Is there even such a thing as a show being the wrong show for you? Can the show you select before starting prep end up also being the first ingredient in your recipe for disaster on show day? Positively, yes ma’am, the show that you pick can be the difference between feeling like a rising star or falling flat on your face.
Not everyone wants you to have the tools to succeed. Keep that in mind when you’re being given advice and when you take advice.
I am a member of multiple groups for bodybuilding competitors on Social Media and try to help as many people as I can. It doesn’t matter whether they are my clients or not, because I love the sport. This is why I created the group “Bikini, Wellness, Figure Competition Guidance” because I was banned from a few “competitor support” groups for giving TOO MUCH free advice.
Think about that for a second. I am not going to out the groups or their creators/admins. But I do want you to understand that for many in this industry, it is ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. You are a potential dollar sign. And if you understanding these processes means you won’t fall for a “coach” who doesn’t, then they want to shut off your stream of information.
That is super scary. But it is rampant in this sport.
The Bodybuilding Secret
None of this is proprietary information. Building muscle, fat loss, metabolism, nutrition…all of those things boil down to understanding and appropriately appling the science. If someone is making a concerted effort to keep you from understanding the process, there is an ulterior motive at play.
The only “secret” in the sport is that no one “needs” a coach. Having a coach is a luxury. It is helpful, it takes a lot of the stress off of you and lets you focus on the goal at hand. But the information is out there if you know where to look.
Trust the Process
This leads into my next big pet peeve of telling competitors to “trust their coach” and “trust the process” when replying to a competitor’s questions about a certain aspect of the sport. There are TONS of bad, or at best inadequate, coaches out there. “Just trust your coach” is HORRIBLE advice if the person asking the question is being led by one of these people. And it is not extending a professional courtesy as a coach to tell other competitors to “just trust their coach” if that coach is a bad coach. It is about maintaining the integrity of the sport and just being a good person.
An analogy that comes to mind is an abused wife going on a message board and asking other women if they’re talked to like a dog or are being struck and having loads of very well meaning women saying, “look, he’s your husband and I’m sure he loves you. Trust your vows! For better or worse.”
If you are saying “trust the coach” when you have no idea who the coach is or what methods they’re using, you are quite possibly encouraging them to stay in a detrimental situation.
Coaching is Teaching
If you’re a coach and you feel offended or slighted in any way that your client has asked for your reasoning behind what you’ve asked them to do…TELL THEM! Don’t tell them to “just trust the process.” Don’t ask them “how bad do you want it?” because they asked you a technical question. Share the knowledge with them. They can find it for free on the internet RIGHT NOW. They’re coming to you because they don’t understand how to apply that knowledge on themselves or because they don’t want to have to think about it when the going gets rough. But you gain NOTHING by telling them to just trust you. You gain an informed and loyal client by taking the time to answer the freaking question and realizing that to “coach” is to “teach.”
Knowledge is Power!
MEET THE AUTHOR!
Natalie Nichols is an IFBB Pro, NPC Judge and Physique Coach and can be contacted at Natalie@teamusaphysique.com
What exactly are the judges looking for in an NPC and IFBB bodybuilding competition?
If you have also found yourself wondering what judges are looking for, particularly from the new Wellness division, we’re here to help! Many competitors come to us and tell us that it is very hard to determine what the judges are looking for. One of the reasons is they see a competitor win a show who they feel is too hard. In other shows a competitor may win who seems softer. Still yet in other shows, a competitor may win with very little muscle so that her resulting physique just appears thin and less shapely. Are any of these just the results of “bad judges” or “politics” or “judging criteria or judges making it up as they go?” The answer is No. Someone has to win each show. See the first article in this series which explains in depth why the winner may not even meet the stated judging criteria.
Who is a great example of the Wellness standard when we only have 3 IFBB pros thus far?
