Kristy Hawkins Talks With FTVideo About Her CalTech Work

Popular Female Bodybuilder Kristy Hawkins, whom you last saw here as a "Warrior" sits down to talk with James Cook at FTVideo about her PhD work at CalTech in bioengineering. Here's the video:

Strongwomen.com: A Website Dedicated To Developing Strong Women Inside and Out

I found this website called Strongwomen at www.strongwomen.comwhere the message of its home page is...

"StrongWomen envisions a worldwide community of women who are fit, strong, and healthy; in turn, these empowered women will become positive agents of change for their families, communities, and beyond."

It does this via newsletters, message boards, and various ways to connect with a group of female doctors representing various fields of medicine. It even has receipes that look just plain good. For example, there's Chunky Vegetable Paella , a dish I can -- and will try -- and I'm a guy! It goes like this:

Chunky Vegetable Paella:

This paella recipe will please vegetarians and meat-eaters alike! It can be served as a vegetarian main course with a mixed green salad and crusty bread. Or serve as a side dish with grilled, skewered shrimp or chicken. Serves 6.

(For more deliciously nutritious recipes, be sure to go to Recipes.)

Ingredients

8-10 strands Saffron

1 medium eggplant, cut into ¾ inch chunks

1 tsp. salt

6 T. olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium yellow pepper, sliced in 1" pieces

1 medium red pepper, sliced in 1" pieces

2 tsp. paprika

1 ¼ c. Arborio rice

3 ½ c. chicken or vegetable stock

1 lb. tomatoes, fresh, chopped

pinch ground black pepper

6 oz. mushrooms, fresh, cut into chunks

15 oz. garbanzo beans (chickpeas), with liquid

Steep saffron in 3 T. hot water. Sprinkle eggplant with salt, leave to drain in colander for 30 minutes, then rinse and dry

In a large pan, heat olive oil and sauté garlic, onions, peppers and eggplant for about 5 minutes. Add paprika and stir.

Mix in rice then add stock, tomatoes, saffron and black pepper. Bring to a boil; simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms and garbanzo beans. Simmer 15 minutes more until liquid is absorbed. Stir as needed.

Nutritional information per serving (1 ½ cup):

360 calories
11.8 g total fat
1.8 g saturated fat

55 g carbohydrate
7.7 g protein
7.2 g fiber

Portions:
2 Grain, 1 Protein, 2 Vegetable, 1 Extra

But beyond the food, there are sections on books and advice, and a place where you can sign up to establish a Strongwoman program in your area.

What is the Strongwoman Program? Well, the website explains that potential leaders are "trained on the exercise program itself as well as how to effectively instruct and assist participants in learning the exercises. Additionally, the workshop will cover all topics found in the Toolkit such as screening, safety, and effective leadership. Program leaders will be given guidance on how to schedule their programs, discuss space and equipment needs, and strategize about issues such as transportation and gaining local support and funding. Following the workshop, sites/program leaders will then be required to initiate at least one program in their community."

Check it out. I especially recommend FBBs to do this program as local leaders as its seems to be a perfect way to use personal training talents to help others and gain more clients!

Amy Neal Gaining Fans From Miami Performance

Fresh from her performance at the NPC Miami Nationals, Amy Neal's gained a new following as shown by her thread on the GeneX Message Boards. Look for more of Amy Neal in the future.

Cindy Phillips FBB - 2004

cindy, originally uploaded by pisadinho2.

This photo was taken in 2004, and is yet another example of how muscle and beauty are one in many female bodybuilders like Cindy Phillips

Colette Nelson, Mimi Jabalee, and Amanda Dunbar At The Miami NPC Afterparty

This photo of Colette Nelson, Mimi Jabalee, and Amanda Dunbar was taken by Gene X Hwang at the afterparty for the Miami NPC Women's Bodybuilding Championships. What I like about this photo is that it captures the personalities of each woman on one shot: Colette the showwoman, Mimi thoughful, Amanda caring. It is posted on Amanda Dunbar's website, which has more photos of the event and even Mimi and Amanda in their hotel room.

Cindy Phillips, FBB - A FTvideo Photo

Fresh from setting a personal best bench press of 205 pounds five times, it's easy to forget that female bodybuilder Cindy Phillips -- like many female bodybuilders -- is also a beautful woman. This is for all of the comments from men who may be a little intimidated or just plain vexed over the emerging strong woman. Here's Cindy.

Beth Horn To Make A Comeback To BB At 30

As reported at Unrealmuscle, Beth Horn is making a comback at age 30. Here's more info about Beth from her website:

Beth A. Horn...

Professional Fitness Competitor / Weider Endorsed Athlete / Model / Personal Trainer
Birthday:

December 2

Favorite Music:

Michelle Branch, Avril Lavenge; 'Let Go', Bruce Springsteen; 'The Rising', U2; ‘The Best 1990-2000’, Bob Marley's 'Legend', Jimi Hendrix; ‘Experienced’

Favorite Hobbies:

Dancing, working out, traveling, gymnastics, beach volleyball, movies, reading, walking my dogs, dinner with friends & family

Favorite Motto:

You can do anything you put your mind to!
Live to workout. Workout to live.

