Alina Popa winning the Rising Phoenix and the current state of Women's open class bodybuilding.

 

Alina Popa in 2008

Alina Popa finally won the top championship in women's bodybuilding, the Rising Phoenix title.
I'm happy for her.She deserves to be a champion.She's one of the best female bodybuilders in the last twenty years.I'm glad she won the money,and prizes.She's worked a long time for them.
Here's a link to coverage of the show with pictures of all competitors.
Rising Phoenix 2018

Alina suffered a couple of injuries a few years ago.In late 2014 she tore her left Achilles tendon during a sprint workout.During her recovery after surgery she fell due to the cast on her leg,and the effects of the drugs she was taking for pain.She tore her right bicep trying to catch herself.
It took about a year to a year and half to recover.She came in second at the 2017 contest.

She has incredible genetics.It's always crucial for a bodybuilder to pick the right parents.
She's been an athlete most her life.I believe it was mostly track,and field in her native Romania.She moved to Switzerland,and then to the USA.
She's worked for many years on her extraordinary physique.I started watching her years ago before she even started competing at the highest level.
It takes many top bodybuilders years to come close to reaching their potential.She's 40,and the recent Mr Olympia champion Shawn Rhoden is 43.

So here's the thing.She should have won years ago.Now...she's past her prime,been injured,and spoiled her exemplary lines with breast implants.Otherwise known as plastic bags of goo.
I don't know why they kept placing her second to women who just simply didn't look as impressive,and exciting as Alina.She was banging her head against the wall of X frames for years.They had the frames,and mass,but not really that extra something to be winning over Alina if you ask me.Is it merely beauty? It's that yes...and more.It's the thrill of seeing a fully realized muscular physique.It's the Oh My God! moment.It's visceral,and instinctual.It makes you feel awe struck.It's like seeing a super hero come to life.Every muscle group developed and brought to round fulfillment.It's why we watch bodybuilding.It's why it hooks us in the first place.
Alina made me feel that way.
There aren't many female bodybuilders at this point that I can say I genuinely envy their physiques.But her..I do.

I wasn't alone in my appreciation.She's very popular.
And she knows it.I never blame any bodybuilder for knowing it.They have to be self aware, self sculptors.
She did a lot of video.Some of it the usual silly soft short of porn.Bills to pay.The female bodybuilders have to make a living and this is the easiest way to do it and have time to train. Easiest in the short term.In the long term it probably stains their reputation as serious athletes.

Her physique strengths and weaknesses.There aren't many weaknesses.
Great shoulders.Great back.
Her calves were never spectacular.But the judges are usually willing to allow for that.They wouldn't have kept her from winning.But the left calf has never looked completely healed after she ruptured her Achilles tendon.That's significant damage.I think I do notice it.It's atrophied.It just doesn't look healed even though she seems to try to hide it.Every time she has a choice she poses with her left leg pushed far back,and cocked to the side.It certainly looks like an attempt to disguise the calf problem. But you really can't hide anything on stage.
Her bicep seems to have healed enough to not be a noticeable weakness.
The upper body has always been her extraordinary gift.Huge shoulders tapering to a pleasing waist.
The quads are no disappointment either.Her calves were...OK.
But it's the way her upper body dominates that really catches your eye.The classic yoked shoulders.
She has a remarkably striking face too.And a playful sparkle to her eyes.

Sigh.So here's the big one.She finally broke down and gave in.She got the damn bags.
She had said she didn't intend to get implants in the past.Silly me thinking people mean what they say.I should have known the pressure to conform never stops.
The smell of money always wins.Don't tell me the damn judges don't get to these women.
I think they always say,or imply,"hey hon,if you just add massive fake jugs...we'd let you win"
Let you.
So they finally let her win..but only when she got the fakes.

The implants she got are pretty awful.Big skin stretching blister bubbles.
What a lovely image.Blammo!
Great job cosmetic surgeons! You've worked your horror movie magic again.All this completely unnecessary surgery on healthy body parts.Great for business lads.
Oh I can just say they knock her physique off balance.Well yes they do.
The clearly unnatural round balloons make a bodybuilder top heavy.
You can't see the damn Pec muscles either.Don't you think that's kind of important judges? huh?
All other forms of implants are barred.
Breast balloons should be too.
So your boobs deflate? Stop taking testosterone,and getting gritty ripped if you can't live with it.
Because that's what going to happen inevitably.
Maybe it's just a failure to accept reality here.People want all the features increased to an extreme.But it doesn't work like that.Muscles swell,fatty breast tissue shrinks.

I then wondered when was the last time a woman with real breasts won the women's top bodybuilding contest,Ms Olympia to Rising Phoenix?
It might be Valentina Chepiga in 2000? I can't be certain.She got large implants later.
During the 80's to 90's at least some of the implants were smaller.I wasn't always sure in a few cases if they were fake or not.Particularly with the higher body fat during the off season.

I stopped following Popa when I saw what she had done.It was so tiresome,and disappointing.You too? Looking just like all the others.

If she had of won years ago I would have been really happy about it.Now I only heard about it after the fact.Yesterday's news.That's what women's bodybuilding has become.
The attention has shifted to the healthier looking more streamlined physique,and fitness competitors.
In a way The IFBB has shot itself in the foot by it's actions.