We continue this series with what judges are seeing when looking at the ideal wellness competitor. Although we have had 3 ladies win IFBB Pro Cards for this division, I’m not going to focus on those physiques for this explanation. We’re a few shows into the season and of all those who have graced the stage in the US as Wellness competitors, Isabelle Nunes is by far the best representation of the desired look. The Muscle Contest Challenge show contained the most Wellness competitors, so viewing the photo gallery on NPC News Online and watching this video montage of the Muscle Contest Wellness Debut will give you a better idea of why it was that her physique came out on top.
The official description of the Wellness division sounds somewhat unbalanced. We want a more muscular lower half than upper half. Her legs are very muscular but her entire look is cohesive. Her individual routine photos are the first photos shared above. She has a very athletic looking physique as a whole. Her shoulders, triceps and biceps are more prominent than a bikini competitor. But are not developed to the same extent as her legs. Her front pose, which is technically the quarter turn from the comparison round, creates a nice X shape. If you drew a line from the shoulder of the arm that is down across the top of her opposite quad and you’ve got one side of the X. To complete the X draw a straight line from her shoulder to her opposite hip. This pose allows her to highlight her small waist, built upper body and impressive quads, glutes, and hamstrings. She appears very feminine, while still displaying a great deal of muscularity.
What judges are looking for from the front
From the front pose, we see that all 4 of these ladies have nice shoulders. Although Isabelle’s legs are significantly shorter than the competitor in the red and black suit to her side, if you look at their knees, you can tell that Isabelle has more density to her quads. Her hips are also less straight on, with more of a twist, resulting in the illusion of a smaller waist and wider upper body, creating balance. In the quads we do not see striations, but we clearly see all 3 heads of the quadriceps. Further down, even in this front pose we can see the width of her calves creating fully balanced and well built legs.
How about the quarter turns?
In Isabelle’s quarter turns you see her straight leg is flexed, showing the quad. Her bent leg gives us a glimpse of the calf, even from this side view. With quads, hamstrings and glutes this well developed, underdeveloped calves would be undesirable. Isabelle’s S curve and shoulder are enhanced by her lat being engaged on the side closest to the judges. In the quarter turns, another thing we see that sets her apart from her competitors is that, from both sides, her shoulders are squared up to the judges. This gives the illusion that her waist is tiny. If you notice some of her competitors were not able to fully square up in this pose from both sides, so their physiques don’t appear as balanced. Even though we do want a more developed lower half, it is the proper posing that really presents it in a balanced manner.
What judges are looking for from the rear
Because her hair is not too full we see her nice rounded shoulders. They are more developed than we want to see in the Bikini division. Her glutes are very well defined. Right where the top of her wrist meets the front of her legs, you can see the rounding from the upper and outer portion of her glutes. She has a somewhat sharper teardrop/point to the end of the glute, leading to the hamstring area. Her glutes are well rounded and full from top to bottom. We see a distinction between the glute and the quad sweep, which is our view from the rear of her quadriceps. We see well developed hamstrings and equally developed inner and outer thigh muscles from this view. She does not have visible striations. Moving down the leg, we see that her calves are as well developed as her glutes and hamstrings.
Digging deeper
The rear pose will have the same lower back arch and upright chest as in bikini. This comparison of the rear pose illustrates how important it is to choose the right stance. Isabelle positions her feet directly under her shoulders, resulting in a perfect X frame. Some of the competitors appear imbalanced with a much wider stance. This is something you will want to play around with because you have to take into consideration your overall shape, but you do want to choose the stance that gives your glutes the best shape. What was it that gave the win to Isabelle from the rear? Some competitors had pieces of the puzzle that we’re looking for, which is why they were class winners. Isabelle was the one whose physique had everything that we’re looking for, and in the proper proportions. She had no strengths or weaknesses.
