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CONTENTS

THE ULTIMATE BODYBUILDING

POSING
HANDBOOK
PERFECT YOUR POSING TO SHOWCASE YOUR
HARD-EARNED PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES ON STAGE
WITH THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

FROM THE EDITORS OF MUSCLE EVOLUTION, SOUTH AFRICA’S


ONLY DEDICATED BODYBUILDING MAGAZINE
CONTENTS

CONTENTS
■ IT ALL STARTS IN THE MIRROR
■ TYPES OF POSING
■ POSING REQUIREMENT
■ PERFECT YOUR POSING
■ PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
■ MANDATORY POSING GUIDELINES
• QUARTER TURNS
• FRONT DOUBLE BICEPS
• REAR DOUBLE BICEPS
• FRONT LAT SPREAD
• REAR LAT SPREAD
• SIDE TRICEPS
• SIDE CHEST
• FRONT ABDOMINAL AND THIGH
• MOST MUSCULAR
■ POSING ON STAGE
■ FREE-POSING ROUND
■ BONUS TIPS
■ SIDEBAR
■ 10 TIPS FOR POSING
■ PRACTICING POSING FOR MUSCLE
GROWTH AND SELF ASSESSMENT
■ THANKS
CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

I
T TAKES MUCH MORE THAN
A PERFECT BODY TO REIGN
SUPREME ON THE COMPETITIVE
BODYBUILDING STAGE. TO WIN
SHOWS YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW
TO SHOWCASE YOUR CHISELED
PHYSIQUE TO THE JUDGES IN THE IT ALL
BEST POSSIBLE WAY. STARTS
With so much emphasis and effort placed on
optimal training and nutrition there is often a IN THE
key element of bodybuilding success that is left MIRROR
out – posing and presentation. This is like going We all know that dieting for a
show can make you go through
to war without any ammunition. As a competitive emotional highs and lows. This
bodybuilder walking onto stage with nothing on but emotional state combined with
tan and posing trunks, the best weapon you can have countless workouts performed with
with you is your posing prowess. little to no energy can make you
feel completely and utterly drained.
Regardless of how you feel
MERVYN HANNIE & BULELANI JOLA you still make time to hone your
ability to display and promote
your physique on stage to the
best of your ability. This can be
tough between the dieting and the
training but you don’t want to end
up letting your hard work in the
gym and in the kitchen go to waste
on stage, and possibly miss out on
that first place trophy, especially
if you were the most conditioned
athlete in the pose-down.
You can’t afford to make
unnecessary mistakes if you want
to out-muscle your competitors
and be the cream of the crop after
months of tough dieting and
excruciating workouts. It is hard
enough to get to the stage in the
first place and you don’t want to
be your own worst enemy when it
matters the most!
Posing is therefore not a last
minute decision on show day but
one of the most important factors
in your preparation for a contest.
It all starts in the mirror where you
need to practice your posing.
CONTENTS

