2014 WBFF World Championships Take Vegas Preview

New Exercise and Fitness Review

WBFF WORLDS

Pay Per View
Aug 15-16, 2014
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
Morning Show: 10:30 a.m.
Evening Finals: 6 p.m.

This weekend, the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, will play host to one of the greatest spectacles in fitness. The World Bodybuilding Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) World Championships begin Friday night with amateur competitions and then finish Friday night with the pro stage show.

It’s not just a bodybuilding competition—it’s a showcase. Each of the 6 categories of models will perform and pose in distinct outfits, from bikinis and posing trunks to evening wear (gowns and tuxedos) to the intricately decorated theme wear of the international Divas.

FASHION MEETS FITNESS

Competitors from North America, Europe, Africa and Australia will compete to become representatives of the WBFF. The athletes and models are also on site to do photo shoots, make contacts within the industry, and make friends (and rivals) backstage.

Vital Stats

Name: Amanda Saccomanno
Age: 24
Occupation: Fitness Model
Education: BA in Speech Language Pathology
WBFF Category: Pro Bikini Diva
Website: amandasaccomanno.com

“They say it’s where fitness meets fashion,” says Amanda Saccomanno, Pro Bikini Diva and 2014 frontrunner. “It’s about showcasing your whole package, your hair, you’re all glammed up. With the theme wear and the gowns, it makes it more of a mainstream production, rather than just being a fitness show.”

Reigning Bikini Diva champion Lindsay Messina (2012-13) will not compete this year, leaving the door open for Saccomanno and the rest of the hard-working competitors waiting in the wings. However, to make their winning dreams come true, the ladies will have to get past three-time Pro Diva Fitness Model champion Andreia Brazier, who is hungry to win back her crown.

Each of the competition categories also has a corresponding amateur contest to be held the night before. Winners of each will receive a pro card and an automatic qualifier for the 2015 pro show in Vegas. You will see some amazing bodies in both the pro and amateur shows. If you can’t make it to Vegas this weekend, check it out on pay-per-view.

“It’s about showcasing your whole package, your hair, you’re all glammed up. With the theme wear and the gowns, it makes it more of a mainstream production, rather than just being a fitness show.”

The main goal of the contestants isn’t to be the biggest or most muscular on stage. The WBFF has different aims. They are looking for people who are marketable to fitness magazines, photographers, international companies, and modeling agencies. The body is vital, but looks are just as important. It is about fitness and beauty.

“I want people who are participating in the show to have a remarkable experience, and I want the audience to have an incredible show,” says WBFF founder and former IFBB Pro Paul Dillett. “I want people to walk away from the production happy. In some way or another, we all love fashion and beauty. I want to encompass all these things—fit people, beauty, and fashion—and then package it all together. People will see that vision for real this weekend!”

“I compete in the bikini division, where we’re not too muscular,” Saccomanno says. “I can keep my curves and my femininity and I like that aspect. I’ve always had an athletic shape, but in the past year I have transformed it more into a fit and aesthetically pleasing physique. I want to maintain my body for more modeling and acting.”

Vital Stats

Name: Ashley Hoffmann
Age: 26
Occupation: Neon Sport Athlete, Professional Spray Tan Artist, Personal Trainer
WBFF Category: Pro Diva Fitness Model

The female competitors stun the audience. They wear bikinis and posing suits, then wear evening gowns and colorful—and often flamboyant—theme wear. Even some of the edgier women like Ashley Hoffmann use this weekend as a chance to show their Diva sides.

“I have a hard-ass look to me,” Hoffmann states bluntly. “It’s kind of nice to have a weekend where I can be girly and be pampered as if I am the Fitness Diva that I portray on stage. People who know me know that I live up to the Diva reputation—it’s just that my sense of style is a little different. I have my diva moments where I am a bit needy, but my style is a little bit more tomboy-ish. I do like getting dressed up, though.”

Hoffmann was tight-lipped about her theme wear for this year’s show. She did give up her colors (blue and white) and said her costume is about 7-feet by 6-feet. Some of the outfits are gigantic and heavy, but these are strong women who carry them across the stage of glitter and glam.

“It’s pretty easy to get caught up the glitz of the women in the WBFF, but the men’s side is equally eye-catching.”

MUSCLE MODELS

It’s pretty easy to get caught up the glitz of the women in the WBFF, but the men’s side is equally eye-catching. Dillett presents a stage full of men with Hollywood looks and classic physiques. He wants waspy waists, washboard abs, and the chiseled jawlines you see in fashion magazines.