The finishing touches
As you can see from her suit choice, you can choose a suit with connectors with bling or full fabric. Bikini crossover competitors don’t need to purchase a new suit for wellness unless they just want 2 different suits. The bright red suit is a great choice for her because it does not blend with her hair or hair color. It clearly lets us see where her suit ends and her physique begins. In fact the first three ladies have great suit color selections. The light pink or white color to the far right is less desirable from a judging standpoint. It is closer to the tan shade and hair color under the harsh stage lights. I always recommend the deeper jewel tones for female competitors. Makeup, heels and accessories are the same as bikini, which we covered in our last installment.
Now what?
We’ve broken down all aspects of the current best example of a wellness competitor’s physique and stage presentation. So what does this all mean? Judges are looking for the entire package. Not great glutes, huge quads, big hamstrings or a tiny waist. We are looking for all of those and much more! We are also not looking for a bikini competitor who is having difficulty leaning out her lower half. The judging criteria doesn’t change from show to show, the competitors who show up change. Don’t base the physique you’re building off of the last winner of that show. Build a well balanced physique and learn how to properly show it off. Now you know exactly what the judges are looking for out of today’s wellness competitor!
*As we have more shows featuring wellness, we may have a new standout wellness physique emerge. I will update this post with my observations if and when that occurs.
Meet the author!
Natalie Nichols is an IFBB Pro, NPC Judge and Physique Coach and can be contacted at Natalie@teamusaphysique.com
*Images courtesy of www.npcnewsonline.com NPC Bikini Competition galleries.
What exactly are the judges looking for in an NPC and IFBB bodybuilding competition?
If you have also found yourself wondering what judges are looking for, we’ve got that covered for you! Many competitors come to us and tell us that it is very hard to determine what the judges are looking for. One of the reasons is they see a competitor win a show who they feel is too hard. In other shows a competitor may win who seems softer. Still yet in other shows, a competitor may win with very little muscle so that her resulting physique just appears thin and less shapely. Are any of these just the results of “bad judges” or “politics” or “judging criteria or judges making it up as they go?” The answer is No. Someone has to win each show.
Why did someone win who doesn’t fit the standard?
There will always be a first place competitor, even if only one competitor is competing. If that person is out of shape, you’re going to have an out of shape winner. It doesn’t means that person is what the judges are looking for. This person winning a show does not make them our new standard. Simply put, out of those who showed up on that day, this person was the closest to the standard. You cannot lose sight of the fact that regardless of how lean you can come in or how shredded you appear in your mirror, if you have a clear strength, that means you have a clear weakness. We will start this series off with what the judges are seeing when looking at the ideal bikini competitor.
Who is the best representative of The Standard for Bikini Division?
IFBB Bikini Pro Elisa Pecini is Ms. Bikini Olympia 2019. She is the current Gold Standard for the division in both the IFBB and NPC and is exactly what judges are looking for. Notice that she has a very balanced frame. You do not look at her and see shoulders or glutes or quads or obliques or hamstrings. Elisa has built a very symmetrical physique. She has muscle mass but it is not overbearing. No single body part is more developed or less developed than the rest. There are no striations and you don’t really see a lot of cut up definition. You can tell by looking at her in movement that if she flexed a particular body part, she would likely show that definition. However that definition is not displayed in the bikini poses.
What judges are looking for from the front
In her front pose, you can see that the bulk of her upper body width almost mirrors her lower body width. You see a nice rounding of both shoulders in the pose due to the amount of torso twist she has. The arm that is down has the lat flared, lending to the fabulous tiny waist and accentuating the S curve that she gets with her lat out and her glutes lifted. Her glute is flexed enough to see a distinction between the glute and the quad muscle, which is different from actual muscle head separation, which would be detrimental to her look as a bikini competitor. She lifts her torso and stretches her abs upright, simultaneously holding them in. She has a nice oblique line and you can clearly see ab distinction, but not thick overbearing obliques or a protruding 6 pack.