International Federation of Bodybuilders....bodybuilders...unless that's hard to sell then we'll redefine the bodies into whatever we can market.
So they dumped women's bodybuilding onto the off ramp.
It's becoming clear to me that it is probably a dying category unless they address the fundamental issues.
Females,drugs,and marketability.It's a hard question.
They need to open up a discussion about where bodybuilding is going,and they don't want to do it.
The athletes have little to no power with the sports owners.
It's the owners/sponsors who unilaterally decide the judging standards by all accounts.

(To go off on the hinky feeling about the judging a bit.
The problem with this niche judged sport.Even if they're trying to be fair,you don't feel like you can completely trust the process.
And the larger question is are the judges being controlled by the owners of the shows?
How could they not be? At the least by tightly stating the judging criteria for it to be inevitable for suspicions to arise.That's bad enough.
I think there's good evidence they did manipulate the placings during the time the Weiders were running the sport.There's a strong story they made sure Bev Francis wouldn't be allowed to win the Ms Olympia.
The strange combination of tacit approval of drug use while downplaying it in the public eye,and implants is a continually weird element in bodybuilding.
I wish they would at least try to get their stuff together and be less hypocritical about it.
There are a lot of issues to unpack about all this.But I was writing off the top of my head.
So we'll see if I want to organize my thoughts more about it in the future.)

Some notes on the rest of the field.
One of the most noticeable aspects about the field is the increasing age of the competitors.Female bodybuilders are an aging lot.Muscle maturity does take time.And it can be a long process to bring up lagging body parts,and create a fully developed physique.But there is a natural law of diminishing returns as aging progresses.The bodies start looking rather slack.The skin has gone through many rounds of weight gain,and loss.And it bears the appearance of it.You start seeing the signs of looser skin around the abdomen etc..and it's harder to bring out sharpness in the low back,and glutes.
I looked through images of the field,and saw this with many of the older competitors.
It's one of the reasons why I think women's bodybuilding is declining.Even with drugs it's hard for women to put on the muscle mass to bring on stage looking huge,and striated.The genetically gifted have a massive advantage.The question is would they go into the bodybuilding category now?
The competitors in women's bodybuilding in the past tended to be younger.
Mainly because they were judging for shape,and attractiveness rather than size.The size and conditioning increase has been marching along,and has left the more conventionally aesthetic considerations in the lighter categories.

Margie Martin came in second after missing last years contest.She's a two time past champion and  still has the development and frame.She did look fully prepared to make a run for another title.
I think her implants are a problem.Too large,round,and hard looking.The absolute opposite of breasts is hard looking.So in bodybuilding...hard everything.
She also has the problem of a noticeable c-section scar,and tattooing on her lower abdomen.
She might try wearing a custom made suit to cover her lower abdomen.I think that should be allowed.I don't know how much judges take scaring into account.
She's an impressive bodybuilder.We'll see if she keeps competing.

Sheila Bleck came in third.I would have awarded her the top prize.There's nothing missing with her.She is lighter than the two top placers.They may want to see more mass on her.But she's a classic well proportioned bodybuilder.No implants.No massive tats,or scars.Great poser.It would be nice to see her win some day.

Helle Trevino,last year's champion,came in 5th.It's surprising they dropped her down this low.She still has the mass.Did they think her conditioning was off? It's probably what cost her.She looked a little flat,and wasn't showing the striations that pop out to the judges.

Virginia Sanchez placed 7th,and carries very dense muscle in her upper body.In comparison her legs don't look as impressive.It's not that they're bad.Her upper body just visually over powers her legs.She's 47 so she's probably reached her level.
She also shows some of the serious issues with women's bodybuilding.
Of course she's been taking Androgenic Anabolic Steroids for years.She's probably also taken estrogen suppressors.So in fact her breast tissue has deflated.She has such low body fat that there's not much to pad her body at all.Her look is maximum hardness.
She shaves her head,and wears a wig.Possibly suffering hair loss due to the androgens she's taking.
And the years of high drug usage,and dieting show on her face.
This is the situation with the older women bodybuilders and what the judges have to work with.
There you have it.

At the end of the view on this.It took me awhile to write it.It's hard to look at now.I remember the old days when there were so many attractive,and compelling athletes.It was a real competition,and people could improve and have something to look forward too. I remember looking forward to getting the magazines.Reading articles about the competitions,And interviews with the athletes.
It's sad it's ground down to this point.And the corporate fools at the IFBB don't seem to know how to rescue it.
They'd have to make some hard changes.They'd have to behave like intelligent mature rational individuals and set some parameters of harm reduction and judging standards that would be very controversial.
There is a real and notable division between what sells to the hard core ( and often fetishistic so-called shmoe ) fan of women's bodybuilding and even a general bodybuilding physique fan base.
At this point it looks like they've sent women's bodybuilding out to pasture to die.