Vital Stats

Name: AJ Ellison
Age: 38
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Education: BA from the University of Tulsa
WBFF Category: Muscle Model

“The Muscle Model category should be the most competitive,” Dillett says. “They look like classic bodybuilders. It’s a throwback to decades ago when bodybuilding was about balance. The magazines don’t just put the best physiques on the cover. They want the best physique and also the best face. That’s marketability. That is the muscle model.”

This year, Shaun Stafford hopes to take back the Male Fitness Model title that Justin Gonzalez took from him in 2013. Stafford, the 2012 champion, appears to be in fine form.

In the Muscle Model competition, it looks like anyone could take it. Jaco de Bruyn from South Africa is looking to unseat A.J. Ellison, the returning champ, but that is no easy task!

“From the photos I’ve seen on social media, the guys all look good,” Ellison says. “That’s the reason they are all pros and why they’re at the world championships. There’s not going to be a bad physique on stage.”

“The guys all look good. That’s the reason they are all pros and why they’re at the world championships. There’s not going to be a bad physique on stage.”

WBFF Worlds Qualifiers

USA

Fitness Atlantic, Los Angeles (April & October), Orlando, Kansas City, Sacramento, Boston, Denver, New York, Oklahoma, Providence, Miami, Atlantic City

Canada

Montreal, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver

International

Australia, Denmark, London (June & November), South Africa

MORE THAN A COMPETITION

Ellison did a photo shoot Tuesday and plans to use the weekend for networking in the industry. “I chose the WBFF because they work to expose their athletes,” Ellison says. “They give us the pedestal to promote ourselves.”

Since the competitors this weekend come from all over the globe, so will the modeling opportunities. The WBFF added six shows this season, and more will come next year. Still, most of the events take place in North America.

The competitors use Worlds to not only meet agents and agencies, but also to reconnect with friends made from years past and to finally meet people they have only connected with online.

“Everyone is from all over the world and that’s great for Worlds,” Saccomanno says. “You see how many different countries get together and the different cultures and looks you get from the show. It adds diversity. Everyone is different and everyone appears different on stage.”

About The Author

Dustin has an extensive background in writing and editing and is an integral part of the process as Bodybuilding.com takes its content to a new level!

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2014 WBFF World Championships Take Vegas Preview

Supps For Skeptics: 4 Supplements For People Who Don't Take Supplements

New Exercise and Fitness Review

In recent years, thanks to a number of high-profile studies and a profusion of evidence-based discussion in the fitness community, we’ve come a long way toward legitimizing supplementation in mainstream culture.

Not that long ago, it seemed like the stereotype of a supplement-taker was either an immense, scary dude in a muscle mag ad, a hippie trying to outsmart the medical establishment, or a hypochondriac. Today, there is no clear stereotype. People from all walks of life take supplements and receive benefits from them, and some supplements, like fish oil and protein powders, have become so common that people don’t really treat them like supplements anymore; they’re more like something hovering between a food and a vitamin.

That being said, a fair number of people still fundamentally dislike the idea of nutritional supplementation. Reasons for this vary, but some of the most common are:

1. They believe that nutritional supplementation is inferior to medicine, and thus useless.


2. They are skeptical of supplement industry, its standards, and don’t trust the physical product.


3. They don’t want to consume psychoactive compounds that alter their perception.


4. They don’t want to consume “unnatural” things.

Now let’s address them. Modern medicine still has its place, but given what we now know about supplements’ benefits, it’s definitely a leap of logic to call them “useless.” As for number four, it’s a shaky type of argument known as “appeal to nature”—in other words, we assume that if something is “natural,” it must be good, even though none of us can say for sure what “natural” is.

When it comes to the other two, they are valid to a point, but they can be overcome with three things: a solid body of research, a trustworthy company, and an improvement in how someone looks, feels, or performs. Here are four well-researched products that have the potential to crack someone’s skepticism and make clear the advantages of smart supplementation.

1 Creatine

Creatine might seem like a surprising inclusion here. After all, it’s well-known, and it doesn’t have the best reputation among people who dislike supplementation. You may have already heard from them how it can damage organs, degrade your eyesight, and reduce mobility by making you puffy or “muscle-bound.”

“Creatine stands out as one of the most extensively studied nutraceuticals ever.”

