Bodybuilding Posing

You’ve got it now flaunting it!

Bodybuilding posing is usually one of the most ignored aspects of contest preparation. Competitors are so focused on their dieting and training that many don’t take the time to prepare an exciting posing routine. Some bodybuilders leave it until the last week to try and put something together. There are even a few brave souls who step on stage and try to “wing it.” It’s easy to spot the bodybuilders who don’t do their homework; they can’t even perform the mandatory poses properly. 

If you hope to win or even place well in a bodybuilding contest, you must give your posing preparation the same diligence and dedication as training and dieting. You may be the biggest and most ripped guy on stage, but if you flounder around looking unprepared, your chances of winning, or even placing, will be greatly reduced.  

The best posers select music that reflects their personality. It’s also much easier to perform a great routine if you like the song you are posing to. In a manner of speaking, your physique is your product, and you’re using the posing routine to ‘sell’ yourself to the judges. The judges award points in three areas: how well you hit the individual poses, how well your routine flows with your physique; and how well your routine flows with the music you have selected. If you have a rugged, muscular physique, music that is powerful and upbeat will be your best bet. On the other hand if your physique is more symmetrical than massive, slower pop music or classical music, will probably work better for your bodybuilding posing. 

Here are a few tips for music selection and preparation: 

Choose a song that you like (you’ll be listening to it over and over) 

Select a song that matches your athletic abilities (i.e. flexibility) 

Pick a song that matches your personality.  

Choose a song that suits your physique 

Whenever you’re listening to music on the radio, visualize posing to each song. 

Always make at least two, preferably three copies of your music. 

Contact the contest organizer to see if they want your music on CD or cassette. 

If you have a gift for posing, put together two routines; one for the pre-judging and one for the evening show. 

Posing: The Routine 

Your first step in putting together a posing routine is to take a series of photos showing all the mandatory poses as well as the other classic poses. Divide the photos into great, good, and poor. Unless your physique is really not ready for competition, disregard the poor photos. If you hold each pose for an average of 3 to 5 seconds, you’ll only have enough time for 18 to 30 poses. And don’t forget that it each pose will be separated by a couple of seconds of transition time. This means that you’ll only have enough time to hit 18 to 20 poses in your routine. Your goal is to start and finish your bodybuilding posing routine with one or two of your best shots. Also don’t forget that while not necessary, you should include some, if not all, of the compulsory poses in your posing routine. The judges will quickly spot a competitor who avoids hitting the mandatory poses. They’ll assume that you’re trying to hide something. 

Once you have your best poses picked out, your next step is to set the poses to your music selection. Time it so that you are moving between poses as the music is rising and hitting the poses as the music peaks. Many bodybuilders hire dance choreographers to help them prepare their posing routines. One of the early scenes in the classic documentary, Pumping Iron, shows Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu practicing their posing routines under the watchful eye of a dance instructor. While most bodybuilders have no problem holding each individual pose, what distinguishes great posers from good posers, are their transition skills; how well they move between each pose. The best make it look like poetry in motion.    

If you don’t have access to a dance instructor, check with one of your gym’s aerobic instructors. Most aerobics’ instructors, especially those who incorporate martial arts into their classes, know how to set coordinate static and transition movements with music. 

Once you have your bodybuilding posing routine put together, it’s time to start preparing for each of the four Rounds in the contest. As each round is distinct you must know how to conduct yourself during each one. You don’t have to win every Round to place first, but you must place at or near the top in most of them.