Front Pose

                                       FOR TRAINERS:

Actually touching a competitors muscles while they are posing is a good way to remind them to keep flexing

Have competitors begin to hold poses for longer periods of time as their posing improves

Constantly remind competitor to breath, which will prevent lightheadedness and supply oxygen to their muscle so that they have the stamina to hold their poses longer

Constantly remind them to smile, eventually the brain will associate smiling with posing and it (smiling) will become an unconscious act. Don’t let a competitor get away with not smiling during practice. If they don’t practice it, they WON’T do it onstage.

  1)  Deep breath, chest out

  2)  Arms flexed: shoulders, biceps and  

       triceps

  3)  Stomach in (drawing-in technique)

  4)  Lats flared

  5)  Arms out to sides: a) not too wide, b)  

      hands should be facing each other,  

      fingers pointed but ‘relaxed’

  6) Smile! (especially when practicing)

Figure  Mandatory Prejudging Poses

Front Pose: Upper body (‘facing front’)

                                                                          by Terry Stokes, figure coach

The idea is to create a v-taper (wide shoulders, flared lats and small waist). Standing tall, sticking out your chest, contracting your lats and pulling your stomach tight will create this look.

Holding your arms out to the side also helps create this look by allowing the judges to see your back muscles (under your arms).

The arms are flexed at all times but not so much so that you look stiff. Slight (soft) bend in the elbow, and the hands are slightly flexed and pointed (‘relaxed’)

The idea is to squeeze all of your muscles hard but look as comfortable as possible while doing it. Until you gain experience at flexing all of your muscles at once, you will have a tendency to involuntarily relax some of your muscles while posing.

You must be able to stay flexed at all times while onstage because you never know when the judges are looking at you! Constantly remind yourself to ‘flex and squeeze.’ Eventually you will develop the stamina and concentration to keep all of your muscles ‘tight’ without relaxing.

Competition Figure Training

Figure Competition Coach/Personal Training

Advanced Fat Loss For Women

Buffalo N.Y.

HardBodyFigure.com