Bodybuilding Posing Tips

Front Semi-relaxed

• Slight lat spread
• Elbows bent and slightly out (accentuates arms)
• Slightly flex wrist
• Hands clasped
• Lift chest
• Thighs turned out slightly (quad sweep)
• Keep feet close together (calves will appear larger)
• Knees slightly bent, further apart than ankles
• Abduct hips (brings out cuts on upper quads)

Rear Poses

• Turn head (brings out upper traps)
• Squeeze glutes, hams, and calves
• flex abdomen (brings out low back muscularity)

Side Poses

• Pull in abdomen or flex
• Squeeze thighs together to push out hamstrings
• Chest high
• Flex far pec (shows cut of the inner chest)
• Consider elbows slightly back without exposing space behind back (add thickness)
• Slight twist toward the audience.
• Bend elbow slightly
• Flex Triceps

Biceps Poses

• Position fist above biceps (complimentary shapes)
• Position elbow shoulder height or slightly higher
• Consider placing the thumb in fist (less detracting)

Lat Spread

• Grasp back of hips with thumbs and fist
• Slide so knuckles are into sides, not back or front
• Top of hands should be horizontal
• Elbow further forward than abdomen
• Chest high
• Keep shoulders from rising, or shrugging

Transitions

• Transitions are movements between poses
• Move arms in a circular path
  • sometimes in a line
• Hand postures
  • Open hands during the transaction
    • takes focus away from the body
  • Clinch fists during the pose
    • brings focus to pose
• Turns
  • Implement 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 turns
  • Step over, raise, and rotate