So why would we include it in this list? Quite simply, all of these dangers have been shown to be false, and creatine stands out as one of the most extensively studied nutraceuticals ever. Today, 21 years after the first commercial creatine supplement came out, it continues to serve as an endorsement of how supplements can help people feel and perform better.

Here’s why:

• Creatine, as we have discussed before, is safe. It is amazingly well-tested, and has no known side effects aside from isolated case studies that can’t place causation on the creatine.


• Creatine is cheap to produce, non-allergenic, tasteless, scentless, and soluble (depending on the form bought), which means it can be added to anything at a low cost without disturbing the palate.


• Beyond improvements to physical performance, creatine is increasingly thought to support a wide range parameters of health, with particular efficacy for cognition (memory formation, attention, reaction speed, and mood).


• It’s an easy way for vegetarians and vegans to address common gaps in their diet and improve their training and athleticism, which is why we included it in our vegetarian stack


• Technically speaking, creatine is completely natural, and there is already quite a bit in your body right now.

If someone dislikes supplements but becomes educated about creatine, it could likely make the scales fall from their eyes on the entire supplement issue. Don’t fear them any longer!

2 Spirulina

Spirulina is a dark green algae powder that is approximately half protein by weight. It sometimes gets labeled with superlatives like “the healthiest food on the planet,” but this is a bit misleading, since it rarely gets used as a meal replacement. It’s relatively rare as a protein supplement as well, since the most common dosages contain a relatively low amount of protein, generally somewhere between 2-15 grams. However, it is a complete protein, which is one reason why we include it in Examine.com’s vegetarian supplement stack.

In recent years, spirulina has gotten a big boost due to promising research into its primary active ingredient, a particular collection of proteins known as C-phycocyanin, which have shown great potential in studies as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. Human studies suggest that spirulina might also improve lipid and glucose metabolism, while also reducing liver fat and protecting the heart.

So it has a health narrative, but also an athletic one; it has shown repeatedly to improve endurance exercise performance at practical doses in healthy human subjects. It’s also been deemed a “superfood,” so people who are averse to ingesting what they perceive as “chemicals” might look on it more favorably.

Examine.com’s Vegan/Vegetarian Supplement Stack

- Creatine
- L-carnitine
- Spirulina
- Beta-alanine
- Hemp protein
- Iodine

The one issue that spirulina has had to overcome is the threat of contamination from toxic substances known as microcystins. The problem is that the spirulina is a member of the phylum cyanobacteria, and most other species in this category produce microcystins. Spirulina is unable to produce microcystins, but if another bacterium from this family invades the production plant, then microcystins could, in theory, show up in their product.

This isn’t a reason to avoid spirulina, though. Since it has been used in developing nations as an alternative food supply, it has a substantial history of toxicology testing, and the takeaway is simply to be selective in procuring it. Buy from a reputable company with a good history of safety and product testing, and you should be fine.

3 Vitamin D and Vitamin K combination

As nutrients, both vitamin D and vitamin K are considered “essential,” meaning your body needs them but can’t synthesize adequate amounts on its own. Vitamin D provides benefits for bone health, mood, and a host of other areas, while vitamin K plays crucial roles in supporting bone health and regulating blood clotting.

“Vitamin D provides benefits for bone health, mood, and a host of other areas, while vitamin K plays crucial roles in supporting bone health and regulating blood clotting.”

In the body, the two nutrients are known to work synergistically, meaning each can improve the effects of the other, particularly when it comes to aiding calcium absorption and supporting arterial health. This is one reason more people are taking them together, and why they are increasingly common ingredients in calcium supplements.

Another reason to consider taking vitamins D and K are the profusion of studies are showing their optimal intakes to be higher than their recommended intake level. In fact, the chorus shouting for the RDA of both vitamins to rise gets louder year by year. Food is generally inefficient for bridging this gap, which is where supps come in.

The combination of vitamins D and K is a solid recommendation for someone cautious of supplementation due to the following reasons:

• At least for older individuals, this combination (alongside adequate dietary and magnesium levels) is widely recommended by medical professionals.


• There are numerous studies spanning multiple years using higher than the recommended doses showing no negative side effects.


• There are no significant psychoactive effects, although an elevation of mood from vitamin D is possible in people who are deficient in it.


• They are both relatively cheap and easy to find.

4 Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri, or simply bacopa, is an herb from Indian medicine, but don’t bother trying to cook with it—it tastes horrible. Traditionally, it has been advocated as both a longevity aid and a cognitive enhancement supplement, but today, it’s primarily sold as a cognitive aid.

