FREE
POSING GUIDE - BODYBUILDING POSING TIPS
NATURAL BODYBUILDING POSING
BODYBUILDING FIGURE POSING
LESSON
10
POSING
FOR THE MUSCULARITY ROUND OF JUDGING
Lesson 10
Muscularity Round Contents Index
1.
Introduction
2.
Front Double Bicep Pose
3.
Front
Lat Spread Pose
4.
Side Chest Pose
5.
Side Tricep Pose
6.
Rear Double Bicep Pose
7.
Rear Lat Spread Pose
8.
Abdominal & Thigh pose
Introduction
Unlike the symmetry round, bodybuilders have more latitude to present
their physique during the muscularity round. Studying
magazines, videos and attending bodybuilding contests will
give you an idea of the various and slight adjustments
competitors make to their leg, torso and arm placement in each
compulsory pose - to either hide a fault or accentuate an
asset.
A warning here, do not make your adjustment so grand that it is difficult
for the judges to compare your physique with the other
competitors. Such unique poses can be kept for your individual
posing routine.
Initially practice the compulsory poses in front of a mirror until you
can do them correctly. You should also notice the “feel”
of each pose – biomechanically “feel” your arm and leg
positions. When you are competing on stage, you must rely
totally on the feel of the pose. Therefore, once you have your
poses refined, practise often without a mirror. Ask others to
critique you, ask them what they like and do not like about
each of your poses and correct that which “doesn’t seem
right”. Everyone has an eye for detail, art or beauty, so
you do not necessarily need anyone experienced in bodybuilding
to tell you if a pose either looks good or has faults. Of
course, having experienced people help is great. But, it is
not a blocking stone. Have confidence in what you see and your
own opinion. I have heard in the crowd a novice competitor’s
grandmother (at her first bodybuilding contest) verbalising
who she likes and why – and pick the placings right!
Tip: Video tape yourself performing your poses. We are our best (and worst)
critics, so you will find no better way to correct what you
are doing if you watch yourself.
A key to successful preparation with your posing is to be aware of these
two small but vital points:
- There will normally be
seven judges assessing the contest and they will be
sitting across a space of approximately seven metres (@20
feet). Therefore you must rotate every pose so the judges
sitting on each end of the judging table can see each pose
at its best. Do not hit static poses during the compulsory
rounds. Rotate all your compulsory poses – start doing
this during your practise time in front of the mirror and
video camera.
- Most stage heights are one
metre (three feet), so when a judge is seated, their
eye-level will be at your toes. Direct your poses
downward, lean forward in the front-on poses and when you
perform the rear double bicep and rear lat spread, arch
your lower back and lean backward to angle your body
better for the judges seeing you from ground level.
For organizations around the world there is probably a consensus on seven
compulsory poses judged in Bodybuilding divisions:
1.
Front Double Biceps
2.
Front Lateral Spread
3.
Side Chest
(either side at the choice of the competitor)
4.
Side Triceps
(again, either side)
5.
Rear Double Biceps
6.
Rear Lateral Spread
7.
Abdominal and Thigh
Additionally, the organization may ask for further poses, such as:
- Most Muscular (Crab Pose)
- Best Pose (Favourite Pose)
You certainly need to check with the competition organization to get
their list of poses for your category. Females typically have
less poses because some mandatory poses, like the front lat
spread, do not show enough muscularity on (most) female
competitors for it to receive the classification of a
‘compulsory’ pose.
To break a tie on a particular judge’s score sheet, the judge may
specifically request a competitor/s to show any compulsory
pose, at any angle or side. So practise the Side Chest and
Side Tricep pose on both sides of the body. More so, a judge
can ask for a comparison and select a particular muscle group,
like “Gimme your best calf pose.” Some requests can take
you by surprise (Eg. Show me a forearm shot – with your arms
over your head). Never show your disapproval or confusion –
stay professional and quickly make a contraction that will
make the muscle respond!
General Posing Pointers:
·
When executing the compulsory poses it is best to
flex the legs first. Start from the floor up with positioning,
setting the pose and contracting.
- Select your best side for
the Side Chest and Side Tricep pose, but practise the each
pose on both sides because a judge may request either
side. Plus, it looks good when a competitor turns and
displays both sides.
- Moving (dynamic) muscle
looks more impressive than still (static) muscle.
Therefore, on your poor poses, keep relaxing and flexing
to create a better impression. For instance, if the front
double bicep is not a strong compulsory pose for you –
once you strike the shot, extend your arms out straight
and contract them back in. While your biceps may not be
mountain peaks with snow cover, you can make 12 inch
mosquito bites look better with motion.
Front
Double Bicep Pose
This is the first pose the judges see. It is the most important pose. The
judges will be hoping the competitors confirm their placing
“predictions” – so they can put their pens down and
relax. It is also the measure of the Number One muscle group
– The Biceps – the hallmark of a bodybuilder. Therefore,
if it is your best pose, relish the time and milk the pose for
all it is worth. If it is a poor pose for you, even after
making adjustment and movement to hide your weakness, hit it
fast and move on. By striking the pose, rotating to all the
judges then quickly breaking the pose – you may be able to
control (reduce) the time other competitors have for
displaying the pose. If not, start creating some movement in
the pose, do not flutter like a featherless bird, but do take
the attention away from what you are lacking.
Points to remember with Front Double Bicep Pose:
·
Pose with your elbows level with each other or
slightly higher than the horizontal plane. But definitely not
lower than horizontal!
·
Bring the elbows slightly forward thus allowing you
to squeeze your chest and spread your lats.
·
Cock your wrists down, thumb pointing to the bicep.
This will “fill-in” the space between your arms and bicep
creating the look of fuller arms.
