One of the first big shows of 2011 featured the new division of the NPC, Men’s Physique. Promoter Jon Lindsay wisely chose to add the new division to his popular event, the Muscle Contest. The contest drew 47 physique competitors to the stage, which ended up out numbering the men’s bodybuilding entrants. Now before you die hard bodybuilding fans freak out, don’t worry bodybuilding is not being phased out. Bodybuilding is the backbone of the industry and will continue to survive. Female bodybuilding is going through it’s own changes and we’ll see how things play out with that side of things at the NPC JR USA in May, where the first women’s physique pro cards will be awarded.
One thing to clarify, despite the names being similar the divisions are distinctly different. The Men’s Physique division does not have a routine or mandatory poses, aside from the front and back poses. It’s much like bikini in terms of what it consists of on stage. Yes, some peeps amuse themselves by calling it men’s bikini. Hardy-har-har. Those making fun of the division clearly don’t see the big picture. This division opens up opportunities to men who either don’t have the genetics to become a pro bodybuilder or aspirations to look like one. Either way, this division is and will continue to thrive. Don’t be surprised if you see close to 200 men’s physique competitors at NPC Nationals or NPC USAs.
Will things evolve in the division? Absolutely. Right now the judges and competitors are finding their groove and “the look”. Just like in the bikini division, some things will work and others may not but have patience it will all work out.
I’ve spoken with a number of NPC judges and the one common response is, “we’re not looking for a bodybuilder look”. I share their sentiments having photographed the NPC UTAH which had the division as well. So, what does that mean? It means a Men’s Physique competitor obviously needs to be in shape but they shouldn’t be dry, grainy and shredded. The grainy, hard, striated look will NOT be rewarded in this new division. If competitors show up looking dry and shredded they will (or at least should be )marked down. Props to the judges for marking competitors down for that look already. The judges are out to make a clear distinction between bodybuilding and Men’s Physique. Remember, they still can only judge what is presented to them on stage.
Tips & Observations:
These are just MY opinions but they seem to be shared by judges and others who have seen a show in person.
• DON’T have too much oil on.
It will wash you out and make you look like a basted Thanksgiving turkey.
• DO have some oil on.
No oil makes you look flat and your physique won’t “pop” on stage.
• DO have six pack abs.
If you don’t have abs, you won’t stand a chance of placing very high.
• Present with confidence.
If you’re looking down or unsure of yourself it shows. Walk with some swagga and show off your hard work. The crowd will react, as will the judges, to someone who carries themselves with confidence. That doesn’t mean cheese it up. Find the balance with out looking like a toolbag.
• Smile
I forgot this one initially but this is one of the most important ones on stage. Smiling conveys positive energy and people are drawn to it. If you’re frowning or scowling it won’t help you. Think about it, you’re draw to people who are smilingly and having fun more than bitter bodies. The stage is no different.
• Practice your posing/presentation.
Yes, I know as cheesy as it sounds competitors should practice. Yes, it’s only a front and back pose but if you don’t know how to present your physique it will be obvious on stage. It’s kind of like a photo shoot. You want to show your lines to flatter you physique, not detract from it.
• Shorts selection.
Some people feel the “board shorts” aren’t the way to go but like it or not, it’s one of the rules. They obviously allow the competitors to feature their upper body and not have to showcase their leg development but that’s beside the point. Choose flattering shorts and colors that work for YOUR physique. What worked for a guy who won another show, may or may not work for you. Colors are ranging the gamut and it goes back to what works for you. Brighter colors will stand out more but they may also detract from your physique. Patterns can either accent your look or detract from it. Make sure you’re comfortable in the shorts and they fit. If they are too big and baggy, it doesn’t look good. They also shouldn’t be too tight. They shouldn’t go below your knee. They should be at the knee or two inches above it.
• Tanning
You should have a tan on stage. If you go too light you’ll look pale and washed out under the bright lights. You don’t want to go super dark or as dark as most bodybuilders. Know what works for you. I say go a shade darker than a photo shoot but if you’re a pale dude that might mean you need 2-3 more shades. Every body is going to be different but you do need a tan.
