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During bodybuilding competitions stage presence and the way you hit poses can definitely have a huge impact on whether you are successful on stage. I have seen smaller bodybuilders win over their larger counterparts just because of superior presentation.
Below are a number of ideas for you to consider when planning your time onstage.
Make sure you know all the compulsory poses. It all depends on the bodybuilding federation and class you are entering (men’s classic class in NZFBB does not do most muscular or lat spread poses for instance). So check out their respective web-sites to make sure you know the right poses to practise. Then make sure you practise them a lot!
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Plan your routine early. Be organised, sort out your best poses, work on your transitions (how you will move between poses) and timing to your chosen music. Remember if you are not a natural mover make sure you get it sorted way before the competition day (Enlist the help of another bodybuilder who poses well to help). There is nothing worse than seeing a gifted bodybuilder looking awesome backstage and then looking average onstage due to poor posing.
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Play up your strengths during your posing routine. When I organise my routine I get inspiration from you-tube, past classic greats I want to emulate like Frank Zane, Lee Labrada & co, then write down all the poses I want to do during the routine. I get my wife to critique how the poses look and then choose a song that suits my personality and the style of posing I want to perform. Poses should be selected, modified or left out to hide any weaknesses and performed in such a way as to accentuate your strengths. It must be said that choosing poses and deciding how to perform them should also depend on the shape of your physique; there is no point doing a classical routine and poses if your physique is thick and stocky or performing a routine that focuses on your back when your strengths are from the front.
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Make the routine your own-add a little gimmick. It doesn’t have to be much as I think the bulk of your routine should be poses (not a dance routine), but still try to add your own flair to it. I had a student compete in a local bodybuilding show recently and since he is awesome at back flips we incorporated it into his routine. It just added a little something different and got the crowd going too.
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Always create an x-frame shape. When I compete my goal is to make my waist look as small as possible from the front, side and back while making my legs and upper body look as wide as possible. This means you will need to play around with holding your arms and legs at different angles to see what makes you look the best. One example that springs to mind is the side chest pose where I make sure I lift the rib cage high, drop my front shoulder back and down, while twisting and sucking in at the waist to create the illusion of size in the upper body. Then at the same time bending the knees more to create a balanced x-frame shape.
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Choose music that suits your personality and allows the audience to connect with you. This is important because if you choose a song that doesn’t suit your posing style the crowd won’t buy into it. When selecting a song get the opinion of a person you trust who will be totally honest with you. Choose a song that both you and the crowd can get into and that allows you to show your physique off at its best. I personally like to pose to slow songs as it allows me to hit my poses properly and I can move easily between each pose.
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Have a great tan. Know what tan suits you. Getting your tan right is vital to looking your best on stage. Some people often use a base tan then apply a top coat like Dream Tan to finish it off. This is effective for most people, but I find it dries out my skin and makes the tan look lighter and flat looking. I prefer to just apply dream tan on the day of the show. If you feel that you could improve in this area and want to try a different tan, do it before Nationals! Try it out at a regional event and purchase the DVD or photos so you can see whether it makes your physique look better.
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Don’t dehydrate yourself. Biggest mistake ever! People often think they just need to get rid of water and they will look leaner. Usually what this means is that you still have body fat to lose. Muscles are around 70% water, so if you decide to dehydrate a couple of days out you are setting yourself up for fatigue and flat looking muscles. I like to drink around 4 litres a day during the last week, Monday-Thursday. Friday I drink around 3 litres and drink when I want on the day. This allows me to get a great pump backstage and I feel good too!
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Don’t go crazy and change your diet too much. If you are looking great a week out (which you should always plan to do) then don’t change anything; KISS principle yo!
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Be lean! There is no hiding body fat up there onstage in your posing trunks. No matter how much muscle you have you need to get as lean as possible to show the audience what you’ve got. Don’t worry about losing size- as you will look bigger on stage the leaner you get (that’s if you keep all your muscle and don’t dehydrate).
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Posing trunks. Make sure they fit properly and keep everything in place! Black is the way to go- you never have to worry about it dominating your presentation.
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Consider different options in terms of each compulsory pose. There are often several ways to hit a pose. The most muscular is a good example; do you look better doing it with your hands on your hips, hands together or the good old crab shot? Again have someone assess this.
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Use Nitric oxide supplements. I always use a nitric oxide supplement right before a competition. It helps get a good pump backstage and brings out more vascularity.
Smile and enjoy yourself. Remember you have done all the hard work- it’s time to shine so get out there and smile, have fun and strike
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