Now, understandably, a supplement skeptic will likely consider “cognitive enhancement supplement” to be a sketchy term and assume that it doesn’t work. But in the case of bacopa, there is ample evidence suggesting otherwise. Whereas many cognitive enhancing herbs can point to 1-2 human studies—most only have animal studies—bacopa currently has eight or more studies which link it to things like memory enhancement and improved learning. It is probably the cognitive enhancer with the largest body of research behind it.

Bacopa takes time to work, though. Studies that are too short tend to note either lesser or no effects, and studies that take multiple measures note that improvements are much better at 8-12 weeks than they are at 4-6 weeks. So don’t expect anything dramatic right away.

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2014 Figure International Preview: Will Candice Keene Take Home The Win?

New Exercise and Fitness Review

When the 2014 Arnold lists were announced in December, it appeared to be a two-woman race for the coveted Figure International title. After sitting out the 2013 Arnold, Nicole Wilkins’ name was on the list and, coming off a win at the Olympia, she seemed poised to win in Columbus once again. Defending champ Candice Keene was also on the list and, with Erin Stern’s name absent, you had to figure it was a Wilkins versus Keene show. That was, of course, until Nicole announced she would not be competing in the show due to a nagging shoulder injury.

Four of last year’s top 10 will not be absent from the 2014 line-up—most notably third-place finisher Erin Stern and fifth-place Mallory Haldeman. Cheryl Brown and Kamla Macko rounded out the top 10 last year, but they’re also absent from this year’s lineup. With such an open stage, the 2014 Figure International may be Candice Keene’s show to lose.

Here’s a look at the full lineup, followed by my predictions for the top 10.

Kati Alander

Katie is an international competitor who tends to come in vascular and with a lot of muscle on her frame. She has monster delts and muscular quads, which makes her waist appear much smaller from the front. She was 13th at the Figure Olympia and, while she holds her own in the front poses, she’ll need to come into this show with much tighter glutes. I’d like to see her not flex her quads in the front poses, as the separation she demonstrated at the Olympia was closer to women’s physique than figure. I’d like to see a bit more width to her lats from the back, as well. She’ll have to bring an entirely different look to this line up if she wants to crack the top six.

Dana Ambrose

Dana will be making her Arnold debut and has put together a string of successful showings since turning pro at the 2012 NPC Jr. Nationals. Dana’s lowest finish as a pro is 10th, which she placed at her Olympia debut. She had a successful run in 2013 with five top-five finishes, and she earned her first victory at the Dallas Europa. Dana is one competitor that many people may be sleeping on, but don’t be shocked if she is in the top 10 and a contender for the top six spot. While she could add a bit more detail to her back, Dana’s back pose is where she makes up some ground on the other competitors. She always comes in tight and balanced. She continues to add some size to her quads, which helps her from the front. While I’d like to see her tilt forward just a bit more in her front pose, look for Dana to hold her own in Columbus.

Alicia Coates

This Arizona girl has heated things up since turning pro at the 2013 NPC JR Nationals. She won the D class but lost the overall. That was the last time she tasted defeat. She went on a string of victories as a pro to close out 2013. Alicia debuted with a victory at the Kentucky Muscle Pro and followed it up with another victory at the Felicia Romero Classic. Winning a pro show is a huge accomplishment, and winning your first two pro shows puts you in elite company. Now it’s time for Alicia to test herself against some of the biggest guns. No disrespect to Alicia or the competitors in her first two pro shows, but the Arnold is another level of competition. It’s where you see how you hang with the leading ladies in the division.

Can Alicia hang? Yes, but it won’t be a walk in the park. She has a good look and will definitely stand out. I’d like to see more thickness to her back, especially in the upper areas. She brought her legs down from the NPC Jr. Nationals into her pro shows, and she’ll need to match that look in Columbus. She’s a little shallow through the upper chest, and I’d like for her ribs not to show in her front poses. That said, she has the chance to finish in the money here.

Ava Cowan

We haven’t seen Ava on stage since the 2013 Figure International where she finished seventh. Recently, she’s openly shared her struggles to get back into a contest-ready position after suffering an injury last year. Will she return to top form? That’s the question that looms, and we won’t know the answer until we see her on stage. She’s never finished out of the top 10 as a pro and should finish in the top 10 once again. Still, with hungry newcomers to the lineup, it won’t be easy. Ava tends to mix up her look not only with her physique, but also her hair color and style. She tends to go back and forth between a hard and softer look. If she brings a similar look as she did to the 2013 Figure International, she could be a top-six finisher. If she doesn’t measure up, she’ll be fighting for the top 10.

