As the people who read my blog regularly knows, I’m a big fan of Pauline Nordin. I have posted about her many times and linked to her blog which is a fantastic read by the way if you are into hard core fitness! Lately, I’ve been on a quest for a six pack, and have found a new role model in that respect. Check out photos of Ava Cowan – she is an IBFF figure pro and spokesperson for Gaspari Nutrition, you can find her on the cover of April 2010’s issue of Fitness Rx for women and she has multiple ads in Oxygen Magazine among other fitness magazines, for Gaspari Nutrition. I like the fact that she looks ripped but still not too big/masculine like some female bodybuilders tend to get.
If this doesn’t motivate, I don’t know what will! And while I’m at it, here’s one for my motivation to train my behind also, of the always infamous Pauline Nordin:
So now – I’m all ready to wire my jaw shut and get my a&* to the gym! Just kidding about the jaw wiring, I’m all for a good meal y’all!! Will hopefully post some more positive notes throughout the week so stay tuned, also for more recipes!!
sunnyandfit.com 
Hey Sunny! Googled Ava Cowan, and she is so pretty. That six pack is bananas, but she doesn’t look freakish with it. I like the look of bodybuilders who still retain what makes us feminine… That being said, it’s interesting to see how bodybuilders sculpt their bodies for whatever they’re working on be it an advertisement or a show or just a picture shoot- it’s cool to see in one picture Pauline will look “soft” but in another muscles are popping out all over the place.
I’m finding your journey fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Elizabeth! Yes, photos are funny that way and Pauline has addressed that too, how she can look different in each shot/photo shoot. It all has to do about lighting, angles and whether she is tanned/pale or not – kind of like with regular models I suppose! I am definitely aiming for that “lean, ripped but not butch” look too, so that is why these two ladies are an inspiration! Thanks for your comments and for following my blog, Elizabeth! 🙂
Wow those are some serious abs, but I do think she is way more bulky for lack of better word than Pauline or Jaquelin. Her muscles pop out more than the other twos. Funny how that is, some people naturally have more muscle or it shows on them sooner even if they aren’t all that lean. Me I hardly build any no matter how much lifting and physical jobs I’ve had whereas some of my friends have major guns and they do less.
Mikaela – you are right, we are all different with different physiques, some have an easier time to get ‘ripped’ than others. I do believe that everyone can look built and show their muscles, but it’s about shedding body fat in addition to gaining muscle. It doesn’t matter how many crunches you do and how hard you work if you have layers of fat on top of it covering the muscles up 🙂 Not that you have that, by any means but even ‘thin’ people can have high(er) body fat percentage relative to muscle mass. It’s not natural for the body to look ‘ripped’ thus we must resort to extreme measures to achieve that look!! 🙂
I agree about the fat, but I still do think that the amount of muscle or bulk is induvidual as well. You are also right about thin people actually being fat, some of those models have a higher fat % than an average person, because they have no muscle tone. And I do have fat on my ass and nowadays on my tummy too, right now it is driving me nuts because I am apying attention to it. Nice side effect from not being able to run, lets what else is wrong….LOL.