Palyo's thickness in the chest, back and, well, pretty much everything above the waist was ridiculous for 1986 and still looked amazing when I watched my VHS of the 1986 Nationals back in the 2000s. She was probably the first woman I saw -- OK, maybe Mary Roberts, the year before when she won the Worlds -- whose pecs demanded you take notice.

Back then, maybe one or two people in our dorm had VCRs, which were still pretty pricey for poor college students. One of my best friends had not only a VCR, but went through the minor hassle of getting cable in his room (we'd just gotten it in the lobby a couple of years before). He taped the 1986 Nats for me off ESPN and, whenever I wanted to watch it, would vacate his room for a couple of hours to give me privacy. That's friendship.

One more from the set above guys....I pasted 2 pages together as best I could....


 
     
And another find...



 
     
 

A few more of Cathey


 

     

Fund a couple more...Enjoy:)


 
     

 
     
 

 

SOME chicks are just unbelievably SEXY!!!!

 

     

 

     

Time for an appropriate thread bump with this current-ish article about Cathey, who now goes by the name Catt Tripoli and operates a gym in California:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/6148039-181/conscious-fitness-lays-the-groundwork?artslide=0



Here is Catt spotting a client.

Love this particular paragraph highlighting Cathey's well-known outspokenness :

When the IFBB first mandated drug testing for female bodybuilders, Tripoli planned to stage a protest. “It was controversial,” she said. “What sport only tests women? Why not test the men, too?” Though she cooperated and passed the testing, the unprofessional manner in which it was handled didn’t make sense to her.
The testing took place in a bathroom stall at San Francisco International Airport; the woman sent to test her was a real estate agent (not a nurse), and her sample was tested in a bar.
Tripoli questioned the practice and decided to walk away from competition.


Further pics that show she still has it at... 58 !



     


     

Great find. One of the first female bobybuilders I remember seeing in Flex or some other muscle magazine how she bragged about outbenching men in the gym. She was not humble which I found interesting back then. I think she was benching 245 or so, which was a lot for somebody outside of Bev Francis at the time. I think she was 5-5 and around 160 off-season. Maybe less but he was pretty back for the late eighties.

New article on Cathey by the Sonoma Index Tribune last December:
http://www.sonomanews.com/news/6402001-181/kenwood-bodybuilder-finds-inner-strength?artslide=0

Found this a couple of days ago and wanted to rant. It’s all in good nature. Don’t worry, I’m not livid with the creator, just wanted to speak my mind:


Absolutely horrible comparison! Whoever created this…shame on you! Top ranked former Ms. Olympia’s like Rachel McLish or Carla Dunlap are perfect examples of how much women have progressed over the years being that Rachel and Carla were not massive competitors, but ranked number 1 in the world among female bodybuilders as Ms. O title holders.

However, Cathey Palyo is a different story. She's one of the pioneers, if not the first, to bring big muscles of her type to the stage. Not only was she the most consistent amateur competitor in wins during her days, but was also the first American Ms. International winner. The woman was built!

Cathey had probably the most notable back development in the 80’s and to scale down a photo and compare her to Figure women of today is just terrible and appalling. Even by today’s standards, she would make Figure girls look small. For instance, imagine Erin Stern in a comparison and posedown with Cathey. Cathey would wipe the stage with her and win the judges over with little to no effort. Flawless victory! No contest!

The 80’s or 90’s should never be regarded as an era where female bodybuilders were generally smaller, with the exception of Fitness/Figure girls. Countless female bodybuilders were quite big in the 80’s, but didn’t receive recognition, because the industry did not want women to go to the extremes like the men, so they were neither promoted or judged fairly in various shows.


1986 World Amateur Championships – IFBB

Cathey Palyo (1st place) Vs. Hannie Van Aken (3rd place)

Would love to see how they compared on stage. Hannie was a huge lady! She was another with a glorious and majestic back. I wonder how she faired in comparison to Cathey.

Found this a couple of days ago and wanted to rant. It’s all in good nature. Don’t worry, I’m not livid with the creator, just wanted to speak my mind:


Absolutely horrible comparison! Whoever created this…shame on you! Top ranked former Ms. Olympia’s like Rachel McLish or Carla Dunlap are perfect examples of how much women have progressed over the years being that Rachel and Carla were not massive competitors, but ranked number 1 in the world among female bodybuilders as Ms. O title holders.

However, Cathey Palyo is a different story. She's one of the pioneers, if not the first, to bring big muscles of her type to the stage. Not only was she the most consistent amateur competitor in wins during her days, but was also the first American Ms. International winner. The woman was built!

Cathey had probably the most notable back development in the 80’s and to scale down a photo and compare her to Figure women of today is just terrible and appalling. Even by today’s standards, she would make Figure girls look small. For instance, imagine Erin Stern in a comparison and posedown with Cathey. Cathey would wipe the stage with her and win the judges over with little to no effort. Flawless victory! No contest!

The 80’s or 90’s should never be regarded as an era where female bodybuilders were generally smaller, with the exception of Fitness/Figure girls. Countless female bodybuilders were quite big in the 80’s, but didn’t receive recognition, because the industry did not want women to go to the extremes like the men, so they were neither promoted or judged fairly in various shows.


1986 World Amateur Championships – IFBB

Cathey Palyo (1st place) Vs. Hannie Van Aken (3rd place)

Would love to see how they compared on stage. Hannie was a huge lady! She was another with a glorious and majestic back. I wonder how she faired in comparison to Cathey.

Thank you for this post
Alison Brundage