Heather Dees

Heather Dees has slowly refined her physique and made changes to her look over the years. She’s brought up her legs and her delts to help give her waist a smaller look. She used to appear blocky in the mid-section during her earlier competitions as a pro. She was second at this show last year, and she’s obviously looking to move up into that winner’s position. I like the look she brought to the Houston Pro, where she finished second. If she brings that to the stage, she’ll be in the mix. She won the California Governor’s Cup the last two years and hasn’t finished out of the top five since the 2011 Olympia. Look for her to be in the first callout being compared for the win once again.

Amanda Doherty

Amanda is no stranger to this stage, but her last time competing at the Arnold was in 2003. She’ll definitely be the veteran of the line-up, and the lone representative of Australia. She’s coming off a 14th place finish at the California Governor’s Cup. Her highest finish as a figure pro was a pair of sixth place finishes at the 2012 Sheru Classic and the 2013 Australian Pro. I don’t see her cracking the top 10 in this competitive field, but never say never. She’ll need to tweak little things like her posing, especially from the back, as she tends to flare her arms out a bit too far to the side.

Allison Frahn

Allison has been on a roller coaster when it comes to placing since achieving pro status at the 2011 Team Universe. She’s been as high as second and as low as 11th. This will be her first time competing at the Arnold, and she’ll have her work cut out for her to get into the top six spots. She’s come a long way since turning pro, adding muscle and a refined the look to her physique. Structurally, she’s not as genetically gifted as some of the other competitors, so she has an uphill battle from the get-go. You have to give her props for how far she’s come in the last three years. She could sneak into the top six, but a top 10 finish would be a solid showing for Allison in this line-up.

Karina Grau (Karina Grau Servin)

Karina is a virtual unknown in this line-up. She comes to the competition by way of Paraguay and has competed in Columbus before as an amateur. She finished out of the top 10 in the 2012 Arnold Amateur. Her win at the inaugural Arnold Classic Brasil Amateur granted her pro status. Karina has one pro show to her credit. She finished 13th in her pro debut and will need to bring a tighter look with improved posing to hang in the top spots at this show. If she brings a look similar to the Arnold Brasil, she could be in the hunt for the top ten. She has the muscle; her placing will come down to her conditioning and posing.

Candice Keene

The champ is back, and she has a target on her back. Candice has positioned herself as the one to beat and, as the defending champ, she’s earned that right. She’s one of six women to win the title since it was introduced to the Arnold Sports Festival in 2003. She’ll look to join the elite by winning it more than once, an honor only Jenny Lynn, Mary Lado, and Nicole Wilkins have earned. She was third at the 2013 Olympia and, with Nicole and Erin both out of the picture, Candice is her own biggest competitor.

You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find a show where Candice was out of the top 10, and she hasn’t been out of the top five in three years. She was eighth at this show in 2011 and third in 2012 before winning it last year. Candice also had a break out year in 2013, recording three pro victories. If she can duplicate the look she brought to the stage in 2013, she’ll be the champ. If there’s one thing I’d like to see her improve, it’s her abs. It could be a genetic thing, but it’s the one body part that lacks in her physique.

Candice Lewis

Candice is one of the “bubble” girls in this line-up: She could be in the hunt for a top spot or she could be on the outside of the top six looking in—it all depends on what look she brings to the stage. Heading into the Olympia, Candice was a bit out of her element, and you could tell she was off her game. A move from Arizona to Denver might have been part of it, but now that she’s settled, that shouldn’t be an issue. The ninth place finish at the 2013 Olympia was her lowest finish as a pro and, after a stellar 2012 season, she’ll be looking to get back in the top spots. She was fourth at this show last year and, if her legs are down in size and she nails her conditioning, she’ll be in the mix once again.

Candice has a nice look and tiny waist, but her biggest challenge is her legs not looking overly muscular. It’s the one downside of years of running track. Still, Candice has proven she can be a top-five contender. She has six pro victories to her credit since turning pro at the 2011 NPC Jr. Nationals.

Elissa Martis

Elissa will be making her pro debut. She’ll make her presence known straight out of the gate. She carries a lot of muscle on her frame, but she has a good look. She’s always smiling and, while it might seem silly, when you see it on stage you can’t help but be drawn to the positive energy she exudes. The biggest challenge she faces is her lack of stage time. In 2013, Elissa was second in her class at the NPC Battle on the Beach. She followed that with another runner-up finish at the Southeast Classic.

