FITNESS POSING: Read this article if you want to dominate the stage (VIDEO)

The form you bring on stage isn’t the only thing that decides who will be the winner. In the world of fitness there are many fine details that effect the final decision of judges. One of the most important one is a proper posing technique. Your posture reveals what you have been working so hard on all those months. It’s a shame if you cannot show the full width of your shoulders and back, your abdominal wall, gluteus or hamstrings that are the deciding factor in the Bikini category.

For this article we invited experts that know what they are talking. These two participated at the event on the 3 ^rd of September in Budapest where NEBBIA was the main sponsor. It was a Posing Seminar that was led by Allison Testu which is also known as The Posing Queen and Bálint Németh, the winner of the last year’s EVLS Prague Pro in Men’s Physique category. At the end of September, both will show up on the stage in Birmingham and compete at the legendary Arnold Classic UK and at Mr. Olympia stage in Vegas at the beginning of December.

Let’s look at what’s important when it comes to poses in Bikini and Men’s Physique category and what to avoid.

At first, we need to clear two things:

Firstly – every federation has different type of basic poses. Our article talks about the rules for NPC, or IFBB Pro League.

Secondly – we shouldn’t forget that categories are affected by trends. Meaning, what was ideal las year, might not be this year. Trends usually decide the line-up of athletes at the biggest event of the year - Mr. Olympia.

BEGINNINGS BIKINI & MEN’S PHYSIQUE

Do your remember Baywatch? Don’t laugh, we are serious. When the Bikini category started, it had the same vibe as the Baywatch girls – feminine curves, hourglass figure, no muscle separation, no muscle toning. The same rules applied to Men’s Physique – beach boy with sixpack, V-shape, no huge muscle mass. As bodybuilding evolved, the categories grew as well, literally.

CURRENT TRENDS

If we look at contestants in the Bikini category at Mr. Olympia 2021, the previous picture from Baywatch disappears very quickly. You can see muscular, defined, ripped bikini athletes in gorgeous bikinis with beautiful hairstyles, make-up, and bold jewellery. When it comes to rating them, one would think it’s impossible to choose the winner. The Bikini category is one of the precise ones since it focuses on each little detail. Judges look at the form, overall look is accompanied by appearance, bikinis, accessories and last but not least – posing and stage presence. You can look unbelievably good, but if you don’t know how to present it, the judges won’t see the real you and what you are capable of. Many contestants fail at posing. Proper posture shows the body symmetry, the width of your upper body, small waist, and from the back you show your glutes and the back of your thighs that are a crucial element of your score.

The same goes for the Men’s Physique category. From the typical beach boy, we have worked our way to a much more muscular figure, shoulders like in the classic bodybuilding, impossible width of the back, and muscle definition. Small waist and V-shape have passed the test of time, but now you have to add more muscle to it. Nowadays, the contestants in this category have on average between 90 to 94 kg on stage which means it’s basically pure muscle with little body fat and water. But posing is a crucial aspect in this category as well. If you don’t show the right angles even the smallest waist can look wide, and you don’t want that. The overall appearance and stage presence are also important. We aren’t talking about the shorts, but charisma, vibe, confidence, that needs to attract not only the audience but also the judges!

The required basic poses are always in the description of each category, we would like to focus on what you can’t find there. Together with Allison and Balint let’s look at WHAT NOT TO DO AND WHAT TO AVOID when you pose in either category.