To address my repeated references to breast implants.
It would almost seem like I have a bug up my butt about them.
I do.
They look fake as hell.
Creepy plastic bags straining under the skin...and they're too damn big now.They're gross.
I didn't grow up seeing this much fake hardness when I was a kid.There was a lot more emphasis on  looking healthy,and somewhat relatable.
Most of the bodybuilders still looked beautiful,and graceful.They allowed them to keep a little subcutaneous fat,and they weren't forced to become the size of farm animals to have a chance to win.
I know I'm not alone in wanting to see more classic beauty in bodybuilding.It's a growing movement.

At the end of the day,as they say...
Female Bodybuilders can do what they want.
The organizations can do what they want.
The sponsors can do what they want.
The fans can watch it,or care,or not.

I'm just kind of shaking my head,and shrugging is all.I'm not trying to sound as angry as I do.I am bothered by it.But that's the way it goes.There's nothing I can do about it.We all have faded passions.I can move on.I have many interests.
As sorry as I am to lose former favorites...that's the breaks.
I love muscle...but this is about too much else now.
I'll keep lifting.I still love the fundamental iron culture.
But the onstage version of the ripped circus? I take a look at it when I feel like it now.
It's past it's prime,and entered it's decadent phase now.
Oh well.

The value of Vitamin D and Creatine in surpressing Myostatin.

I came across a link to this article on Muscular Development about Clenbuterol.Which is a Beta2-adrenergic agonist used to treat asthma.It's also used in bodybuilding to spare muscle,and burn fat.
See the MD article for more details.Benefits of Clenbuterol.
You can learn more about the use of Clenbuterol in bodybuilding from this article on Anabolic.org
Clenbuterol is effective,but it also has risks.Personally,I wouldn't want to use it.

There's also some very interesting information about the regulation of Myostatin during exercise and how Clenbuterol affects it.Take Clenbuterol long enough and it raises myostatin.Not a good thing.
The Myostatin issue brings up a fascinating point.Myostatin works like a brake on gaining muscle.
One of the most amazing conditions that exists in the world of muscle is Myostatin-related Muscle Hypertrophy.The animals that have this gene knocking out myostatin are pretty damn freaky looking.

 

A Myostatin deficient Bull

So in the simplest terms;turn down the myostatin and turn up the muscle.This condition has happened to rare humans as well.It may very well be one of the reasons some humans have a major natural advantage in gaining muscle mass.Of course I'm sure that all gets very complicated,and speculative.But lowering the impact of myostatin on your muscles is an exciting idea as a bodybuilder.Now the question is can it be done? There are a number of products that have claimed they can lower myostatin dramatically.So far they look like a bunch of cow manure.You can't take a magic pill.
It has been done experimentally to lab mice by gene editing.That's not something you can put in a supplement.But you may be able to improve the situation by taking Creatine and Vitamin D.
From the MD article;

Certain nutritional supplements are known to inhibit myostatin. Therefore, consuming them should negate myostatin’s hold on muscle growth directly induced by clenbuterol. Creatine is a well-characterized compound that has been unmistakably shown to enhance muscle size and strength. In addition to creatine’s obvious function as a primary energy storage molecule used to regenerate muscle ATP, thus prolonging muscle function, creatine has also been shown to stimulate muscle growth.⁴ More recently, however, a study by Saremi et al.⁵ demonstrated that creatine consumption causes a decrease in myostatin levels in muscle cells, leading to significant muscle growth. In this study, two groups of men performed resistance training with or without creatine for a total of eight weeks. Both groups showed decreased levels of myostatin, but the group that performed resistance training and consumed creatine had a considerably larger decrease in myostatin levels along with greater gains in muscle mass and strength— clearly demonstrating the ability of creatine to reduce myostatin levels, improving muscle growth and strength.
Another potent myostatin inhibitor is vitamin D. As shown in a recent study by Garcia et al.⁶, vitamin D exposure decreased the amount of myostatin found in isolated muscle cells, generating greater muscle growth. In addition to the decrease in myostatin, this study also showed that vitamin D triggers an increase in the powerful inhibitor of myostatin known as follistatin, which increases muscle mass by inhibiting myostatin.⁷ Ultimately, this study indicates that the decrease in myostatin level and activity caused by vitamin D significantly increased muscle fiber size.

Creatine Monohydrate and Vitamin D are easy safe additions to any lifters supplements.I'm sure most amateur bodybuilders take creatine sometimes.But vitamin D levels may not be considered.That's a mistake because vitamin D is important for over all health.
Dr Rhonda Patrick has a great video about the target range for vitamin D and it's benefits.

Vitamin D 
is actually a secosteroid and usually taken as a supplement in the form of D3.
You can of course get it foods,and from sunlight as well.
If you are going to take it as a supplement it might be best to take it with a meal containing green vegetables rich in Vitamin K,and K2.That will help the vitamin D take calcium into your bones rather than depositing it in your soft tissues where it may damage your arteries.
But do please research this for yourself when making any decisions about what supplements to take.After all I'm just some nobody on the internet :)

Keeping your myostatin levels down could have a positive impact on muscle growth over time.If you're trying to build muscle without taking AAS,and other drugs,that could be a real plus.

I'll leave you with a talk from a real hardcore lifter, Stan Efferding, who does believe in the benefits of Vitamin D.