Elissa won her class at the 2013 NPC Jr. USA and narrowly missed out on a pro card. She slipped to seventh at the Team Universe contest before winning her class and the overall title at the NPC Nationals. This will be her sixth show ever. Don’t be shocked if she is compared for a top six spot. She has the potential to shake things up. The two biggest things that could hold Elissa back are her muscularity and her conditioning. She’ll need to be lean but not ripped. She’s definitely this show’s x-factor.

Larissa Reis

Larissa carries a ton of muscle on her frame, and many thought she’d make the move to the physique division. She didn’t compete in 2013, and the last time we saw her on stage was the 2012 Arnold Europe, where she finished sixth. She was 10th at the 2012 Olympia and finished sixth at the Figure International. She was sixth at this contest in 2010, 11th in 2011, and seventh in 2012. Larissa could crack the top 10, but I don’t see her in the mix for the top six. If she comes in conditioned without looking overly muscular, she’ll place. I’d like to see her posing a bit more refined, specifically in how she positions her arms.

Camala Rodriguez-McClure

Camala was a runner up at the 2012 Fitness International. She made her Figure International debut last year, where she finished sixth. She should be in the mix for top six once again, but it will all come down to her conditioning. She was seventh at the 2013 Olympia and is coming off a win at the Houston Pro. When it comes to competing, she’s her own worst enemy. Camala tends to be inconsistent with the bigger shows because she changes what works at the smaller shows. If she brings a look like she did to the 2013 Olympia and Houston Pro, she’ll be a real contender. If she comes in too big, too muscular, or not as conditioned, she’ll be left outside the top six.

Giadi Simari

This will be Giadi’s second trip to the Figure International. She was 16th last year, and if she works on some small details, she can move up this time around. Many times the international competitions tend to award a slightly leaner and more muscular look than shows in the USA. Like many international competitors, Giadi can often come in too lean. If she changes her suit cut, it would make a big difference in the look of her physique, especially from the back.

Gennifer Strobo

Gennifer struggled early in her pro career for coming in flat and losing muscle heading into a show. She was eighth at the 2013 Olympia, but before that she won the Pittsburgh Pro and Powerhouse Pro. This will be her third time competing at the Figure International, and she has yet to crack the top six. Gen was ninth in 2012 and placed eighth at last year’s Arnold. Genetically, she doesn’t have the same flowing lines to her physique as some of the other competitors, especially from the back. I’d like to see her with a bit more width to her lats and detail to her back. She has huge delts, which can help give the illusion of a smaller waistline, but she has to watch her vascularity and make sure she’s not too shredded.

Ann Titone

Ann is another competitor who has transformed her physique over the past two years. She’s brought up her upper body and improved the size of her legs. She’s brought the illusion of a smaller waist to the stage and is coming off her best showing in a big show. She was sixth at the 2013 Olympia and, before that, nabbed two pro wins in a row in Chicago and Toronto. Ann is a great example of being patient and putting in the work away from the stage. I look for Ann to bring an even more improved physique to the stage and finish in the top six. She was 11th at this show last year and, if you’re a gambler, put your money on Ann improving on that placing this year.

Natalie Waples

Natalie is the lone representative of Canada in this line-up. She’s tasted victory in Columbus before, but it was at the 2008 Arnold Amateur. She was 16th at this contest last year, and her placings have been all over the map. When it comes to the big shows—Arnold and Olympia—she struggles to crack the top 10. She fares better at the smaller shows. Natalie will be one of the smaller competitors in this line-up and will have to hope to get a look based on her structure. It’s not an impossible goal, but it’s a challenging one. Natalie tends to be consistent with her conditioning. It’s her lack of muscle compared to the others in this line-up that will be her biggest obstacle.

As always, the outcome depends on who brings their A-game, but it wouldn’t be a preview piece if there weren’t predictions. Here are my predictions, but feel free to voice yours in the comments, and be sure to check out the webcast here on Bodybuilding.com!

TOP 10 PREDICTIONS

1. Candice Keene


2. Ann Titone


3. Heather Dees


4. Camala Rodriquez


5. Alicia Coates


6. Dana Ambrose


7. Candice Lewis


8. Elissa Martis


9. Gen Strobo


10. Ava Cowan

Last Year’s Results 2014 Arnold Classic

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2014 Figure International Preview: Will Candice Keene Take Home The Win?