Posing

For myself I would say posing is the most important part of show day. You could present the judges with the most fabulous figure but if you don't know how to show it off to it's best then no-one can see what you have worked hard for. Alternatively, your figure may not match up to some of the physiques back stage but if you know how to pose for your shape and strengths, you will stand out fabulously and mask your flaws.

This section is aimed to provide you with the basic pointers for figure posing. Posing to your advantage and enhance your physique to the best of your ability. There are lots of pictures and videos on the internet so have a good look around for people who match your body type. How do they pose? Does it look good? Then you can adapt accordingly to how you would like to present yourself on stage. Always play around with posing in the mirror.

If able, video yourself posing as what you perceive yourself doing in the mirror can be very different when you watch it back on video. Remember that as you start dieting and you get closer to show day, your shape will be changing so don't be afraid to adapt your posing to suit. If you know people who have competed, don't be afraid to ask for help. We have all been there!

Federations and individual judges look for different criteria when scoring the figure class. Although guidelines are provided and all federations give examples of what they expect from the competitor you will find they differ.

The pictures below are split into:

• Quarter turns
• Compulsory poses
• Any pose of your choice

This covers the basis of all federations for the figure class. Not all federations include compulsory poses in the figure class, this information should be available from their competition rules section.

Click on the pose of your choice for a full explanation:

Quarter Turn Poses - Click on a pose to find out more...