TYPES OF
POSING
A pose is either optional or
mandatory, depending on the
rules and requirements of the
federation an athlete belongs to.
Certain federations may also have POSING REQUIREMENT
additional posing requirements The various federations may have different posing
for the final rounds such as requirements and criteria, but the main mandatory poses
pose downs between the top that can be found in most if not all federations include:
competitors or even a free posing 1. Quarter turns
routine where an athlete can 2. Front double biceps
get creative and showcase their 3. Front lat spread
physique in unique ways. 4. Side chest
During the pre-judging portion 5. Back double biceps
of any bodybuilding show athletes 6. Back lat spread
will be called upon to complete 7. Side triceps
the mandatory poses. The athlete 8. Abdominals and thighs
can often be called out several 9. Most muscular
times to be compared with their
fellow competitors. It is at this THE POSE DOWN:
stage when the judges get their Once the seven mandatory poses in round two are completed,
initial impressions and start the IFBB Chief Judge will call for a 30- to 60-second pose down
forming a score based on what performed to music of the organiser’s choice.
they see. Many athletes believe
that a show is won or lost in pre- THE POSING ROUTINE:
judging because first impressions Once selected, each of the top six finalists will perform an
count so much. individual posing routine to music of his choice, up to a maximum
Following the mandatories of 60 seconds.
competitors who make it to the These poses can also be combined in various ways during
final rounds may compete in the pre-judging and final rounds. For example, according to the
the free posing round, where rules and regulations of the biggest federation in the world, the
all seven compulsory poses International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness (IFBB), the
can be incorporated into a Men’s Bodybuilding categories will consist of the following four
choreographed 60-second routine. rounds and posing requirements:
Once again, points are given here 1. PREJUDGING: Elimination round – includes quarter turns
for excellence in posing ability. and four mandatory poses,
2. PREJUDGING: Round 1 – includes four mandatory poses
and comparisons of seven mandatory poses,
“MANY ATHLETES BELIEVE 3. FINALS: Round 2 – includes seven mandatory poses and
THAT A SHOW IS WON OR a pose down,
LOST IN PRE-JUDGING
BECAUSE FIRST IMPRESSIONS 4. FINALS: Round 3 – includes a 60-second free posing routine.
COUNT SO MUCH.”
CONTENTS

PERFECT
YOUR
POSING
Aspiring bodybuilders are
always eager to get their
hands on the latest training
and nutrition secrets. This also
applies to posing but those in the
know will tell you that there is
actually no secret to posing -
only hard work.
Bodybuilders must put in as
much effort into their posing
routine as they do into their
weight training and their diet.
Athletes who have stood in the
limelight at a bodybuilding show
know that they need to ruthlessly
critique their bodies because
BOYSIE NCOBO & LOUIS BESSINGER

that is what the judges will do on “BY KNOWING


show day. So before stepping on YOUR WEAKNESSES
stage assess and then reassess. YOU CAN ATTACK
Identify and then fine-tune THEM HEAD-ON
lacking body parts. By knowing AND TAKE ON YOUR
your weaknesses you can attack RIVALS WITH THE
them head-on and take on CONFIDENCE
your rivals with the confidence OF A WINNER.”
of a winner.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE


Before designing your posing routine, you need to get the basics in place:
1. P
 RACTICE YOUR FRONT 2. PRACTICE YOUR QUARTER 3. PRACTICE THE COMPULSORY
RELAXED POSITION: TURNS: If you know how POSES: Most shows are won
This is probably the most to perform these they are and lost during pre-judging,
underrated pose, and people advantageous to you. It is a so it is crucial to show your
seem to think it’s unimportant. chance to show your symmetry, physique at its best during the
But remember, this is the muscularity and V-taper. compulsory poses.
pose you will be using during
the quarter turns as your
transition between mandatory You should be posing every day for at least 30 minutes, practising
poses and during the the compulsory poses in front of a mirror. You should seek advice
comparisons, so they really on your posing from an experienced competitor who will review
are important! It is also the your posing technique and execution, or you can take pictures
pose that you will find yourself to track your progress on a weekly basis. Evaluate your physique
in the majority of time and determine your strong and weak points. Focus on your strong
on stage. points and how you can best display them to the judges.
CONTENTS

MANDATORY
POSING GUIDELINES

JULIAN-LEE RHAMDARI
TIP: Keep your
arms tense but at
your sides and your
feet flat in each
turn. Don’t twist
your head or torso.