Digging deeper
Her bent leg is up on the toe, displaying a nice complementary calf muscle that is not overly built, as well as her inner thigh with distinction in the quad muscles, but not actual separation. If you took a straight line from the top left of the pic at her shoulder, across to her opposite hip, and then another beginning at the opposite shoulder, to her knee, you would have a nice X. This is what we mean when we say that the ideal shape is an X frame. Standing straight on, as you see in the walking photos, she does not naturally look like an X, but her posing is strategically creating that illusion for the judges.
What judges are looking for from the rear
From the rear, we see nice rounded delts with a nice amount of distinction. There is no individual deltoid head separation and no striations. She holds her head upright, and her upper back flat. This allows judges to see the width created from nice lats and softly rounded shoulders. This tapers down to a small, narrow waist. Her glutes are nice and high due to a low back arch. There is no flex to the glutes, no striations, and they still look soft and feminine without any visible hardness. The glutes are nice and rounded up top. The shape and placement of her suit bottoms mimics the curve of the bottom of the glutes. The suit bottoms reinforce the illusion of a rounded peach shaped bottom that the judges are looking for.
Digging Deeper
You can see where the eye meets her forearm and her glute that there is outer perimeter rounding on her glutes, rather than just a slant. This is the area judges are referring to if they tell you that you need to build your upper glutes. Arm placement in the front can impact the way that this looks to judges as well. Ideal arm/hand placement on you may be different than on another physique. So play up the shape of your glutes and use the placement that helps visually round the top of the glutes. The bottom portion of the glute is finished off in a teardrop shape leading the eye toward the upper portion of a visible but not overly prominent hamstring. This area seems to be a popular area of confusion among competitors. The aim here is not to have flexed prominent hamstrings. We don’t want you to sacrifice the shape of your glutes by trying to force your hamstrings to show. The level of muscularity of her hamstrings, quad sweep seen at this angle, and her calves are well balanced and match that of her upper body. There is no squaring of her glutes and her quad sweep has a soft roundness as opposed to a more angular look that is seen in Wellness and Figure competitions.
The finishing touches
As she walks, moves, and transitions, she shows off her narrow waist. When she walks, she crosses one foot in front of the other, keeping her glutes nice and high. She always keeps her elbows at about the same level in her arm movements. Her hand never raises higher than eye level at any point. She is always posed and poised. Each movement is purposeful and intended to showcase her physique in its best light, without regard to what may work better for another competitor. Makeup is quite a bit darker on the outer edges, leading into a brighter center. This gives her depth and contrast under the harsh lighting. Her hair is soft and styled nicely, complimenting the very feminine look overall. It is not so full as to cover her delts from the rear.
Bodybuilding posing, in all divisions, is about showing off all your hard work and strategically minimizing any weak points. Her suit color is a jewel tone (Aquamarine). This contrasts nicely with her hair color and is far from the undertones in her tan. This allows judges to quickly see where the suit ends and the physique begins. The suit connectors are very high on the hip, elongating her leg and reinforcing the V taper of her waist. The back of the suit bottoms dips down in the center, to complement the rounded glutes.
A complete package
She is wearing bling jewelry, but doesn’t have a large ring on every finger. Bling is great, but don’t feel the need to overdo it. Let your physique do the shining for you! She wears her competitor number in a location where it is clearly visible in all but the rear pose. You can read the number in her front pose, but also during her transitions as well as her walk. The judges will not be left trying to determine which number the competitor was who impressed them so much! Her smile is confident and proud, as is that of her posture the entire time she is on the stage. Elisa is the perfect example of a judge’s dream bikini competitor!
Now what?
We’ve broken down all aspects of the IFBB’s top bikini competitor’s physique and stage presentation, but what does this all mean? Judges are looking for the entire package. We are not looking for great glutes or a tiny waist or nice shoulders and triceps. We are looking for all of those and much more! The judging criteria doesn’t change from show to show, the competitors who show up change. Don’t base the physique you’re building off of the18 last winner of that show. Build a well balanced physique and learn how to properly show it off. Now you know exactly what the judges are looking for out of today’s bikini competitor!
