Cont'd..../2  THE ART OF CONTEST POSING
Your Guide to Modern Physique Display by David Gentle

TODAY’S POSING

Today’s posing is almost a cabaret act in itself, a ‘disco dance of muscle’ physical perfection in rhythm.  Muscular Display should be interesting and entertaining and current bodybuilding stars posing with complicated routines, which included balance and agility, combined with good lighting and dramatic music, all completing the pleasure of our senses.

The choreography of John Brown is a superb example of modern muscular display.  Miek Sable demonstrates humour and enjoyment with rapid well-rehearsed routines.  Mohamed Makkawy combines muscle with elegance.  All the winners as Good Posers, and have to be!

YOUR FIRST ROUTINE

Stand in front of a full-length mirror and make your first attempt at a lat spread, remembering to also pose and tense your legs and abdominals.  Change your arms to a front double biceps pose.  Switch to a single biceps, then gradually turn sideways to a side chest

pose, tensing arms, shoulders and sucking in waist and expanding chest.  Lower arms and tense triceps and upper back muscles, always not forgetting to synchronize the moves by counter balancing and posing legs, including the calves.

Turn to full back pose do ‘lat” spreads, double biceps, and ’pulldown’ poses.  Also tense the claves and leg biceps.  Return to further side poses, then again to ‘face’ on poses.  Show abs, pectorals, biceps, thighs and calves.

Try to finish your routine with one or two of your best poses.  If you are advanced enough and have the density of muscle, try a ‘most muscular ‘pose, usually this is known as a ‘trap over’ plus biceps tensing.

HINTS AND TIPS FOR PHYSIQUE PRESENTATION

Visit museums and picture galleries to study ancient works of art.  Visit professional physique photographers for the best shots.  Physique photography is a different science to portraiture.  Amateur home snaps rarely do justice and are normally useless for publication in magazines.

Maintain and supply your own tapes in good quality, wound back ready to play for contests.  The choice of music is highly important and should be thoughtfully chosen to suit your physique and temperament.

Study/practice dancing to improve balance and gracefulness in movement.

Purchase plenty of muscle magazines, and study the champions posing.

Study and try out the favourite poses of the stars, but try to alter than to suit your own physique.  If you are a real novice you must learn the basic poses, first, avoiding over dramatic start poses until you are better developed.

Try to look relaxed, as if you are enjoying yourself, a Smiling contestant is always popular.  But avoid looking too confident and cocky – this has a very bad effect on the judges. 

Hold your poses for about S or 6 seconds only.  Don’t shake as you pose – hold still!

Watch and learn from your favourite physique stars, study in minute detail the various balanced and harmonious position of arms related to legs etc. Use the mirror!

If you can afford it, have a video made of your own routine and analyze it for faults.

Always practice posing immediately AFTER your training session, not before.

Use a FULL LENGTH mirror when posing.  Some gyms have a special posing area with stage, mirrors and lights – well worth finding one.

Practise MUSCLE CONTROL in the knowledge that the isolated tensing of muscle groups will have the double advantage of improving your cuts or definition.  Adepts of muscle control learn how to ‘vacuum in ‘ the abdomen, isolate specific muscles and the all-important art of relaxation of muscles not being put to use.

Shave off superfluous body hair with an electric razor to give better muscular definition.  Make sure you don’t get the wrong sort of “cuts’ with the razor.

Oil up just enough to bring out the highlights.  Too much will make you look smooth.

Do NOT OVERPUMP prior to contest posing otherwise you will deflate just as quickly.  Many current stars do No pumping believing that if you haven’t got it now, you never will.  Tim Belknap does no pumping beforehand, believing that flexing and tensing will make him grow on stage while everybody else is deflating.

During the contest exhibition, attempt to include in your routine as many poses as possible in the time limit without repeating yourself.  Leave the audience wanting more.

Try to include some poses that show pose, symmetry and gracefulness as well as your ‘most muscular’ poses.

Seek independent and CONSTRUCTIVE suggestions for your posing routines.  Always being told “you look great” is no use at all!

Take every opportunity to visit shows and contests to watch the competitors with the object of learning movements and routines.  DO NOT COPY to the letter any actual routine, but aim to adjust the moves to your own style.

Get the correct size professionally designed posing trunks and the type which are cut high on the thigh.  Ensure they are not translucent or old-fashioned “Tarzan”-like with leopard spots… you will not get extra points for looking over-endowed like Rudolph N., but simply embarrass the judges or amuse the audience.

The white-skinned bodybuilder is enormously improved in appearance when sporting a SUNTAN giving both a healthier look and more pleasing muscularity.  Remember – the lights will make you look lighter.  You need to be much darker than you think.

A NATURAL suntan is well worth acquiring whether by holidays abroad, or regular working at the it in the U.K.  Certainly the year ’83 was good for a tan.  Secondly, would be the use of a solarium or sun bed, available at most gyms or health clubs.  Thirdly, you can choose to use any of the now excellent fake tans available from chemists or via specialist sales.  Tuition and advice on the use of fake tans is regularly available from the many publications dealing with cosmetics.  Sunbed tanning also reduces water under the skin, thereby giving you a ‘tighter look’.

Naturally you will take the normal preparation and endeavour to be scrupulously clean, this includes SHORT clean finger and toenails.

Judges have nothing against long hair, fashion wise or for religious beliefs, but it is a fact that a mass of long hair does detract from the overall effect especially shoulder length… SHORT HAIR is preferable, but whatever style you choose it must be clean.

Even if you are nervous you will feel better if you SMILE, pretend to be relaxed, confident and enjoying yourself and the feeling will be transferred to the judges and audience.

The tempo of your posing should be smooth and well practiced neither jerky nor painfully slow.  Practise the transition between poses as well as the poses themselves.

Plan your posing routine well in advance of any contest repeating continually these same sequence to your chosen music so that you can do it without conscious thought.  No stumbling or hesitation will occur once your routine becomes second nature.  If you do forget your routine, don’t stop and look bemused; try and improves poses based on the compulsories.

Remember the connecting movements between each pose.  Learn to glide form one posture to another, holding the required pose some seconds before changing into the next position.

CHARLES GAINS in the book PUMPING IRON says; “Posing is the heart of the thing.  Depending on how it is done, you can see in it ether everything that is moving and beautiful and dignified about the display of a developed male body or everything that is ridiculous and embarrassing about it.

CONTEST BEHAVIOUR

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

Please cooperate with the organizers of any shows or contest you wish to enter.  If you have undertaken to enter or compete at a contest you have basically taken out a contract with the promoter and naturally should complete your part of the bargain by being punctual, ready to cooperate enthusiastically, being fully prepared and ready on call to go on stage. 

Do not keep the M.C. or compere waiting whilst you are still pumping up or applying muscle oil.  Ensure you earn and maintain a good reputation as a competitor and finally if you put yourself up for judgment you must learn to accept the results.  If you win, fine, if you lost, keep smiling … simply resolve to try harder NEXT TIME.

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