QUARTER TURNS
Quarter turns are the first series left side of body. As with the front lower body. Again, stand straight
of poses a competitor will be semi-relaxed pose, you should and widen your shoulders. It is
asked to complete. They provide stand straight with feet flat on the also a good idea at this point to
a good indication of overall muscle ground. Face forward and tense flex the calves and hamstrings
size and definition, and symmetry. your shoulders, thighs and abs for maximum effect. As with
To begin the quarter turns, stand slightly. Technically, when standing the previous quarter turns, the
in a semi relaxed position. Arms to the side you should not twist competitor should, when turning
should hang to the sides, with your body around to emphasise for a third time, stand straight and
weight distributed evenly. Widen any aspect of the upper physique. look ahead, this time to expose
the shoulders, flare the lats and This, however, is done quite often. the right side of the body. Finally,
flex the thighs and abs to enhance Another quarter turn to the quarter turn to the right (to face
muscularity. The quarter turn to right is done to display the rear the front once again) and stand in
the right is next and shows the musculature of the upper and the semi relaxed front pose.
CONTENTS

FRONT DOUBLE
BICEPS
To convey bicep size and lat width it is
important that the competitor lift their
elbows higher than their shoulders with this pose.
The key thing to remember is to keep the shoulders
down and elbows up so that lat development can
be emphasised. It is also important to pull the arms
back slightly to highlight the separation between
the biceps and triceps. Bend the legs at the knees
slightly to accentuate the quads. Remember to keep
everything flexed. Breathing is also of importance.
Inhale when you bring your arms into the flexed bicep
position. Take short breaths when you are in the pose
and keep your abs as tight and flat as possible.

TIP: Do not push your


backside out. Keep it
tucked in and tight. Also,
tighten the lower back
to highlight the erector
muscles. With both the
front and back double
biceps keep the thumbs
TIP: Decide tucked in as this looks
if you look more professional.
better with
your elbows
parallel to the
floor or slightly
elevated.
Remember
to always REAR DOUBLE
stand hard
with your abs
braced. Every
BICEPS
With this pose try to keep the back leg, which
muscle group
that faces the extends behind, angled out to convey the illusion
judges must of width in the lower body. Flex the calves and
be flexed at hamstrings for full effect. As with the front double
all times. bicep pose, keep the elbows higher than the shoulders
and spread the lats.
CONTENTS

REAR LAT
SPREAD
Legs should be positioned as in the rear double
bicep pose. Push your waist in with your hands and
flare your lats out (this pose should also emphasise
the shoulder to hip taper). Move your hands to the
front of your body while keeping your shoulders
up and straight. Never hunch over as this can
greatly detract from the muscularity of the upper
lats. Keep your calves, hamstrings and glutes tight
throughout the pose.

TIP: Make your waist look even smaller by putting


your fists on your waist and ‘squeeze’ the waist
smaller. Exhale and inhale in short breaths while
holding the position. If your midsection is blocky
then your lats and quads need to be as full as
possible to create the illusion of an X-frame.

TIP: Before you


flair your lats
FRONT LAT squeeze your bent
arms against your
SPREAD
Keep your heels together with toes pointed out
lats, then crunch on
your abdomen and
really squeeze the
at a slight angle, depending on how you feel your lats with your arms.
legs (outer thigh sweeps) are best accentuated. Flair your lats in
that position, then
Place your hands on your waist to decrease its width arch your back.
and flare out the lats to make them visible from the
front. Keep the shoulders flexed and up.
CONTENTS
TIP: Squeeze
your pecs as
much as you
can to display
striations and
maximum
thickness.
Striated thick

SIDE TRICEPS
Stand to the side and press the front thigh and
chests score
higher at
shows.
calf hard against the rear leg. Keep your abs tight
and pulled in. Keep the arm to be displayed straight
and grasp the wrist of this hand with the opposite
hand to hold it in place. Press your arm against
your torso to create an illusion of thickness. This is
incredibly important as the triceps tend to get tucked
into the lat, which doesn’t allow a true representation
of maximum muscularity.

TIP: It’s very


important
to suck your
stomach in on
this pose and
to flex down
on your abs
and serratus
muscles. It
is also very
important to
give the judges
just the right
view – avoid
a full-on side
view. You need
to show a bit of
your chest and
the far shoulder
to create the
illusion of width
and size. The
judges are
looking for the
obvious quad
and hamstring
development
and separation,
as well as
serratus,
shoulder
and tricep
development,
separation and
striations.

