Speak it, believe it, achieve it!

I’ve always admired a good physique. Grew up reading comic books that my uncle had collected in a huge "grocery" box. Spider-Man, Thor, Superman, Batman, Mystery in Space, and more. Ten-cent magazines made of newsprint and that each told a story of some superhero adventure or strange tale from a writer’s and an artist’s imagination, comic books always captured my imagination.

And in those comics there were always some advertisements for Charles Atlas or Joe Weider or some other "muscle man". They portrayed real people who looked like superheroes. Pretty cool for a kid and definitely influenced my opinion of what a physique should (or could) look like.

No, I’m not Mr. America nor will I ever be, but I’ve kept my average build from becoming a total wreck and do hit the gym regularly. Although these last two weeks…

I enjoy physique competitions for the same reason, I’m guessing, that many people enjoy gymnastic competitions. They - the bodybuilding shows - offer entertainment by way of the human body in motion. The best athletes in bodybuilding, imo, are the ones who combine a dynamite physique with the ability to display that physique!

One such athlete is Monica Montone who competed in Maryland recently. Her routines are always a sight to behold. I mentioned previously that I first saw her compete in a NABBA contest. Here are some pics from that show:

In my opinion, they should have given her all the trophies. lol

Okay, that’s not fair, but there should definitely be more athletes like Montone. Competitors who possess posing talent as well as an admirable physique. It’s always awkward to see someone walk out on stage and then realize that they have no clue how to pose effectively. It’s like watching Ellen in that episode of Seinfeld.

Elaine Benis Dances from Seinfeld

Not pretty.

True posing ability combined with a dynamite body? That’s another thing entirely.

Claudia Montemaggi Ms. Millenium
Claudia Montemaggi at the 1992 Ms. Olympia competition

Claudia Montemaggi has a background in classical ballet which clearly served her well on the bodybuilding stage.

Monica Montone has these same skills. And if anyone out there was also in attendance at the 2007 NABBA contest in Middletown, PA and has footage of Montone’s posing routine, please give a shout.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 at 3:14 pm and is filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.