Quote Originally Posted by japh View Post
^^^^I don't disagree with anything you've said steve. It all makes perfect sense. Her routine is still quite difficult and requires hard work.

I personally find my powerlifting routines to be the easiest and when I was training as a competetive boxer that was by far the hardest with 100 rep dropsets with 1 minute rest and running up hills getting my heartrate into the 180's.

My perception based on my own personal preference is just that things have been toned down a little too much with regards to fitness/figure and bikini. They all look great still and depending on genetics have to put the work in. Iris kyle could compete in figure by doing cardio only. She could just take up swimming for developement and watch her diet.

It really is a beauty pageant more than ever now though.
All the top competitors are beautiful facially as well which is no coincedence. Thats OK too I suppose just so long as its recognized as such I suppose and accepted.

Cory everson in the early 80's when she was winning olympia's before she played the size game seems like a nice figure/fitness physique to me. The current fitness/figure athletes seem like nice bikini physiques to me. The current bikini competitors have no real muscle tone to speak of and so it seems a strange to me that they are part of a fitness show but I understand why things are the way they are.

They all look great but my personal expectation in developement is just a little higher than it is right now for these classes. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong. Just my expectation still and preference.
although, you realize that the figure winners still have more muscle than the ms. olympia winners for bodybuilding about 2-3 decades ago...and many of top figure girls in this country and world have more muscle mass than is genetically possible for a women to achieve without at least a little bit of something. So how is it 'toning' it down, if in order to be the best, you still need to get to a point that is beyond natural limits...I am not saying the top girls have more muscles than the top natural powerlifter...what I am saying is that with the shape and structure they are looking for, its still beyond what a natural girl can achieve...since the top girls have genetically smaller, sleaker physiques...

And bikini, well, yeah, they may not need to workout to succeed, but some do...some girls aren't naturally bikini worthy...but a little cardio and working out might bring them there...others wake up looking like that. but then again, that goes back to my point about figure and who needs to do what to succeed in their sport.

so I don't think things are toned down...they just got out of hand previously in my mind...why have figure if you need to take as much juice as the average female bodybuilder....bodybuilding without poses should not be a division...and for a while there, that's all figure was. (which is fine too in its own rights, just not what I think adds much to the whole stage).