{"id":13148,"date":"2026-01-23T22:52:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T22:52:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148"},"modified":"2026-01-23T22:52:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T22:52:54","slug":"former-bikini-olympia-janet-layug-announces-comeback-in-fit-model-division-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148","title":{"rendered":"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Fit Model category just got a lot more competitive. <strong>In a stunning reveal on social media (Jan. 22, 2026), Janet Layug announced her comeback in the brand new division.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/janet-layug-profile\/\">Janet Layug<\/a> reached the pinnacle of her bodybuilding career. She claimed first place at the <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/2020-olympia-results-bikini\/\">Ms. Bikini Olympia<\/a>, cementing her legacy as an all-time great. The competition was loaded with Bikini royalty, including <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/jennifer-dorie-profile\/\">Jennifer Dorie<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/angelica-teixeira-profile\/\">Angelica Teixeira<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/lauralie-chapados-profile\/\">Lauralie Chapados<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/ashley-kaltwasser-profile\/\">Ashley Kaltwasser<\/a>, all of whom, at one point, laid claim to Bikini Olympia gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Layug\u2019s last pair of contests came back in 2022. She impressed en route to bronze at the <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/2022-pittsburgh-pro-results\/\">Pittsburgh<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/2022-new-york-pro-results\/\">New York Pro<\/a>, courtesy of her glute detail, symmetry, and shape. With time to rest, she could come back looking even better.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Layug\u2019s name recognition only grew beyond the stage. She founded <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/2025-janet-layugs-battle-of-the-bodies-results\/\">Janet Layug\u2019s Battle of the Bodies<\/a>, an NPC national qualifier and <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/2025-ifbb-pro-league-contest-schedule\/\">IFBB Pro League<\/a> Men\u2019s Physique and Bikini contest.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, her grasp of bodybuilding is evident anytime she\u2019s on the microphone. Layug has worked as a commentator for the prestigious Arnold Classic and <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/all-bikini-olympia-winners\/\">Mr. Olympia<\/a> competitions. Now, with a new goal fueling her training, fans are excited to see what lies ahead for the former champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"janet-layug-reveals-return-to-fit-model-division\">Janet Layug Reveals Return to Fit Model Division\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>In the post, she confirmed she\u2019s back to work:\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"hero-sub-form-wrapper\">\n<div id=\"title\" class=\"hero-title\">\n            <span style=\"font-size: 25px;\">Get Fitter, <strong>Faster<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Level Up Your Fitness: Join our \ud83d\udcaa strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Please wait&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"thankYouMessage\" class=\"thank-you-message\" style=\"display: none; text-align: center; padding: 20px; background: #f1f1ef; border-radius: 31px;\">\n            <span style=\"font-size: 25px;\"><strong>You&#8217;re In!<\/strong> Let&#8217;s Crush Your Fitness Goals Together<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Expect expert-backed workouts, nutrition advice, the latest in strength sports, and a whole lot of motivation heading your way.<\/p>\n<p>            <button id=\"subscribeAnotherEmailBtn\" class=\"btn-nav\">Subscribe Another Email<\/button>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote align-center\">\n<p>\u201cI\u2019M BACK \u263a\ufe0f\ud83d\udc95\u201d Janet Layug <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DTyE8CYFr33\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">posted<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Athletes and fans were blown away by her announcement and commented on her post:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cWelcome back sis. With the absolute most iconic picture,\u201d said Lauralie Chapados.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201c\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\u201d Jennifer Dorie wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cYes queen!!! Been waiting for this \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\udca5\ud83d\udc51\u201d a fan commented.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cYasssssss!!!! Love this! Let\u2019s go Janet!! \ud83d\ude4c\ud83d\ude4c\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f\u201d added another.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The IFBB Pro League and Vice President Tyler Manion <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/ifbb-pro-league-fit-model-division\/\">announced the inception of the Fit Model division<\/a> in 2025. According to the organization, the new category was created to broaden the scope of physiques athletes can present onstage. Moreover, Manion insisted that it will differ from Bikini because competitors can boast \u2018less muscle and less development.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Head judge Steve Weinberger also tackled <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/steve-weinberger-fit-model-keone-pearson-talk\/\">whether the Fit Model division could water down Bikini<\/a>. He explained that there are enough athletes and that it could help become a feeder category for Bikini over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The new Fit Model division will be on full display throughout the 2026 bodybuilding season. It will also be featured at the next <a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/2026-mr-olympia-date-confirmed\/\">Mr. Olympia<\/a> event, scheduled for Sept. 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bodybuilding community looks forward to seeing how Layug fares in her highly anticipated return!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/bikini-model-workout\/\">Bikini Model Workout \u2013 Siege The Stage With These Routines<\/a><\/p>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fitnessvolt.com\/janet-layug-announces-comeback-in-fit-model-division\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Fit Model category just got a lot more competitive. In a stunning reveal on social media (Jan. 22, 2026), Janet Layug announced her comeback in the brand new division.\u00a0 In 2020, Janet Layug reached the pinnacle of her bodybuilding career. She claimed first place at the Ms. Bikini Olympia, cementing her legacy as an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13148","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Fit Model category just got a lot more competitive. In a stunning reveal on social media (Jan. 22, 2026), Janet Layug announced her comeback in the brand new division.\u00a0 In 2020, Janet Layug reached the pinnacle of her bodybuilding career. She claimed first place at the Ms. Bikini Olympia, cementing her legacy as an [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T22:52:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Doug Murray\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Doug Murray\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Doug Murray\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246\"},\"headline\":\"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-23T22:52:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148\"},\"wordCount\":511,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148\",\"name\":\"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-23T22:52:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":901},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13148#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"description\":\"Data, Rankings, Results.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246\",\"name\":\"Doug Murray\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Doug Murray\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News","og_description":"The Fit Model category just got a lot more competitive. In a stunning reveal on social media (Jan. 22, 2026), Janet Layug announced her comeback in the brand new division.\u00a0 In 2020, Janet Layug reached the pinnacle of her bodybuilding career. She claimed first place at the Ms. Bikini Olympia, cementing her legacy as an [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148","og_site_name":"World Bodybuilding News","article_published_time":"2026-01-23T22:52:54+00:00","author":"Doug Murray","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Doug Murray","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148"},"author":{"name":"Doug Murray","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246"},"headline":"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt","datePublished":"2026-01-23T22:52:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148"},"wordCount":511,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148","name":"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-23T22:52:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Janet-Layug-1-.jpg","width":1600,"height":901},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13148#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Former Bikini Olympia Janet Layug Announces Comeback in Fit Model Division \u2013 Fitness Volt"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/","name":"World Bodybuilding News","description":"Data, Rankings, Results.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246","name":"Doug Murray","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","caption":"Doug Murray"},"url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}