It demonstrates confidence and preparation. It announces that you are knowledgeable and experienced, and know how to present your body in the best light. Any hesitation or insecurity will create negative energy that will be magnified on stage.
The purpose of standard poses is to show off your physique to its best advantage and give the judges what they need to make an informed decision.
They’re looking for the ultimate presentation of the body parts under consideration—muscularity, symmetry, proportion and aesthetics. You gain points for excellence in each category.
Poor posing will not display these qualities.
Practice a lot and then practice some more. Practice the compulsory poses as well as your own poses. You will create muscle memory and definition, which will help competition night.
Use your creativity—come up with new routines that wow the crowd. Seek to reflect your personality and personal style and create a brand that cannot be duplicated.
Be confident, project enthusiasm and a winning attitude. It will be infectious and affect the judges.
Choose a posing style that suits your body type and personality. It’ll help present the “total package” needed to stand out from the crowd and take home the title.
Pick poses that maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Many of today’s bodybuilding greats were experts in choosing poses that presented them at their best.
Choose the right songs — make sure the music fits you and your personality to a T. Your routine depends heavily on the success of your poses matching and being in time with the music and its mood.
Pace yourself. A posing routine is not a race. Take time to perform the routine with confidence and style.
Consider a theme. Vince Taylor’s famous Terminator theme lives on to this day in the minds of bodybuilding fans. A theme will create a kind of mini-story that the audience can follow and get behind.
Don’t forget your tan. Make sure that it is even overall and that you have even amounts of posing oil. Again, Dream Tan is a standard although there are many products that work.
So put your best foot forward (literally) on stage by finding and practicing the poses that accentuate all your hard work!