SIDE CHEST
Position your legs as you would with the side
triceps pose. Take a deep breath and lift your chest
up and out. Grasp the arm to be displayed with the
opposite hand. Bend your arm to flex the bicep. Avoid
lifting the rear shoulder up as this will reduce chest
thickness. Instead, keep this shoulder down and bring
your arm across slightly to highlight the striations in
the opposite chest muscle.
CONTENTS

MOST MUSCULAR
(OPTIONAL OR COMPULSORY)
As the name suggests, the most muscular pose
should display maximum amounts of muscle to
overwhelm the judges. All frontal muscles will be
displayed as the competitor crunches each hand
together while contracting the chest, biceps and
shoulders. There are many variations on this standard
“most muscular” pose: stand with palms on hips and
push down, or place one palm on your hip and the
other in front of the body, or place both hands behind
the back and pull your arms forward.

TIP:
When you
contract your
abdominal
muscles for
this pose
it’s very
important to
note if your
waist gets
thicker when
you flex down
as this might
detract from
your overall
symmetry.

FRONT ABDO-
MINAL AND THIGH
With this pose, try to emphasise lat width and, of TIP: Don’t
course, ab and thigh development. Begin by placing forget to flex
one leg out and flexing the thigh and calf. Place your your thighs
hands behind your neck and bring your shoulders and calves
when you
down. Flare your lats while keeping elbows up and do a most
back. Vacuum the abs in and crunch down on the muscular
frontal rib cage, abdominal wall, intercostals, serratus pose.
anterior and obliques while exhaling.
CONTENTS

ANDREW HUDSON & CHRIS PILLAY


POSING ON STAGE
Judges use the mandatory have assessed your physique are still being judged. Judges use
poses to make a detailed correctly, saw what they needed to this time to look at other athletes
assessment of each athlete’s see and can now compare you to in the background. It might have
primary muscle groups, the next athlete. It is important to happened that an athlete took a
physique, muscle bulk, balanced stay in the posing position until the long time to get into compulsory
development, body fat, muscle chief judge advises you otherwise, poses or two athletes are very
shape, muscular density and because this is the time when you closely matched, and the judge/s
definition, to name a few. They fight for your position. need to make sure that his/her
then score the athletes and rank When an athlete hesitates to get assessment is correct.
them to see who progresses to the into the pose, valuable time goes to Remember, judging is all about
next rounds. waste before the next compulsory decision making. You need to
To catch the judges’ eyes, when pose is called. The longer you wait help the judges make the correct
the chief judge calls out the pose to get into the pose, the shorter decision. It’s not easy to stay in
athletes should get into the pose the time the judges have to assess a pose or to stand hard for long.
as quickly as possible. This ensures and compare you before the next However, as this is very important
judges will be able to assess you pose. Remember that you have to it should be part of your
completely before they begin to show the judges what you’ve got; competition preparation. Even
assess the next athlete, which will the compulsory poses give you that if your posing routine doesn’t
definitely be to your benefit. opportunity so use every minute to determine your placing, it is so
You never know exactly when its full benefit. refreshing to see a choreographed
or which judge is judging you, so And always remember to stand routine. It is always enjoyed by the
give all the judges the opportunity hard! When comparisons are called crowd and by the judges and gives
to assess you correctly. By doing out of which you are not part of, it you the opportunity show off all
this you know the judges would is important to remember that you your hard work.
CONTENTS

FREE- as you’ll only end up with a ‘clunky’


robotic-like routine.
POSING To build a perfect routine the

ROUND best is to limit the number of


poses between transitions if you
This includes a posing display are a novice. This will keep your
by the competitor that is transitions smooth and leave
choreographed to the music fans shouting for more if your
of their choice. The idea with routine is properly choreographed.
free posing is to choose music It is important to seek advice
and emphasise poses that will and guidance from competitive
complement your physique and bodybuilders to develop this
natural stage presence. routine. Even a choreographer
Select music that you like and could give valuable lessons on