As the picture demonstrates, males usually stand with legs straight and
flexed, while females put one leg in front to accentuate the
curvature of the body. Now inflate your chest, taking a deep
breath and raise your arms to flex the biceps.
Front
Double Bicep Pose
Variations in this pose:
·
Either suck-in your stomach which creates a vacuum effect making your
mid-section tiny and everything else appear huge.
Alternatively, crunch your abdominals and show a muscular
wall.
·
Tilt your torso, a.k.a Frank Zane style.
·
Change the angle of your arms, both parallel to the floor or both above
parallel. Otherwise, place one arm parallel and the other arm
higher than parallel.
·
Select your leg position to expose your “best” leg or to enable you
to flex both of them better.
Ms Figure Front Double Bicep
Ms Figure competitors keep their hands “open”
during the muscularity poses. The elbow and arm position is
noticeably higher because judges do not want to see a large
degree of muscularity; rather they want a nice flow of the
body and sleek arms. The leg position can also vary much more
than with the bodybuilders because the judging emphasis is on
an aesthetic shape rather than comparing ‘muscle with
muscle.’ Ms Figure competitors often place one leg out to
the side to either hide thick legs or extenuate their shape.
Alternatively, they can position one leg in front, actually
crossing across the body slightly, to create an hour glass
profile and curving shape.
Front
Lat Spread Pose
For this pose flex your legs and place your hands
around your waist just above the hips. The trick for novices
when striking this pose is not to let your oily hands slip off
your waist like you are Jet-Lee throwing martial art star
blades. To prevent your hands slipping from their position
start with your palms facing downwards and hook
your thumbs around your waist, at the top of your hip bone and
push your fists into your body. For those with
a poor back development, but good (flexible) scapula
structure, push your grip inwards, take a deep breath and
raise your shoulders as if shrugging. Just the spread of your
scapula will make you look wide. If you do have good back
development or a narrow back, do the opposite, push your
shoulders down and pull your elbows forward, spreading the
muscle mass and scapulas wide. Either way, the idea is to use
your hands to make your waist smaller and the barn doors (lats)
wider. Ms
Figure competitors and even female bodybuilders are rarely
required to perform this pose.
Front Lat Spread Pose
Side Chest Pose - any side
In
this pose the leg facing (front) the judges will have the toes
next to the ankle of the rear leg. Elevate your front heel and
flex your calf and tense your thighs to show the fullness of
the upper leg and calf. Place one hand over or near the wrist
of the other hand while standing side-on to the judges. Take a
deep breath to inflate and elevate the chest. Flex to display
the muscles of the chest and arms. Remember to keep the
shoulders rolled back. This a great pose to manipulate. There
are many changes to the angles of arms to make the pose more
effective for you. Plus, use the compression of your body
against your arms to make them more muscular and alternatively
use the compression of your arms to make your chest better.
Ms Figure competitors generally twist their torso to
display their chest more front-on. Also, Ms Figure competitors
experiment with striking this pose with a lunging stance to
extenuate the fine details in their legs.
Side Chest Pose
Side Tricep Pose - any side
With
this pose place your legs in the same manner as the side chest
pose. Now place your hands behind the body and grasp the
wrist. Take a deep breath to fill and elevate the chest and
roll the shoulder back. At the same time squeeze the (arm)
tricep against the body to both flatten and add size to its
appearance. Practise rotating the arm in different directions
which will create differing tensions to the various muscles of
your arm (tricep/bicep/delt). Choose the angle that makes the
arm most muscular. Note: this pose does not have to relate to
the triceps at all – that is just the name of the pose. Your
aim is to make the whole picture as muscular as possible. Also
try tilting your hips higher on the side facing the judges, so
when you crunch down and flex the mid-section, your obliques
will be more pronounced.
Ms
Figure competitors can perform the bodybuilding style but they
have more freedom in their posing. Another popular option of
showing the triceps is in front of the body. In this position,
the Ms Figure competitor can display her back and glutes!
Side Tricep Pose
Rear Double Bicep Pose
In
the rear double bicep pose you must have your calf flexed.
Place one leg back and tense the calf and hamstring. If you
have equal development in both legs, on the next rear pose
(rear lat spread) change the leg you put back and flex. Judges
will note the accomplishment. Lean backward to angle yourself
towards the judges. Flex and crush your back by bringing your
elbows slightly back and your wrists back even further. Your
elbows should be more frontward (away from the judges) than
your hands. With your spine rounded, your shoulder blades
should be spread and your back muscles should be flexed. To
really bring out the lower back, tense your abs.
I like to see a competitor turn their head and look at
one bicep, if you have a great bicep peak this will focus
attention on it. Plus, seeing part of your face is better than
seeing the bald spot of others. Not to mention, it can bring
out some striation across the top of your back. When you are
doing a lat pull down in the gym, just imagine you are hitting
the rear double bicep as you pull the bar down and likewise on
stage duplicate the feel of a lat pull down and bring out the
muscularity.
Rear Double Bicep Pose
Rear Lat Spread Pose
Again, this rear pose is conducted displaying one
calf flexed. Lean slightly back to show the full width of the
upper back whilst highlighting the lower back as well. Start this pose by
circling your straight arms around behind you, crunching your
back. This is a good pose for the Gregory Peck’s (great
actors) of the sport. Then slowly and dramatically spread your
wings to full extension.
Rear Lat Spread Pose
Abdominal & Thigh Pose
Abdominal & Thigh pose
Place
one leg forward whilst flexing your thigh to show thigh
muscularity and definition. Place your hands behind your head
or neck with elbows slightly upwards. This will automatically
stretch the abdominals. Squeeze and crush from side to side,
as this will accentuate the obliques.
Alternatively,
place your hands on your hips and tense your arms. Take a deep
breath and suck in your stomach, then exhale and crush down on
the abdominals to bring out the definition.