• Diet
Do what works for you to be in your best shape. Some people will need to diet for weeks to get ready. I did. I got fat and out of shape and needed to diet 14 weeks to get into the shape I’m in now. It’s only because I made excuses, didn’t work out or eat as healthy as I should so I followed a bodybuilder type diet. I know some competitors who cleaned up their diet for a couple weeks and were ready. That’s the smarter way about it and one which should happen more often than not. Every competitor is different so don’t get caught up in what others are doing, focus on what you need to do.
• Day of the show
Some people have asked if you should deplete, carb up, pump up, etc. Again, it all depends on your physique. You may need to treat the contest like a bodybuilder would with depletion and carbing up in order to look your best. Some people may not need to. If you know your body, you’ll know what is needed to look your best. If that means eating rice cakes and peanut butter then do it, if it means woofing down a pizza then go for it.
• The Ladies
The overwhelming majority of women who have seen the competitors in the Men’s Physique division are drawn to it. So dudes, if you need a reason to compete let impressing the ladies be your motivation. I’ve had more than a dozen women tell me they’d love to judge it. Which isn’t a bad idea. It would get more women into the industry and on the judges panel. What do you think… Ladies would you judge it? I’m sure the guys wouldn’t mind.
nLadies, Would you like to judge a Men's Physique Contest?
When it comes to the higher level of competition, like the NPC JR USA in May, the little details will decide who is awarded a pro card or not. If you have a kick ass physique but can’t present it, you won’t win. Let’s be honest, you need to be a good looking cat to be in contention. If you think your zoo-lander look or your “myspace face” makes you attractive, think again. Also your genetics will play a role in splitting hairs at the higher level. If you have jacked up abs or under/over developed shoulders it could make a difference. We won’t know the exact look for the future pro division until pro cards are awarded but look for the division to grow and get more and more defined in the months ahead.
Check out Mens’s Physique photos from the Muscle Contest event on bodybuilding.com.
Thanks for the assessment, Isaac. I was curious about this division and “the look” the judges are going for. Yep – I think the ladies would love to judge these guys – count me in…LOL
Great article! I would add too that competitors need to SMILE and look approachable and friendly. Some guys at the Muscle Contest did not, and it’s not a good look. IMO.
Great point. I’m going to add that Wendy. Forgot that one but it is a must!
Nice article, Isaac!! (and good luck this weekend!
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GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND! The Martins are rooting for you
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Great article and good luck this weekend!
I think this blog right here, that Issac wrote for ALL of us to read nails the point exactly down to the smallest point. I had the great chance of competing this past weekend and everything he said is nailed down for the smallest point. The biggest thing and I must agree is THIS IS NOT bodybuilding. Bodybuilding posing, looks , etc…will be marked down. If you are a bodybuilder and trying to look smaller this might not be the best look for you as you will still look like a small bodybuilder. Thanks Isaac for the info, this will help TONS of people out there.
this new division is going to amazing people just from a numbers stand point, i believe this will grow faster than bikini did in the NPC. i talk to alot of guys that say “looks cool, im going to wait and see what happens with it and maybe next year check it out” that is a crazt statement! now is the time to get involved and embrace in this awesome new opportunity for athletes. i have had a chance to compete a couple times already and LOVE IT! excited to compete again soon then head to SC Jr USAs to battle with the rest of the pioneers for those first 2 pro cards! Great write up Isaac, glad to have you be part of this new division!
What about size? I noticed a decent amount of size looks good right before the point where it “spills out” of your frame–then it belongs to bodybuilding. The defined, beefy V-taper looks more like winning form.
Congrats to Adam and Alex on your wins thus far in the division.
JT – Size related to what? It’s all relative to the individual physique. Taller guys are going to need more size than shorter. Overly muscular guys will get counted down from the looks of things thus far.
Overall muscle size. I’m a 5’11 Ectomorph so I won’t be able to hang with the bigger guys in Class C.
But if I come in shredded to give the illusion of more size I might get marked down for that as well.
