Mastering the Art of
Posing
Researched and composed by Vic Goyaram
With personal inputs from several competitive bodybuilders
The importance of posing
You have spent years
constructing your physique and you must know how to show the fruits of your
hard labour. Whether you are showing your physique to judges on contest day or
simply posing in front of your friends at the gym, you should know how to
display your body properly.
A great poser is not only
one who can do break dances, robotic moves or a full split while still showing
his muscles. A great poser is someone who can use posing to his best advantage,
to show his strengths and hide his weaknesses to create an illusion of, for
example, greater mass or greater shoulder-to-waist differential.
The Power of Illusion
How many times have you
seen a well developed bodybuilder “die away” in a lineup because he cannot pose
properly to display his muscle? I bet quite a few times and this is really a
pity. I have personally seen massive
bodybuilders looking really good when relaxed but look bad and awkward when
starting to pose. I have also on many occasions seen competitors looking rather
mediocre or blocky when standing relaxed but look startling and much bigger as
soon as they start hitting poses.
Gentlemen, FLEX!!
In this series on posing I
will show you the mandatory poses, what the judges are looking for in each pose
and my personal notes on how to highlight your strengths, hide your weak points
and what to avoid doing in each pose. I
will also show you pictures of how bodybuilders slightly “manipulate” each
mandatory pose to their advantage. You will be stunned by the number of
variations to each pose that bodybuilders use. For instance, Arnold, Kai
Greene, Frank Zane and Toney Freeman each hit the front double biceps
differently.
Bottom line is
bodybuilding is an exhibitionist sport and bad posing can “wreck” your
physique.
Mandatory Pose 1: Front
Double Biceps
Balance bodyweight evenly
on both legs. Legs should be slightly
bent at the knees. Do not keep the knees straight. Flex the legs hard to show
separation. Do not put your feet straight forward. Point your feet outward (see
picture above) as this will allow you to show separation in your legs and also
your calves. Keep the stomach tight and
under control at all times. Raise your arms to hit a
double biceps position. Raise arms to about shoulder level. Neither too high
nor too low. Flare your lats as you
raise the arm. Supinate your wrists
(hands turned toward you) to show the biceps peak
What the judges are
looking for in this pose and what you should do to make them happy
The first thing that will
capture the attention of the audience and the judge is your midsection. Make
sure you are in good condition and have the proverbial “washboard abs” before
you step onstage. If your condition is off it will show very prominently in the
midsection.
The judge will perform a
head to toe survey of the body, looking for overall muscle density, balance and
definition. The judging panel will analyse the following areas of the body for
the points mentioned:
Arm development: whether
or not there is sufficient biceps development and a good balance between the
biceps and the triceps Biceps peak are a plus point as well as the split
between the two heads of the biceps.
Chest, shoulders, lats and
serratus: Whether or not there is balance between the chest and shoulders and
the arms. The arms should not overpower nor be overpowered by the chest and
shoulders. Take a look at Branch Warren (pictured below) and you will see that his arms are
overpowered by his thick chest and shoulders in this pose. Extra points are
scored if the lats flare out well and the serratus muscles are visible.
Midsection: The midsection
receives a lot of scrutiny in that pose. A bad midsection (more often a result
of insufficient dieting and substance abuse than bad genetics) will ruin your
front double biceps. Maintain the abs tight at all times.The judges look for
abdominal control and whether or not the internal obliques show above the
hipbone. You score more points if you can flex your abdominals along with the
rest of your body (see picture below)
Legs: The judge will look for
leg development, not only in terms of size but also in terms of separation and balance. How well you can show the
various muscles in the legs and how visible they are will also depend on your
conditioning. If you show good adductor development you can spread the legs
slightly more to showcase them (see Branch Warren in the picture below) and
this will earn you extra points. Many competitors focus only on showing the
teardrops and not their adductors in this pose.
Calves: Yes, the calves
are also judged in the front double biceps pose!! Judges will look for diamond
shaped calves that are visible from the front. Weak calves will set you back so
make it a must to develop the inner gastrocnemius as well as the front
(tibialis anterior) muscles.
Balance and Abdominal control
The judges look for
balance in this pose.
a. Look at how Branch
Warren's thick lats and chest overpower his arms. Dexter on the other side shows greater balance among the muscle groups in
the pose.
b. Dexter shows better
abdominal control as he is able to flex his abs and show better serratus
c. Branch spreads his legs
a little more because he can show his beefy adductors
d. Smile: Be friendly to
the audience and the judges
Abdominal control in action
"Mauritian Blade" Jack Madanamoothoo shows complete
mastery of the front double biceps and exemplary muscle control.
Note the control that he is able to exercise on his abs and how
effortless he makes this pose seem. He did his homework not
only under the weights but also in front of the mirror. (and so should you)
Perfect balance
The "Ronnie Coleman of Mauritius" Denis Ayen
in an awesome display of balance among his chest, shoulders
and arms. Note how arms insert into his shoulders and lats.
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