COBUS VAN DER MERWE


feel comfortable with. Suitable what to do and what to avoid in
choice could range from a free-posing round. Friends and
heavy metal to upbeat techno, family are also great sources of
depending on the individual’s feedback on your poses to provide
personal taste. Smaller that much-needed critical eye.
competitors who perhaps are Once you have your routine
blessed with greater symmetry planned out and your music
could use softer music; classical “WITH FREE- selection finalised you then need
or easy listening for example. POSING IT IS ALSO to practice until it becomes second
Whatever you choose, it must have WISE TO PERFECT nature. There is nothing more
a good introduction and ending. THE TRANSITIONS distracting for judges and fans
Try to cut the music to 60 seconds. BETWEEN EACH than hesitations during transitions
Plan your poses for the free- POSE, AS A or athletes who struggle to move
posing round around distinctive DEFICIENCY IN with fluidity from one pose to the
sections in the music. Make sure THIS AREA WILL next. This gives the impression
that your transitions (how you GIVE THE that your routine is sloppy,
look between poses) are smooth:
APPEARANCE unrehearsed and haphazard, and
the smoother they are the better
OF A SLOPPY you don’t want that. Devote ample
your routine will be. If you are
known for overall massive muscle
ROUTINE.” time to your posing routine before
a competition. Remember to
development “power poses” three and four seconds before focus on the compulsory poses
like the most muscular should moving to the next one. before you attempt to do any
be emphasised. With free-posing it is also wise signature poses.
A free-posing routine should also to perfect the transitions between You must know your strong
include all of the compulsories, or each pose, as a deficiency in this points and the particular type of
variations thereof, and incorporate area will give the appearance energy you want to bring to the
many optional poses such as the of a sloppy routine. Transitions stage in your free-posing round.
intercostal twist crunch, hamstring are essentially all movements Each bodybuilder is different,
flex or the javelin-thrower (an between any given pose and will so only through practice and
iconic classic bodybuilding pose need to be factored into the pre- observation will you be able to find
that emphasises a physique). It’s judging compulsories as well. With your own way of hitting each pose
also important to try to develop transitions it makes sense to remain effectively. You don’t want to waste
something unique that will catch flexed but relaxed enough to flow weeks of dieting and hard training
the judges’ eyes. Keep in mind that from one movement to the next. to risk a good placement by not
you have 60 seconds to perform a Aim to perform your turns gracefully mastering the transitions to show
routine. Hold each pose between and not in a machine-like manner off your physique.
CONTENTS

IT IS UP
TO YOU
During the posing rounds it is
important to keep in mind that
the judges can only judge what
they see on the stage on show
day. It is up to you to highlight the
strong points of your physique while
downplaying your weaknesses.
In general judges at bodybuilding
shows will all look for a hard,
striated physique where muscles
and muscle seperation is clearly
visible through the skin with near-
zero body fat distorting the view.
All that posing practice will amount
to nothing if you haven’t achieved
the level of muscularity and
conditioning required to achieve JOHN LESLIE & VUSUMZI NJISANE
success on the competitive stage.
FLEXING AND POSING
Posing between sets at gym can have a profound effect on
muscle hardness and detail. In fact, entire workouts can be
based around the concept of iso-tension, where the muscle is
tensed and held in an isometric contraction for a count of ten.
Flexing works in much the same way, but for bodybuilding
purposes the emphasis should be perfecting your pose and
chiseling your muscles as a pre-contest strategy.
Posing in the gym also helps you to pre-assess your physique
to observe any weak points, which can then be addressed
before stepping on stage. As bodybuilding legend Arnold
Schwarzenegger himself once said, “You can’t practice posing
too much. I always believed in flexing and posing whatever body
parts I was training during any workout in the gym. If I trained
arms I would stop between sets and do some arm shots, studying
myself in the mirror. Training legs or anything else, I would always
take time to pose. Posing this way is not vanity. It has two specific
advantages. On the one hand, this constant flexing in itself is a
good form of training, helping to make the muscles hard and well
defined. On the other, it constantly shows you exactly how much
development you have achieved or failed to achieve. As great as
CHRIS FITZPATRICK

