Too much muscle for Bikini?

[Lilr24]

My friend was told at a show this past weekend she had too much muscle for bikini. I'm interested to hear what your opinions are, since in mine, she had the best physique up there. The other girls looked like they had just went out and bought a cute suit, and decided to compete, never actually touching a weight before. She is in the purple suit. Tall class

[stephaniewicked]

It's hard to tell based on one photo, but she has lines in her abs, good definition, a nice structure... I think she has a beautiful physique and could do well in bikini, but what do I know? :dunno: This goes back to the whole blurry lines between figure and bikini debate. She could be on the cusp, I suppose... :confused:

You look great also... how did you do??

[Hit-Girl]

Does she not want to move to figure?

[Lilr24]

It's hard to tell based on one photo, but she has lines in her abs, good definition, a nice structure... I think she has a beautiful physique and could do well in bikini, but what do I know? :dunno: This goes back to the whole blurry lines between figure and bikini debate. She could be on the cusp, I suppose... :confused:

You look great also... how did you do??

Thank you, I won my class, but didn't get the overall. I was a little disappointed but had quite a few ppl come up to me after the show and tell me they thought I had it hands down...so that made me feel a little better. Getting ready for Jr. Nats now.

But my friend got 4th overall in the bikini. She has been doing it for a year now, and each show they tell her something different. SHe used to do figure, and is contemplating going back to it in the Master's Class since she's 41. She's competed at the national level and placed well, then goes to this local show and they tell her too much muscel. She's so torn now whether to keep putting money into it and get beat by girls who don't look as good, cross back over to figure, or just call it quits. She really likes how she looks now though.

[stephaniewicked]

She's 41??? HOLY!!! She looks phenomenal... tell her to keep kicking ass! And if they say she has too much muscle for bikini, go for figure - why not??

Congratulations!!!! :flowers: I'm competing at Jr Nats too so I'll see you there!!

[AVBG]

with her definition for that show, she would have done well in the figure class.

[Lilr24]

She's 41??? HOLY!!! She looks phenomenal... tell her to keep kicking ass! And if they say she has too much muscle for bikini, go for figure - why not??

Congratulations!!!! :flowers: I'm competing at Jr Nats too so I'll see you there!!


Awesome!!! Good luck my dear! 5 WEEKS : )

[Chris Pearce]

I didn't think she has too much muscle; rather, I think she's a little too hard... too cut for bikini. When I think of bikini I think of a softer, fuller look.

[MiamiMadePunk]

My friend was told at a show this past weekend she had to much musce for bikini. I'm interested to hear what your opinions are, since in mine, she had the best physique up there. The other girls looked like they had just went out and bought a cute suit, and decided to compete, never actually touching a weight before. She is in the purple suit. Tall class

LOL!!, tell your friend to do more weights because theres nothing wrong with bikini girls having too much muscle in fact I find it attractive in girls with muscle than girls who are thin, frail and have no muscle.

[~gymdiva~]

^but for purposes of bikini there's supposed to be no such thing as muscle!

[sduque]

LOL!!, tell your friend to do more weights because theres nothing wrong with bikini girls having too much muscle in fact I find it attractive in girls with muscle than girls who are thin, frail and have no muscle.

True statement but doesn't answer her question which to me she looks very much for Figure Category and if she continues to lift hard, she can do the cross over to bodybuilding. Being a 4yr competitor, 3 in figure I agree with Bikini girls poping in a suit and voila onstage! No definition, no muscle, just plain jane slim and some? no butt.. yet competing. When you see this it seems unfair we kill ourselves lifting to earn a trophie and yet they can walk in and OH SHE'S a Winner? :dunno: kinda sucks but that's exactly what judges like! less clothes! You can't tell me some of the bottom piece is more than our suites? NOT.

BODYBUILDING COMPETITIONS .. says building your body right? So why bikini category? aren't there too many beauty peagants already? then that's where these girls belong.. I think;)

[Ibarramedia]

My friend was told at a show this past weekend she had too much muscle for bikini. I'm interested to hear what your opinions are, since in mine, she had the best physique up there. The other girls looked like they had just went out and bought a cute suit, and decided to compete, never actually touching a weight before. She is in the purple suit. Tall class


She looks great 41 or 21, She looks great. Too bad they think she has too much muscle. I don't think she has enough muscle, but I'm no judge or anybody important.

