Flex_USA_JulyAugust_2017_2
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
BEV FRANCIS<br />
NEVER WON THE<br />
MS. OLYMPIA<br />
CONTEST, THE<br />
MOST COVETED<br />
TITLE IN ALL<br />
OF WOMEN’S<br />
BODYBUILDING,<br />
ALTHOUGH HER<br />
CONTROVERSIAL<br />
SECOND-PLACE<br />
FINISH TO<br />
LENDA MURRAY<br />
IN 1991, AN EVENT<br />
TELEVISED LIVE BY<br />
ESPN, MADE HER<br />
THE BIGGEST ICON<br />
IN THE SPORT.<br />
The rivalry between the<br />
“mainstream” physique of Murray<br />
and the highly developed body of<br />
Francis went on to further define<br />
a debate—immortalized a few<br />
years prior in Pumping Iron II:<br />
The Women, which pitted Francis<br />
against Rachel McLish—which<br />
has raged for generations. It cut<br />
to the heart of the meaning of<br />
femininity, of double standards<br />
between the sexes, of whether<br />
society was ready for the<br />
advent of strong, powerful<br />
women who refused to bow to<br />
the expectations of others. It<br />
also made Francis synonymous<br />
with strength and a hero to<br />
bodybuilding purists<br />
everywhere.<br />
In the midst of Francis’<br />
competitive heyday, she and her<br />
husband, IFBB judge and former<br />
competitive powerlifter Steve<br />
Weinberger, opened a small,<br />
unassuming gym in Syosset, NY,<br />
a suburban hamlet near Long<br />
Island’s North Shore. Weinberger<br />
made a fateful decision when he<br />
COURTESY OF WEIDER HEALTH & FITNESS; COURTESY OF BEV FRANCIS POWERHOUSE GYM (4)<br />
204 FLEX | JULY/AUG ’17
Change language