THE ART OF CONTEST POSING
Your Guide to Modern Physique Display

Bodybuilding is the ultimate art form, and posing is the natural expression and demonstration of that art.  The finished male or female physique is a joy to behold, it’s beauty best displayed through a practiced posing routine.

Posing is above all a personal way of showing what you have built in the gym.  In this guide, we will attempt to steer you in the right direction towards your unique posing routine.

POSING IN ANTIQUITY 
“Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm, depend on simplicity”. So said Plato and all the great works of masculine beauty in the time of the Greeks followed his teachings portraying simplicity, grace rhythm, and good development.  Today’s modern bodybuilder has rediscovered grace in posing display to the  world’s stage the full beauty of his, or her, near perfectly developed physique.

Physique display is a an ancient art: four hundred years B.C. young muscular athletes were posing for sculptor Polyclitis for his classic The Doryphorus or the Spear Bearer.  Other well built males were chosen to model the many now world famous works of art ranging from the aesthetic beauty of the Apollo Belvedere, The Discobulus (Discus Thrower) or Myron, The Apoxymenos (Athlete with a scraper) by the sculptor Lysippus, the Borghese Gladiator by Agasias, to the fabulously muscular Farnese Hercules. 

In time more artists turned to the media of oils, watercolours, simply pencil and paper to capture for all time the transient peak perfection of the human body.  Muscular athletes became in demand to sit for pictures depicting warriors of an earlier age or for ideal proportions for future generations.

EARLY BODYBUILDERS AND POSING

At the turn of the century one of bodybuilding greatest pioneers Eugen Sandow posed for admiring artists, first on canvas, then later entering the newly discovered world of photography, making a huge fortune in the process.

A young Angelico Sicilano later to became famous throughout the world as Charles Atlas also posed for countless works of art, both on canvas and in stone.

During these earlier years (1920’s), the fine classical proportions of Tony Sansone graced the pages of the many muscle magazines.  Although light by modern standards Sansone’s physique is still greatly admired.  Especially interesting was the way Sansone captured determined facial expressions to suit the mood of his poses.  Serious students of posing are strongly recommended to seek out and obtain the now out of print beautiful physique display manuals featuring Tony Sansone called Modern Classics (1932) and Rhythm (1935).

POSING FOR ART CLASSES

John C. Grimek posed for classes and modeling schools for years, often working (!) i.e. standing like a statue, which is not easy, for 8 hours a day and back again for several hours in the evening.

Some poses were obliged to be held quite still for as long as 50 minutes with the average pose being held for 20 to 25 minutes.  A five minute rest, and then back to posing!  To counteract this boring inactivity Grimek used to run the 5 miles home after the day’s work.

You require great patient and endurance to attempt this type of modeling. 

POSING FOR PHYSIQUE PHOTOS
Posing for physique photos is of course entirely different with many more poses being required, more movements and muscular tension again, lots of energy and stamina needed.  As male physique photography is rarely if ever discussed in photographic magazines, so that amateurs get little if any advice in the correct techniques, I advise you right away to waste no time and go immediately to a professional physique photographer. 

THE 1930’S TO THE 1950’S

All Photos were taken by Russ Warner, Renown Physique Photographer and are from David Gentle's Classic Photo Collection. These photographs are copyright © and may not be used in any  manner without exclusive written permission.

Art of Contest Posing
© Copyright by David Gentle
All Rights Reserved
 

The earlier years from the first Mr. Britain in 1930 W.T.Coggins to Jim Elliott in 1947 and Charles Jarrett (1948) physiques were symmetrical but relatively light in muscular development, mainly as result of diet and training methods.  Thus the posing itself centred more upon grace than heavy muscularity.  Reg Park won Mr. Britain in 1949 bringing to the title more muscle mass than any previous period, equal to the contemporary American stars such as Jack Delinger, George Eiferman, Clancy Ross, Alan Stephen and Steve Reeves.  Posing now changed with the emphasis more upon muscular display Massive ‘pec’ shorts, awesome ‘lat’ spreads, and huge arms, near the twenty-inch mark were tensed and flexed to the admiring fans.  Individual physique stars on the worldwide circuit became know, and famous for certain favourite poses.  From Reeves with arms stretched overhead, Oliva with his upward stretch and incredible chest/waist differential, Arnold with his half side,  half back, and arm pose, to the majesty of Frank Zane, almost turning the posing fashion a full-circle bringing elegance back into the arena.  CONTINUED