[sassy69]

I think local shows have a skewed view of what "Bikini" should be -- which then makes it hard to come up to the national level w/ a competitive physique. She looks great tho. I agree she's right on the edge of either.

[~gymdiva~]

I think she should try out a national level bikini show and see what they tell her....does that 4th qualify her for one?

[The Big Sexy]

The judges out here are told NO MUSCLE in bikini. So, if you have muscle - go to figure. Now, a little bit of "tone" is ok - but if they see striations in your delts and lines in your quads - that's too much. I don't think abs is over the top by any means - but if you have shredded abs - you more than likely are going to be leaner elsewhere too.

Frankly, if you have enough muscle to be questioning whether or not to do bikini or figure - you should make the plunge for figure. IMHO

[tammyp]

MAYBE she just needs to soften up a bit. hard to tell w just 1 pic though.

[Lilr24]

Thank you for all your input, I will def. let her know some of your opinions. I thought that the bikin class was gonna be a little softer than figure, but not to the point of just straight and skinny. I just think of bodybuiding as an athletic sport and if they wanted to be regular bikini competitiors, do a beauty pagent. NPC and IFBB are athletic organizations, and to win your pro status you are considered a Pro Athlete, so in my opinion the bikini girls shoul have some defenition and muscle. No, not as lean as figure or size, but you should still be able to look at her and say wow she has a great physique and tell she works out, not that she naturally has a stick straight body and a nice boob job, which is what I'm seeing in the bikini classes. It really unfortuante.

[GeminiJedi]

The head judge here says bikini girls should go for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model look. So tight butts, some abs are ok, some shoulders, but a very soft (but still tight) look. That's what wins here, too, so I can say that the judging here is consistent, and our girls tend to do pretty well on the National (and pro) stages.

I think your friend looks good from that pic. Her quads look too big for bikini, though. Even if her quads aren't cut, but you can tell they're muscular, it's too much for bikini. I think she looks fabulous, regardless of what category she competes in.

[Curt James]

I didn't think she has too much muscle; rather, I think she's a little too hard... too cut for bikini. When I think of bikini I think of a softer, fuller look.

Did you see pics of the Bikini competitors at the NY Pro? Lots of visible abs there. Cut athletes.

I'm not sure the judges know what they're looking for.

To the OP, your friend looks great and should definitely continue to compete. Figure or Bikini is her choice. She looks great for both!

[MsGuns]

Yall both look GREAT....
She should ride bikini out and see what they say @ a national level show...
Bikini is still new and each show is different.

[Franz'Kaiser' Beckenbauer]

From what I've seen in RX's coverage, it seems that unfortunately her legs are a little too hard for Bikini. Similar situation with Jelena Abbou who didn't win because her abs were too defined

[chris mason]

Your friend is in great shape. Like someone else said, I suppose it really just depends on the judges.

[bluesky89]

[B][COLOR=Black]Boot look great and hot

[justine0101]

It definitely depends on the judges, other competitors & stage prescence. This person won the bikini overall of NPC Steel World & she has a similar physique to your friend:

http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/newgallery/IMG_8401_YPNFFDYWIO.jpg

[Ibarramedia]

Not bad. What is her name again?

[Will Brink]

with her definition for that show, she would have done well in the figure class.

Agreed. Probably a tad too lean for bikini.

[justine0101]

Not bad. What is her name again?

her name is dawn harigel - she's won i think 3 overall's in bikini so far this year. So her physique is working. It's confusing that the original posters friends is being told she's too muscular yet the other girl i posted is just fine - go figure:dunno:

[bob7708]

The information is scarce on her though and, yes, she could just as well be in bodybuilding but the Bikini classification works well for her and this is where probably she should stay.
Dawn Harigel has one VERY spectacular body and is a natural beauty to boot. :angel:

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2865/dawnharigeljihfpghxxxx1.jpg
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/7577/dawnharigelxtamxxx100.jpg
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5568/dawnharigelvyfaomxxx100.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8112/dawnharigeluoxxzx100.jpg

[Ibarramedia]

She looks great as a bikini competitor but sadly will not be appreciated by the general public who are not even ready for bikini. :rolleyes:

[FitnBuf]

She is kinda in the middle...she is soft below, and hard up top. I think the judges want a certain look for bikini which is softer to ensure there is a true difference between figure and bikini...IMO.