Personality:

I would describe myself as loving, friendly, passionate, energetic & compassionate.

Philosophy on Fitness:

I believe our body is an exceptional gift from God. We need to love and care for our body, because we only get one. If you feel good on the outside, it is automatically easier to feel better on the inside. A healthy, balanced lifestyle is vital for a long, wonderful, fulfilling life.

Career Highlight:

Winning the overall title at the National Fitness Championships in New York, November 11, 2000.

Kristy Hawkins As Warrior

This is from Kristy Hawkins' blog

"So yesterday I did a photoshoot with a fashion photographer from the gym (Roberto Flores, http://www.robertophotoatelier.com/). After 3 hours of hair, make-up, wardrobe, many more hours of shooting, and obviously photoshop (on his part), here is the first sample shot.

This armor was actually from the movie Alexander although it is being held together with rubber bands here! We also did a silver dress/boots/sword combo (think Fembot from Austin Powers) and black bikini, all with the warrior theme."

All I can say is "Wow!"

VMI Cheerleader Fight; Headlock Defines 21st Century Woman

This photo of VMI Cheerleader and the YouTube video of her in the middle of a fight during the VMI-Citadel game, has captured the imagination of America and defined the 21st Century woman.

It's a great example of what an episode of "Kate On Sports" called "Women And Muscle" was trying to explain, that society has made room for women to have muscle, but it's also given a space for women to use that muscle. This is a great example of that observation.

A search for "VMI Cheerleader" reveals over 24,000 results for a search on Google. Why is this event so fascinating to America, if not the industrialized world? Judging by some of the blog comments, it seems to be a mesh between two very primal scenes: one sexual: a blonde cheerleader, and the other physical: her placing a cadet in a headlock.

The other related attraction is that this "little blonde girl" or "Buffy The Cadet Slayer" who's been "going to the gym" as some have described her, actually took on one of the basic symbols of masculinity and male power, the military man.

She not only took him on, she threw him down as the video below will show. But in tossing him aside and to the turf, she may -- in one fell swoop -- may have slam-dunked hundreds of years of "weak-woman" stereotypes. I should add that if you look at the video, the cadet actually was thrown with such force, he turned over in a body-roll on the ground once before stopping.

If you think about it, she also may have caused many young women -- especially in college -- to reconsider working out and getting strong as an "ok" thing to do, and thus push American society to a continuation of this redefinition of what it is I'll bet some ad genius out there uses this video as the basis for a campaign of some kind. Just wait.

Meanwhile, just watch...

About New Zealand's FBB, Steph Park

Steph Park is another popular female bodybuilder who's from New Zealand. She just married her trainer and graduated from Teacher's College. Here's more from her website..

I started Bodybuilding in 1998 when I was approached by my trainer Jason Orr about becoming a serious competitor. I have always been involved in athletics mainly soccer but I've left that behind to focus on building a more muscular physique. I have fortunately been able to gain muscle quickly and I intend to push my potential to the maximum, without the use of drugs.

My first taste of competition came in 1999, starting off in a Figure contest and placing third. Also in 1999, I entered a Level 1 Bodybuilding show and won third place again. I decided to take a year off from competing to improve some areas before entering another Level 1 show in 2001. It proved to be beneficial because I won that show. I look forward to entering more competitions in the near future, it is such an amazing experience. It's hard work but very gratifying.

In 2005 I graduated from Teacher's College in Dunedin, New Zealand. I 'm now back in Canada and I am busy with steady supply work from J/K up to grade 6. I look forward to obtaining a full teaching position soon.

Cindy Phillips Sets Personal Best 205 Lbs Bench Press Five Times

Cindy Phillips reports from her blog:

"Yesterday I did a personal best on Bench press. I did 205lbs for about 5 reps, 3 all on my own and 2 with a some help from my spotter. I Usually work out by myself and so when i rarely have a spotter ill trust with me, those are the only days i go for the big #'s, most of the time stick to weight i can do pretty easily by myself. I was prety happy with that lift. I'm not a consistent bench press kinda person cauz i usually found it to be so hard. My chest is soooo sore, its brutal."

To put her feat in perspective, New Orleans Saints Running Back Reggie Bush was recorded as bench-pressing 225 lbs 32 times; the best of any running back at the NFL Combine last March. This is also a mark set by many top level NFL players. But it's not something they do each day. Cindy's bench press would place her at least at the bottom part of their class because she does work out to do this level of lifting.

All that, and beauty too!

Jo Stewart Wins New Zealand National Bodybuilding Championship - GeneX

Jo Stewart update!, originally uploaded by genexmagazine.

GeneX reports:

Jo Stewart has taken the New Zezland National bodybuilding title for the
fifth time and just got 3rd place at the World Masters Champs in Sicily! Jo
has posted a lot of info on her site at:
http://www.muscle-xpo.co.nz/default.htm

Sheila Bleck Posing At The 2006 NPC Nationals In Miami

sbleck, originally uploaded by amproshoot.

Sheila Bleck is shown duing her posing routine at the 2006 NPC Nationals In Miami. She finished in third place in a crowded heavyweight field of star contestants and was one of the favorities to win her class.