop bigger arms than their figure counterparts. Kim Klein looked really impressive, you could see her lats come out on her two-piece. I had seen her at the GNC and Olympia but until know I am convinced she has a killer package. Another competitor who always brings are very fit, sexy and well-balanced physique is Stacy Hylton. Her routines are smoking and very well executed. She is one of the top routine people in our sports. Let's not forget about Kelly Ryan who hasn't scored as well in the physique round but she is the queen of Fitness moves. She has a one-handed flip that most competitors to with both arms. Her ability continues to impress everyone seeing her routines. Mindi O'Brien is another noteworthy competitor that brings that muscular but pleasing physique. If you have seen Mindi in person she is not that muscular but she is able to create the illusion on stage with her body. I talked to Mindi on Sunday morning when we did a shoot and she had gotten in the mail the 20% reduction letter from the IFBB. She said that initially she had tried but then it was hard to follow it and decided to come to the shows with what she considered right for her. She might have lost some muscle but she will return in her next shows looking much like the Mindi that won the Southwest Pro Show. Another girl trained by Mike Davies from Australia who has started placing higher is Debbie Czempinski who always comes in with great conditioning but has trouble with all the muscle she has and being so short her waist appears larger. It's a great thing that you can nowadays get your diet and training overseas. Let's not forget about one competitor who almost qualified for the Olympia it's Julie Palmer. Her routines are solid but her physique is simply impressive, she came in a bit softer from other shows i've seen her maybe afraid of the 20% rule. But she still is another competitor who to watch out for this year.

Women's Bodybuilding had few competitors as always but nevertheless we got some great competitors anyway. Yaxeni took the show for a second year in a row defeating Betty Viana. I thought Betty looked her best. From what I saw in the Olympia she came in clearly better conditioned than Yaxeni specially Betty's legs were superb. Yaxeni still lacks the fullness in the calves that Betty displays. Don't know if judges preferred Yaxeni who wasn't as hard as Betty but we still don't know for sure the correct reason. Lisa Aukland looks better and better and yet keep herself very feminine despite her age and great size. Hopefully more competitors would be able to look like her at such a high level in their careers. Christine Roth again couldn't nail the conditioning part, she looked similar to the GNC holding water on her lower body by the hamstring-tie area. Paulina Talus had been in a car accident some weeks prior to the show so her conditioning and physique can be excused, I think more people should recognize the showmanship of this Finish athlete. Still being able to compete despite the accident. On the lightweights both Mah-Ann Mendoza and Brenda Raganot being both similar heights and body structure made it hard for the judges. Raganot was better conditioned and seemed to have a larger V-taper than Mendoza. If you look at the Raganot legs you can see her quads being the most ripped among the lightweights. Desiree Ellis showed a spectacular back even more defined and muscular than Raganot. Another competitor who people were talking about was Susan Niederhauser her tan was much lighter given her skin tone is very fair. Her tiny waist and huge lats were the envy of many people in the audience. She is a newcomer and will be getting bigger and bigger this and next year so hopefully she'll take advantage of her great symmetry and put on more quality muscle.

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