Oh well, I’m hoping to take the stage in June . . .
I’m 5’11″ and weigh 180 now. I’m not as lean/ripped as I was when I did a bodybuilding show. Gotta just get on stage first, otherwise you’ll never know.
Well said—I’ll be there.
Good luck this weekend Isaac! Your transformation is inspiring and I know you have already made all of the hardbodies proud!
Good luck JT. Keep us posted.
Thanks michelle. Appreciate it.
I agree with Alex and Adam. Article is spot on and is exactly what I have told my clients. I’m with Adam and feel fortunate to be one of the pioneers in this new division just winning my first Men’s Physique contest. I look forward to competing with all of you in the near future.
Ive been watching the shows from several sources and honestly I am dissapointed in the quality of the competitors seen. Honestly i think the Cali show that was covered by a couple of sites was the only show with quality competitors. The main problem i keep seeing is the winner of some of these local shows are biggeer than they should be. I need to quote the head judge sandy williamson on an interrview she did “For example, if my choice is between a guy without abs and a guy that is slightly overly muscular with good abs chances are it would go to the more muscular guy. At a larger show you will see more of what the judges are ultimately looking for in the winner.’ no offense to some of the winners of the local shows but you guys are probably not going to do well at a national show where judges are now going to pick their look and now who looks the best.
Luke –
The judges can only judge what is on the stage. I have yet to see a winner not look good. The ones after that may or may not be the ideal but if only 5 guys enter they still need to place. I disagree that the winners are “bigger than they should be”.
Only time will tell on who will fair well or not. It’s brand new, give it time to develop before jumping to conclusions. The same was said about other divisions when they first started.
i could see what Luke is trying to say….ive been seeing some pictures posted on another physique site that sparked some questions in my head as to whether who will be getting those first pro cards. On some local shows i see guys that deserve to be actually be called physique atheltes but on others i have seen just tall smaller bodybuilders. I heard the judges and as you mentioned Isaac trying to keep this sport and bodybuilding totally apart so imo i too agree the musclecontest winners look the most physique approchable but in the end just like issac said it will come down to national shows where to judges literarly pick what they want and not whats being seen commonly on some local shows.
you know the funny thing IMO? this post right here has more credibility than the entire mensphysique.com website, that page is posting a bunch of random competitors with interviews that keep getting of worst quality. One of the competitors that won even mentioned he wanted to make this mens physique sport bak into classic bodybuilding. UUUHHHH wrong sport bud! Isaac could you please keep posting more info on the sport? at least it seems like you have the right mindset for the sport and whats happening with the competitors that are worth it. i get it, the lack of information makes some websites want to post anything they can but c/mon…quality needs to count somewhere
brother aaron man i see what ur saying and i agree w/ u 110% ive been trying to find info on the sport on google. i found this site and then the site you talk about. you wanna hear what they have now 2? they started a blog section with guys who havent even competed in the sport! how the hell or why is actually the question woud any1 want advice some ppl they havent even seen in the sport? it comes down to $$$ the site probably has the most amount of traffic for the info it has at the moment. facebook has been more helpful for most part since i found a couple of competitors there and i asked them the questions. one of them was really nice to me actually it was alex who commented above aaron. he won the msuclecontest and hes the look im trying to buld now for my own show. im sure if you add him he/ll be happy to answer questions about the sport. aaron bro i agree it would be nice to see a site for the sport w/ quality and not random content
Great article bud. This is very good information. I have done several local bodybuilding shows and have done well. However I could never compete with the big boys in the the pros because I am 6’4″ so a little difficult to go against 5’9″. I am doing my first physique at a big show, the Dallas Supershow. I have done alot of research and watched alot of videos and even spoke with some people that have now made it pro in this division. Everything you have hit on here is a help for all people just interested in learning, or interested in competing. Like it was stated, I do think this class is about to blow up with men that want to be in this sport, but dont want to be in the bodybuilding class. Just wanted to say this is a great article. Great job. Maybe we will all meet eachother backstage one day