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Herbiceps Lore (History)

cgsweat
Jul 08, 2022 - permalink

So Herbiceps has become something similar to "Playboy" within the world of female muscle (they have a freakin' mansion!). At this point they've been around for 20+ years and there are lots of stories to be told. This is the thread to ask about or answer questions related to the history of Herbiceps.

Something I've always wondered... who founded HB? Was it a joint venture by the original photographers at the time, or someone else?

Also, and I'm sure I'm not the only one... I've always been intrigued by Muscle Mansion. Does HB actually own that property? I'm sure there were some great parties there over the years, and would love to hear about them!

Looking forward to hearing from Tre on this, but anyone is welcome to chime in if you have any knowledge to share or other questions.

Jul 08, 2022 - permalink

Omg, I was just going to start the same thread! Mostly wondering what the deal was with the mansion

Jul 08, 2022 - permalink

I wish you luck finding this info. Since the reboot alot of info and content has been scrapped. Real shame.

Jul 08, 2022 - permalink

Well, Herbiceps has a user account here on GWM and Trè has been around pretty regularly. At least when Jessica lets go of him. ;)

M76
Jul 08, 2022 - edited Jul 08, 2022 - permalink

Herbiceps wasn't the first site dedicated to female muscle, but it is one of the oldest still around. If I'm not mistaken herbiceps was created by Michael Eckstut in the early 2000s.

I think muscle mansion was a joint venture with femflex, and perhaps others, I don't remember exactly, but it came about later.

But frankly since they erased the archives and the forum herbiceps is dead to me, I no longer visit it at all, let alone pay for it.

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

So Herbiceps has become something similar to "Playboy" within the world of female muscle (they have a freakin' mansion!). At this point they've been around for 20+ years and there are lots of stories to be told. This is the thread to ask about or answer questions related to the history of Herbiceps.

Something I've always wondered... who founded HB? Was it a joint venture by the original photographers at the time, or someone else?

Also, and I'm sure I'm not the only one... I've always been intrigued by Muscle Mansion. Does HB actually own that property? I'm sure there were some great parties there over the years, and would love to hear about them!

Looking forward to hearing from Tre on this, but anyone is welcome to chime in if you have any knowledge to share or other questions.

They have a mansion? No f'ing way LOL

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

how about a house with a pool ??? cause that's what it looks like.

by my measure , several "mansions" near me.

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

I don't know exactly what the mansion was, but they did photo and video shoots in the "Muscle Mansion".

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

Back in the days of Unreal Muscle, I got an invitation to check out the mansion during the Olympia weekend. I couldn’t go due to being bum-ass poor. I regret not being able to go, it would have been fun to grab a drink with Tre and co. At least I met him, Annie, and James Cook at the O a few years ago.

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

Good deal! Hey I sent Trè a pm about this tread. Up to him if he responds. :)

fp909
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

I think Tre had explained it somewhere on the site, but Mike Eckstut was the/a Herbiceps founder. Funny enough, he's from my neck of the woods in NJ. I believe it started in 2003? Around the same time Femflex(Tre) and Boomerflex launched, and later HerLegs which didn't really catch on.

I don't know many specifics about the founding. I was unfortunately a bit too young at the time to go around to all the shows in the Tri-State area (the NY Muscle Club of course being one of the things that happened while I was in high school).

I actually emailed Mike back in 2007 before going to college out in California asking if he needed/wanted anyone on the ground in LA to shoot, though it was contingent on me actually going up to women and asking them if they would be interested in shooting for HerBiceps. At the time Instagram wasn't around, and Facebook wasn't nearly what it is now so it was definitely a gamble, especially on campus.

I believe it was 2006 or 2007 that HBC launched, and I believe they already had their property in Vegas at the time where they had been shooting with Lyndsay Dejager and Lindsay Cope (and others) and Mike/Tre had already joined forces.

Regarding the site, wasn't it DTV that was helping host some sites at the time? Including HB, FF, Boomerflex, (FemForteFan's art site STILL works off this model), Cindy Phillip's site for a while, Wendy Lindquist's site (which was shockingly updated until 2020).