Meet the author!
Natalie Nichols is an IFBB Pro, NPC Judge and Physique Coach and can be contacted at Natalie@teamusaphysique.com
*Images courtesy of www.npcnewsonline.com NPC Bikini Competition galleries.
As I reflect back on this weekend’s Emerald Cup, I can’t help but focus on the most asked question, “How many competitors do you have here?”
When we replied with “Just one” the excitement on people’s faces dulled slightly as they politely ended the conversation. This happens with fellow coaches, other competitors, and just your average spectators.
Quantity is best, or is it?
The assumption always seems to be that quantity is where it’s at.
I get it. If I’m scouting out the best place to eat, and spot a parking lot filled to the brim, I am going to assume the place is pretty tasty. When I see one with a few cars in it, my first thought is it’s just not that great so that’s why the lot isn’t full.
Ironically those little dive burger joints and holes in the wall are typically where you will find the best food you’ve ever had. Did you ever wonder why? That is some small business owner’s pride and joy! They love what they do and they are going to do it to the best of their ability even if there aren’t packed seats.
It’s about a quality product.
I miss out in that sense because my stomach wants what everyone else is having. So it’s not until after my mediocre meal that I read some review on the mom and pop operation and find out that it was AMAZING fare that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.
(Pictured: our client 2019 Emerald Cup Bikini Overall Champion Jessica Roy)
Quality focuses on details, and details win
What do family owned restaurants have to do with physique coaching?
Since we don’t deal in numbers and we deal in real people, we operate with the same mindset. We LOVE what we do and we LOVE watching you grow. Our families are even invested in you because you become part of ours. When numbers are kept low we can give you all of us and that’s what it takes to build a quality physique. The kind that wins championships.
When the focus is filling the stage with bodies, and it is a numbers game (bodies and money), a crucial element gets lost. Just think about this for a moment. Have you ever been spread so thin that you could only half ass all the projects you had going on so that you could at least meet deadlines? Most of us have…there is only so many hours in a day. But better to finish somehow than to let something go undone, right?
Actually no. Not here. Not with Team USA Physique.
We believe it is better to limit your projects and ensure that you can be hyper focused on all of the minutiae and produce the highest quality product possible. This applies to projects around the house. Or food that you’re cooking for guests and work efforts you take on. And in our case, it applies to the clients we bring into our fold.
Mass production works well for inanimate objects like t-shirts or dishes not people who are as different as night and day. I find that people don’t do well in a mass production sort of environment. Time management is great. Automation makes the world go round. Making money is nice. But being able to make a profound impact on an individual person? That’s something that can’t be had in a “throw ‘em at the wall and see what sticks” kind of scenario.
When you can focus on the few, rather just glimpse at the many, you can find that diamond in the rough, smooth out the rough edges, and allow it to do what it does best…SHINE! And in a sport where details matter and can be the difference in 1st place and third call-outs…quality will win in the end.
So yes. We just had the one…the perfect representation of today’s Bikini Competitor, an Elite Physique. The one that put the work in, day and night. She fought through all the blood, sweat and tears and never gave an inch. Sick…she showed up. Tired…she showed up. Hurt…she showed up. And we saw it all as she had an entire team (including 3 coaches…Chet, Eric and myself) supporting her. Invested in her. Devoted to her success. And feeling with her.
It was her win. It was our win. And it was worth it. Any athlete willing to put their everything into this sport deserves nothing less.
Find your people and you will be amazed at the obstacles that you can overcome together.
And what about that “one” person we had that people wanted to brush off? Well, Jessica…our “one” and only client at the largest NPC show in the Pacific Northwest, our family, was the only “one” standing on the stage having won the Overall Bikini Championship. And I have seldom been so proud.
Imagine that. Quality won…again!