FIGURE: Posing/Contest Prep -- Assorted Questions

[GoalGetter]

I also posted the following in my journal, but just in case it is missed there, I thought I'd put it here as well...

Posing Guide for Women?

So I decided to go for the Empire States show instead of the Bev Francis, and reading the NABBA guidelines, they require not only the quarter turns, but also the bb'er poses and a free style round. Um... HELP?

I am practicing my posing almost every day, but going by some pictures I took of myself recently I SUCK. I have looked up posing guides online and even on IM, but it's mostly geared towards the men. I want to see a guide with tips for the ladies. I can go to any site that shows winners and see their poses, but I would like a guide that tells me stuff like, "For this pose, stick your butt out, round your elbows, etc... " I have no clue. I'm sure it's the same as for the guys, (is it?) but I want to be 100% on this. Does my question make any sense? Not quarter turns, but all the other poses.

I also need help figuring something out for FREE STYLE or free posing round. Am I supposed to pick music? Am I supposed to have a pre-determined routine, or can I just wing it when I walk out there? This is scary to me. Probably more so than the mandatory stuff.

I found THIS, which is very helpful, but it only covers quarter turns. Another one by the same author, also helpful but doesn't provide what i'm looking for.

Posing Suits --- Best Style for My Body/Frame?

I know I need a one piece and a two piece. Ya'll have seen my pics in my gallery, but the highlights of my body are as follows: i have a high waist, I'm kinda "blocky", not an hourglass/tiny waist kind of girl. Also, I have relatively small breasts (who the hell woudl have told me I'd be saying this about my boobs EVER HHAHAHAHAH!).

Nails, Hair & Makeup

I am trying like crazy to NOT bite my nails FOREVER. I stop and start again. It's a nasty habit, but I can't seem to stop 100%. I stop for about a month and then one day I start up all over again. Do I need to look into getting acrylic or gel nails for the show? Or could I go with naturally shorter (active length) nails, my own, wiht just a nice simple manicure. I've noticed most of these figure girls have CLAWS. I hate fake nails and they are HORRIBLE for my own nails, in terms of the damage they cause after I remove them and go back to my natural nails. Thoughts, anyone?

Hair and makeup are another concern. I am traveling to another state for this show. Therefore it's not like i could afford to fly a stylist and makeup artist out there with me. Do the shows provide such people or should I arrive a few days earlier and find a place recommended by others in the area? Get my hair done night before? Or day of in the morning (5 AM?!)??

I know I am over 3 months out still, but I want to know what to expect, so that I can start planning/organizing myself the sooner the better.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

[JLB001]

Ivonne...I'll get back with you on this in a lil while. Gotta go do cardio then eat. I have some good info to help ya out.

I think Kim S. will have some too.

 

[crazy_enough]

this is a great thread GG!

 

[JLB001]

I also posted the following in my journal, but just in case it is missed there, I thought I'd put it here as well...

Posing Guide for Women?

So I decided to go for the Empire States show instead of the Bev Francis, and reading the NABBA guidelines, they require not only the quarter turns, but also the bb'er poses and a free style round. Um... HELP?

I am practicing my posing almost every day, but going by some pictures I took of myself recently I SUCK. I have looked up posing guides online and even on IM, but it's mostly geared towards the men. I want to see a guide with tips for the ladies. I can go to any site that shows winners and see their poses, but I would like a guide that tells me stuff like, "For this pose, stick your butt out, round your elbows, etc... " I have no clue. I'm sure it's the same as for the guys, (is it?) but I want to be 100% on this. Does my question make any sense? Not quarter turns, but all the other poses.
I would suggest maybe ordering a video from one of Pro shows with the fitness/figure girls. This would give you a good idea as how they pose. Also see if the NABBA has a video from one of their shows that you might be able to purchase. Alot of learning the poses is to be able to feel them when you have yourself set right.

I also need help figuring something out for FREE STYLE or free posing round. Am I supposed to pick music? Am I supposed to have a pre-determined routine, or can I just wing it when I walk out there? This is scary to me. Probably more so than the mandatory stuff.
You'll want to choose music that you like, one that makes you feel good about yourself. In reading the NABBA guidelines, it looks like they want no posing in the routine, but moves that show your physique best. I used a song by Pink, just because I like her attitude and spunk. You can wing it too, just remember that 60 secs seems to take friggen forever!
I found THIS, which is very helpful, but it only covers quarter turns. Another one by the same author, also helpful but doesn't provide what i'm looking for.