There were a TON of sites too. Maybe someone remembers that old portal site that wasn't DTV, it was a lot of links to geocities pages, and then there was AMG, the old WPW.com still offering hardcopy longform videos, Femsport (which was actually my gateway drug, and they hosted some competitions WAY back in the day with Brooke Ence and a woman I would end up doing Crossfit with almost a decade later), plus links to all those all photo aggregation yahoo sites. But no one was really doing a lot of original content, or doing it very well. To me, the baton was passed from WPW to HB in this way.

cgsweat
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

Maybe someone remembers that old portal site that wasn't DTV, it was a lot of links to geocities pages, and then there was AMG, the old WPW.com still offering hardcopy longform videos, Femsport (which was actually my gateway drug, and they hosted some competitions WAY back in the day with Brooke Ence and a woman I would end up doing Crossfit with almost a decade later), plus links to all those all photo aggregation yahoo sites. But no one was really doing a lot of original content, or doing it very well. To me, the baton was passed from WPW to HB in this way.

This one?

https://deekay.delimit.net/

fp909
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

that's the one exactly. i for sure didn't want to leave bookmarks for my parents to find so that was one of the sites i memorized and burned into my skull for a while

Jul 09, 2022 - edited Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

The first time herbiceps.com appears on archive.org is on 24 May 2002.

https://web.archive.org/web/20020524201452/ht...

fp909
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

man i was in 7th grade LMAO

cgsweat
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

byrdcf27:

Omg, I was just going to start the same thread! Mostly wondering what the deal was with the mansion

Great minds think alike. 😉

M76:

I think muscle mansion was a joint venture with femflex, and perhaps others, I don't remember exactly, but it came about later.

For me that raises another question. Was HB and Femflex founded by different people? I always assumed they were both owned/operated by the same people.

But frankly since they erased the archives and the forum herbiceps is dead to me, I no longer visit it at all, let alone pay for it.

Before GWM and 'that other site,' the HB forum was the OG. I never understood their reasoning for getting rid of it.

WIHS2006:

They have a mansion? No f'ing way LOL

Yes, indeed sir. It probably wasn't as large as the Playboy mansion, but it was big enough (judging from the footage I've seen).

Nytrytr777:

Good deal! Hey I sent Trè a pm about this tread. Up to him if he responds. :)

Thanks! Maybe if enough people show interest he'll respond. I know he still pops in from time to time.

ElsieGuen:

The first time herbiceps.com appears on archive.org is on 24 May 2002.

https://web.archive.org/web/20020524201452/ht...

Yes I remember it was 2002. I still have a lot of that content in my own collection. They used to list the date of each update in parenthesis, and I remember the earliest updates going back to that year (mostly content shot at NY Muscle Club which included appearances by Andrulla Blanchette among others).

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

Whats the NY Muscle Club?

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

For me that raises another question. Was HB and Femflex founded by different people? I always assumed they were both owned/operated by the same people.

HB was formed by Mike Femflex by Tre

AFAIK they've always hung out/worked together (along with other site operators) at the same shows with the same models

fp909
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

I never went but NY Muscle Club was an event they put on and women would come and pose and stuff. Idk if there was more than that but it was a thing and they got names like Christine Envall to show

Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

I think NYMC also had a few wrestling mats set up for patrons who wanted to pay extra.

cgsweat
Jul 09, 2022 - permalink

but it was a thing and they got names like Christine Envall to show

I have pics of Elena Seiple there too. For example here she is posing with Andrulla:

fp909
Jul 10, 2022 - permalink

Yeah they def were able to get some big women to attend. Jennifer Broomfield also did at least one appearance.

Jul 10, 2022 - permalink

Just your average night out in the city... :)

Jul 10, 2022 - permalink

Before GWM and 'that other site,' the HB forum was the OG. I never understood their reasoning for getting rid of it.

Apologies for my ignorance, but can I query what 'that other site' is? Conscious if it is a competitor of GWM you may not want to link it, but if you don't mind I'd appreciate it - can never have too many sources IMO.

M76
Jul 10, 2022 - edited Jul 10, 2022 - permalink

Apologies for my ignorance, but can I query what 'that other site' is? Conscious if it is a competitor of GWM you may not want to link it, but if you don't mind I'd appreciate it - can never have too many sources IMO.

If "that site" is what I think it is, you are only missing out on the most toxic, predatory, vile place ever. You are lucky to not know it. I'm not going to mention it by name either, because bad publicity is still publicity for them and their steroid selling sponsors.

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