The contest season is finally in full swing and the Rx Muscle crew has our laptops charged and bags packed as we hit the road to bring the best contest reporting in the industry. Our coverage is expanding and this Saturday we will be attending the 2010 NPC Pittsburgh & IFBB Pittsburgh Figure and Bikini Championships for the first time. NPC President Jim Manion holds this annual event and it always proves to be as competitive as a national-level show. With the rescheduling of the NPC Jr. USA, the Pittsburgh is now the holy grail of the spring season. The overall titles carry prestige and quite often lead to IFBB Pro Cards later in the year. The 2009 NPC Pittsburgh saw SEVEN future pros take the stage including the overall winners of men's bodybuilding (Seth Feroce), figure (Andrea Watson), and Bikini (Jaime Baird). This year will be no different and we'll be reporting on the names to watch during the year to come. If you aren't excited about the future stars of the sport, then how about ultra-competitive line-ups in pro figure and bikini. JM Manion even called this a preview of the Bikini Olympia! And if that still doesn't do it for you, then consider the guest posing line-up: Kai Greene, Dennis Wolf. 8x Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman, Dexter Jackson, Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, Branch Warren, Phil Heath, Victor Martinez, and Zach Khan....no words necessary with this group. How about I launch this great weekend with a preview and predictions of the IFBB Figure and Bikini?
PRO FIGURE
The Pro Figure line-up is stacked and the judges are going to have their work cut out for them. These girls 
are fighting it out for a Top-3 placing that comes with a prestigious Olympia qualification. The favorite coming in has to be the stunning Heather Mae French. She claimed third at the Olympia, 3rd at the Arnold two months ago, and she claimed a 1st at the New Zealand Pro. None of the ladies that beat her at those shows are competing in Pittsburgh and Heather never shows up anything short of her best. Her blend of beauty, great lines, and tight condition should lead to her first victory of 2010.
The next two places are up for grabs and I've got my eye on three ladies that will lead the challenge. Cheryl Brown is my pick for second. I thought she deserved it in Orlando two weeks ago and I expect to her be even better in Pittsburgh. The
key for Cheryl is to not get too hard; she gets in great shape but runs the risk of looking a little stringy. Within striking distance is Marcy Porter, who edged out Cheryl for second in Orlando. Marcy brought her best physique to date and surprised everyone with her great conditioning. Now she has to prove that she can be consistent and that's something that Heather Mae and Cheryl have already established. Marcy's condition will have to be perfect because she's a bit under-muscled and needs to be lean to show her lines. The third lady that will be in the battle for second and third is Gennifer Strobo, who finished third last fall in her pro debut at the Ft. Lauderdale Cup. She's on a rapid rise 
to the top and as she continues to fill out her tall frame she'll only get better.
Honorable mention goes to Jodie Minear. She is just flat-out gorgeous, but I'm trying not to let that impact my objectivity. At her pro-debut in Phoenix she was far from her best and needs to work on presentation and conditioning. These are two "good" problems to have because they can be fixed with a little hard work. I'm predicting that Jodie did her homework and is bringing a top physique that could shake up my predictions and I could see her sneaking into third if someone slips. Also keep an eye out for one of Rx Muscle's favorites, Tivisay Briceno. She's always on the cusp of breaking into the Top 5 and she improved with every show last year (and she did just about every show). This should be her year to qualify for the Olympia and if it's not this weekend, it'll come this summer. We'll also be looking out for some new faces as a handful of rookies take the stage.
IFBB FIGURE TOP 5 PREDICITON:
1. Heather Mae French
2. Cheryl Brown
3. Gennifer Strobo
4. Jodie Minear
5. Marcy Porter
PRO BIKINI
We've made plenty of jokes at the expense of the bikini division and I'm as guilty as anyone for having my doubts, but I was won over at the Europa Orlando. This was the first Pro Bikini competition Rx Muscle got 
to see live and it did not disappoint. The ladies were all fit, gorgeous, and had the stage swagger to match. I'd even venture to say that I'm starting to get it; the judging criteria makes sense to me and I see where the division is going. It just took about 15 of the most beautiful women on the planet to drive the point home. The line-up in Pittsburgh is the deepest and most competitive yet and I wouldn't be surprised if we see the future Olympia champ onstage this Saturday.
First and second is a tossup between the only two IFBB pro bikini champs alive, Sonia Gonzales and Nathalia Melo. Figure-convert Sonia won the first two shows of 2010 and Nathalia took the victory in Orlando; this will be their first time facing each other. Sonia was no slouch in figure; she'd won a pro show and finished as high as sixth at the Olympia. Recently, she's softened up a bit and has a perfect structure to complement her exotic beauty. The ravishing Brazilian Nathalia
will certainly push Sonia. She knocked us out of our chairs in Orlando and ran away with the show. She had everything from top to bottom; perfect shape and she knew how to wear it. First and second could go either way, but I'll go out on a limb and give it to Sonia based on experience.
The two beautiful brunettes of Team Bombshell are back and you can expect Jaime Baird and Missy Coles to be in the top 5 and even contending for the win. Jaime was my pick for the win in Orlando, but she was topped by Nathalia. She's tall and curvy, but still carrying tight condition. Dave's pick in Orlando, 
Missy Coles, took third and it was a close battle between her and Jaime. It prompted the most serious debate of the weekend between Dave and me as we argued who's "hotter."
My pick to grab the fifth spot is Tianna Ta. She's dead sexy and I have to show some love to a lady from the Northeast. We'll see if she finds the right balance between conditioning and curves come Saturday. If she's off, 5th place is wide open and any lady could grab it. I'd love to see Sherlyn Roy get her due this weekend; her tight physique and amazing stage presence were overlooked in Orlando.
IFBB BIKINI TOP 5 PREDICTIONS:
1. Sonia Gonzales
2. Nathalia Melo
3. Jaime Baird
4. Missy Coles
5. Tianna Ta
STAY TUNED TO RX MUSCLE all weekend! Friday afternoon you can see pre-interviews with some of the top pros and Saturday morning (9am EST) we'll be live at the prejudging providing a live play by play on the forums (CLICK HERE) with photo updates. Saturday night you can see Dave Palumbo interview all the IFBB and NPC winners as well as watch the official video wrap up of the show. In between you never know what we'll drum up, but if you followed us in Orlando you'll know Dave always has some tricks up his sleeves.
Don't forget to stay on board with us Sunday for coverage of the NPC Jay Cutler Classic provided by Jeff the Producer. Boston will be a hot spot for bodybuilding on Sunday and the New Englanders come out in droves. Thanks to SPECIES' Isolyze for sponsoring Jeff's coverage and providing the 30 scoops of premium whey isolate that he consumes daily.