Posing Suits --- Best Style for My Body/Frame?

I know I need a one piece and a two piece. Ya'll have seen my pics in my gallery, but the highlights of my body are as follows: i have a high waist, I'm kinda "blocky", not an hourglass/tiny waist kind of girl. Also, I have relatively small breasts (who the hell woudl have told me I'd be saying this about my boobs EVER HHAHAHAHAH!).
More later on this.

Nails, Hair & Makeup

I am trying like crazy to NOT bite my nails FOREVER. I stop and start again. It's a nasty habit, but I can't seem to stop 100%. I stop for about a month and then one day I start up all over again. Do I need to look into getting acrylic or gel nails for the show? Or could I go with naturally shorter (active length) nails, my own, wiht just a nice simple manicure. I've noticed most of these figure girls have CLAWS. I hate fake nails and they are HORRIBLE for my own nails, in terms of the damage they cause after I remove them and go back to my natural nails. Thoughts, anyone?
I've done fake nails and my own. If you decide not to have them done, just make sure they are neat, clean, and not chewed to the nail beds.

Hair and makeup are another concern. I am traveling to another state for this show. Therefore it's not like i could afford to fly a stylist and makeup artist out there with me. Do the shows provide such people or should I arrive a few days earlier and find a place recommended by others in the area? Get my hair done night before? Or day of in the morning (5 AM?!)??
I've always done my own makeup. You want to go with a good Foundation like Mac (you can always have them do a test run on your makeup and have them teach you how to apply it, just be sure to let them know you will be lots darker and need the makeup to accent your best features on stage), you do not want to tan your face with whatever product you select, do this with your foundation and powder. Myself I use a powder that is more ethnic as I tend to get very dark with tanning and the Olympic Tan products. I can't suggest hair, since mine is so short. I just get my color and trin done about a week ahead so I don't look like I have a "fresh" cut. Shelley likes to buzz the back of my hair with a 1 clipper blade!
I know I am over 3 months out still, but I want to know what to expect, so that I can start planning/organizing myself the sooner the better.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

[kkschaef]

definately get videos and especially in the federation you want to compete in and practice the hell out of your posing. Some girls don't realize how important quarter turns are.
for posing suits Jodi can definately help you with this. I wish I would have known sooner she did suits.
Hair and makeup I also do myself and i always do a dry run a couple weeks before the show an important thing to remember is your color make sure you test your tanning product before the contest. i've heard horror stories of girls looking green because of bad products. i myself use protan and do not use it on your face. I use a face tanner and match it to the protan on my body and get a dark foundation Mac and Dermablend are both great. That is another reason to try the Protan before hand so you can also match your foundation.
You will need to go darker for your makeup because of stage lighting.
Nails you can have nail tips put on with a french manicure is best don't want anything to distract from your physique.
You will also need high heeled shoes clear is best you can go to my website www.kimschaeferfitness.com and in my links page there are my affiliates on top many of those sites have clear heels such as suits you swimwear.com and catdancerz.com
www.bodybuilding.com has alot of articles on contest prep.

 

[BritChick]

Posing Suits:

Definately seek advice on this from someone who custom makes suits, they are the best for telling you what will and won't work for your physique. (Jodie )
Colour really comes down to personal choice but it is a good idea to go with bright colours that will be eye catching... just not too eye catching to detract from your physique.
As for boobs, padding, padding, padding - seriously most girls do use padding in their competition suits whether foam padding or gel inserts.

Posing:

I would search for a trainer/competitor in your area that really knows their stuff.
Videos are great but I really found that having a posing coach helped me immensely and they were able to see things in my posing that I had not noticed and help me tweak it until it was just right.
You are probably thinking right now just of the posing routine and quarter turns, there is a lot to know even about walking out on that stage - first impressions count. As soon as walk out you are being assessed, you need to walk in a way that is most flattering to your body, just a couple of things I picked up from having a coach were, when walking onto the stage walk at a slight angle twisting your upper torso towards the judges this allows them to see a narrow waist and width to your upper body immediately and when you are asked to move to the left or right by the judges, turn and take steps, don't do giant side steps, this just isn't flattering, once you know these seemingly little things and watch for them you will see how much of a difference they really make to the overall picture.

Nails:

I get gel nails done professionally but I keep them year round, my natural nails are the shits and used to constantly tear and split and were often painful... I love these puppies, they are soooo strong.

