You can go watch any fitness competition and see who has prepared to do their best on stage and those that did very little or nothing. Not learning how to present yourself on stage and show your physique properly is a big mistake. If you train hard all year and eat smart, why would you not want to pose smart as well? The judges and audience want to see an athlete on stage that shows a positive winning attitude. A true winner is someone who has done all their homework and then displays it so that it can be greatly appreciated.
Once you decide you will compete, make sure you get your entry form early so that you know what poses you will be required to do. You will want to practice posing 6-8 weeks before your competition in front of a full length mirror with good lighting. You can start by posing in shorts for the men. Ladies can wear a small style top and shorts but eventually you will want to pose in your posing suit. Get out your camera and video tape your posing sessions so that you and others with experience can critique your poses and the transitions you make from one pose to another. Make sure you get away from the mirror as your contest gets closer so that you don’t feel dependent on the mirror. This way, you will know you’re hitting your poses properly. Continue to video tape your posing and critique everything without the mirror to make sure you are hitting the poses correctly. You will be able to build up confidence so you’re ready when you walk out on stage.
Your posing routine should be like a work of art. Fluid moves from one pose to another with no jerky movements or hesitation between poses. You will want to hit and hold your poses a few seconds and make sure you smile. Grimacing and straining of your face does nothing for the pose but make you look a bit silly. Put together a routine that highlights your best body parts and do a combination of poses both standing and down on the floor, if floor poses are allowed.
Make sure you take big, deep breaths of air when you do your side chest poses to lift the rib cage. Also breathe deeply when you do your front and back double biceps poses. If you have long hair, you’re not going to want it covering your back area, so do something with it. When you walk out on the stage, hold your head up and be confident so you can proudly display all of your hard work. Let them know you have done your very best and you’re confident, not arrogant.
Why practice posing? There are a number of reasons. Posing helps bring out muscle hardness and it burns calories. When you’re on stage, you will be confident when you pose since you have already practiced and you will be able to hit your poses properly. Also by practicing, you will avoid being like the people who didn’t practice because when they pose, their bodies will be shaking since they are not used to it. If a contest is so close between two athletes that both have great hardness, size and symmetry, the athlete with the better posing routine will almost always get the victory.
When you walk out on stage, you will not have any mirrors. You will be nervous and excited at the same time which is normal. There will be bright lights and judges taking a good look at you. You will not be able to hide any weak areas, so make sure you do your homework before you decide to step on stage. Most of all, enjoy it and have fun! Show the world what you have accomplished. You’re already a winner no matter how you place since you’re working out and eating healthy.