your physique may appear at rest, it will primarily be judged as


seen in poses. Therefore, what it looks like when you pose is the
ultimate measure of your success. Without doing this there is no
way to examine the body in each of these important poses, and
that’s why I felt I could never pose enough.”
CONTENTS

10 TIPS FOR POSING


1. R ead and research as much as a Melvin Anthony
you can find on posing. or Vince Taylor style
2. When hitting every routine because it can end
pose, remember to keep up looking extremely tacky.
everything flexed and tight. Only certain people can pull
This means on a back double off certain moves.
biceps the back, hamstrings, 7. P  ractice posing for 30 minutes
calves and glutes should all each day from at least eight
be flexed, for example. weeks out, making sure your
3. Develop your own style of compulsory poses are up to
posing; you want to stand scratch to begin with. Hold
out, not look the same as each pose for 30 seconds to
everyone else. help build your endurance on
4. D
 on’t pick your music and stage. It isn’t as easy as it looks.
then make a posing routine 8. I nteract with the audience –
around it. Develop your let them see what
routine first and then pick you’ve got.
an appropriate track to go 9. Videos/DVDs of pro
with it. You may need to bodybuilding shows
make some minor changes are always a useful
depending on the expression tool to watch.
of you as an individual. 10. While posing enjoy
5. Don’t choose a piece of music yourself and always
that is fast and has no rhythm. remember to
Posing should be slow, smile. No one

SHANTI MITCHELL
rhythmical and controlled, enjoys a grumpy
not chaotic. bodybuilder –
6. Know your limitations – do entertain your
not think you can pull off audience!

PRACTICING POSING FOR MUSCLE


GROWTH AND SELF ASSESSMENT
The only way to perfect in action. As their career by a sloppy and monotonous
the mandatory poses is to depends on perfect posing posing routine.
practice them regularly and pro bodybuilders will display This is why it is important to
correctly. Practicing a pose their physiques flawlessly, take photos or videos of your
incorrectly is dangerous because so one should try to emulate posing sessions ahead of a show
of our habit forming nature as their example. to look at your execution and
human beings. That’s why it is This all seems fairly simple, make adjustments where needed.
essential to make sure that you yet every amateur show you go Lastly, judges look for
have someone watching your to there is always at least one overall symmetry, muscularity
posing practice to make sure competitor who clearly hasn’t and hardness at shows. You
that you are performing all practised their routine. The worst only have one chance to make
your poses correctly. Another thing at a bodybuilding show is a favourable impression on
way is to watch pro bodybuilders to see a great physique held back them. Make it count.
CONTENTS

ULTIMATE BODYBUILDING

THANKS
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO
MADE THE PUBLISHING OF THIS ESSENTIAL
BODYBUILDING RESOURCE POSSIBLE:

CONTRIBUTORS

Marius Dohne, online coach and IFBB pro athlete


Chris Fitzpatrick, Team SSN Muscle Junkie and
2013 IFBB Overall champion
Hennie Kotze, IFBB pro athlete
Andrew Carruthers, Muscle Evolution Editor-in-Chief
Werner Beukes, Muscle Evolution Editor
Pedro van Gaalen, Muscle Evolution Managing Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY

Soulby Jackson www.skjphotography.co.za


Ben Myburgh www.benmyburghphotography.co.za
Roger Wells www.rwphoto.co.za
JACO VENTER
CONTENTS

ANDREW
HUDSON
IFBB PRO BODYBUILDER

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