Make-up:

I do my own make-up, I usually do a couple of trial runs before to make sure I like what I'm doing.
Go darker than normal with the make-up but not quite 'theatrical', you don't want to look like a clown!
I use pro-tan and dream tan for my body tanning and for a foundation I purchased the very darkest shade they had and adjusted the colour with a touch of dream tan for a really good match, the face should be a touch lighter than your body.
Lashes... has anyone mentioned lashes? This is up to you but I would say 90% of figure competitors were fake ones... this came as a bit of a suprise to me too! lol There are tons of different kinds to chose from these days - you don't have to end up looking like some gawdy drag queen in them, you can even get individual pieces and just apply a few, they really did make a huge difference to the overall look.

Hair:

I also do my own hair because who the hell can I find at 5am on the day of contest?!
I'm not sure how you would be doing your hair the night before, usually the night before mine is up high in a pony tail while I run around naked waiting for the pro tan to dry.
This year I think I am getting some blond pieces put in around the front of my face to frame it... I am getting them put in temporarily as I don't want to dye my hair but I like the look of highlights on stage especially if you have dark hair.
Keep your hair off your shoulders, you don't want to detract from them.
After my first show I was told, wear my hair at least half up, half down to get it away from my neck and shoulders, then at Nationals I was told wear it down and BIG. I guess it depends on what the judges prefer.

Happy planning.

 

[JLB001]

IFBB Figure Posing Rules

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Official IFBB Figure posing Regulations

Official posing regulations from the IFBB

Article 21 ??? Description of the Four Quarter Turns:
The four quarter turns will be performed in the manner described below:

Quarter Turn Right:
Relaxed erect stance, head and eyes facing the same direction as the body, heels
together, feet inclined outward at a 30° angle, knees together and unbent, stomach in,
chest out, shoulders back, left arm hanging relaxed and slightly back from the center-line of the body with a slight bend at the elbow, thumb and fingers together, palm facing the direction of the body, hand slightly cupped, right arm hanging relaxed and slightly front of the center-line of the body with a slight bend at the elbow, thumb and fingers together, palm facing the body, hand slightly cupped. The positioning of the arms will cause the upper body to twist slightly to the left, with the left shoulder lowered and the right shoulder raised. This is normal and must not be exaggerated. This position is a relaxed stance. Flexing of the muscles is prohibited. Competitors who fail to adopt the proper stance will receive one warning after which points will be deducted from their score.

Quarter Turn Back:
Relaxed erect stance, head and eyes facing the same direction as the body, heels
together, feet inclined outward at a 30° angle, knees together and unbent, stomach in,
chest out, shoulders back, both arms hanging relaxed and at the side along the centerline of the body, elbows slightly bent, thumbs and fingers together, palms facing the body, hands slightly cupped, tips of the fingers resting lightly on the hips. This position is a relaxed stance. Flexing of the muscles is prohibited. Competitors who fail to adopt the proper stance will receive one warning after which points will be deducted from their score.

Quarter Turn Right:
Relaxed erect stance, head and eyes facing the same direction as the body, heels
together, feet inclined outward at a 30° angle, knees together and unbent, stomach in,
chest out, shoulders back, right arm hanging relaxed and slightly back from the centerline of the body with a slight bend at the elbow, thumb and fingers together, palm facing the direction of the body, hand slightly cupped, left arm hanging relaxed and slightly front of the center-line of the body with a slight bend at the elbow, thumb and fingers together, palm facing the body, hand slightly cupped. The positioning of the arms will cause the upper body to twist slightly to the right, with the right shoulder lowered and the left shoulder raised. This is normal and must not be exaggerated. This position is a relaxed stance. Flexing of the muscles is prohibited. Competitors who fail to adopt the proper stance will receive one warning after which points will be deducted from their score.

Quarter Turn Front:
Relaxed erect stance, head and eyes facing the same direction as the body, heels
together, feet inclined outward at a 30° angle, knees together and unbent, stomach in,
chest out, shoulders back, both arms hanging relaxed and at the side along the centerline of the body, elbows slightly bent, thumbs and fingers together, palms facing the body, hands slightly cupped, tips of the fingers resting lightly on the hips. This position is a relaxed stance. Flexing of the muscles is prohibited. Competitors who fail to adopt the proper stance will receive one warning after which points will be deducted from their score.