She does look great tho.

[Ibarramedia]

She is kinda in the middle...she is soft below, and hard up top. I think the judges want a certain look for bikini which is softer to ensure there is a true difference between figure and bikini...IMO.

She does look great tho.


You might want to read this:

The public is still not ready for female physique competitors - RX Muscle Forums

[FitnBuf]

You might want to read this:

The public is still not ready for female physique competitors - RX Muscle Forums (http://forums.rxmuscle.com/showthread.php?t=36512)

I enjoyed that thread, thank you :) ....very true too...

I do not disagree with your opinion as I feel the same when in conversations with the "general public"...my point in this thread was just to address the question regarding the particular competitor noted, as the way the judges advised her. there is absolutely nothing wrong with muscle, but in order to be successful in competing you must know what division would better suit your body...bikini, figure or body building. I love girl muscle (I just wish I could grow it faster as I struggle with my -tiny frame ;) )

[Musclepapa John]

They can only judge what is on stage. Plus, I'm not sure they are all equally as frank. If the women are equal in all other ways, but one of the
bikini competitors acts like this on stage who do you think wins?:yep:
Jessica Jessie showing off some personality:
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I believe you have to show more personality in the way you move to be successful in bikini. Those who stand a bit more rigid maybe through figure competition training won't fair as well.


Did you see pics of the Bikini competitors at the NY Pro? Lots of visible abs there. Cut athletes.

I'm not sure the judges know what they're looking for.

To the OP, your friend looks great and should definitely continue to compete. Figure or Bikini is her choice. She looks great for both!

[FitnBuf]

Thank you for posting this vid....you know it pisses me off that she behaved like a slut on the stage...that does not help the image of the bikini division. I will be competing late this year in bikini mainly because I have a hard time growing muscle for figure (figure is what I originally wanted to do :( ) But how can I want to compete in a division that treats the girls like strippers....it plagues me as I feel it down grades the entire purpose of competing .... I am not trying to be in a pageant, but thats wth it looks like they are doing....(maybe I should wait to see how much muscle I can put on by next year and compete in figure ... at least there is more respect displayed for figure!!!)

Sorry for the rant, it just disturbs me

[Musclepapa John]

Without a doubt you are looking at a future pro. Jessica Jessie, Jessica Boughers, Junkette Jessie, Jessie Gambino or whatever her name is today is just that good. As she mentioned in this video she has won over 50 pageants.

As someone in the industry the main thing that concerns me is whether or not I shoot with her:p
Seriously though there is some amazing talent in all divisions and we are in the midst of the season. Bring your A-Game and Get In The Game Doll!
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Thank you for posting this vid....you know it pisses me off that she behaved like a slut on the stage...that does not help the image of the bikini division. I will be competing late this year in bikini mainly because I have a hard time growing muscle for figure (figure is what I originally wanted to do :( ) But how can I want to compete in a division that treats the girls like strippers....it plagues me as I feel it down grades the entire purpose of competing .... I am not trying to be in a pageant, but thats wth it looks like they are doing....(maybe I should wait to see how much muscle I can put on by next year and compete in figure ... at least there is more respect displayed for figure!!!)

Sorry for the rant, it just disturbs me

[JocelynL]

As another competitor on the cusp...just go with what you want. I have always admired the figures of Felicia, Erin, and Jenny (many others) over what was presented for bikini earlier this year...
I have seen Dawn on stage and too much muscle or not, she rocks it...hands down. Presentation ladies! Im hoping that her look paves the way because I admire and resemble a more muscular yet curvy look. As a competitor and avid spectator, bikini is more fun...however, the performance erotica that some girls use is over the line. I haven't seen Jessica Jesse on stage but her pics at least show that her body and beauty are undeniable in this forum regrdless of how she poses. Jamie Baird is an example of a pro from the get go that brings more class than crass.
Because of these girls and Amanda, Sonia and some others that appear to be taking bikini to a better level I am now comfortable with my decision to switch...not gonna lie...uber unsure at first bc of what i was seeing.

Overall, I have been training and dieting just as hard as i would for figure (original SoStates plan), I just let my body decide. I dont know what the judges will tell me on stage a week from Friday but I do know that I am totally ecstatic with my body and i sure as hell didnt just walk off the beach and onto the stage.