CHAPTER 53

Step Two – Round by Round

“Placing a competitor 13th instead of 11th is understandable, but no mistake should ever occur in the top six … we must hold the judges accountable for their placings. Their signed scorecards should be published along with the contest report in bodybuilding publications.”

– Paul G. Brier, bodybuilding fan, in a letter to MuscleMag International.

Now that you know how you’ll be scored, it’s time to look at the rounds in more detail. In today’s highly competitive bodybuilding arena you must make a good impression in all the rounds. Don’t spend all your time preparing for the compulsories and string together a haphazard free-posing routine. Conversely, don’t think the compulsories are simply a matter of holding the pose for a few seconds. Posing is an intense form of exercise (called isometric contraction) and will be just as physically demanding as the free-posing round.

THE COMPULSORY ROUND

Round 1 – Although the most basic of the four rounds, Round 1, or the “relaxed” round is where you make your first impression on the judges. You’ll first be asked to stand facing the judges, hands at your sides. As simple as this sounds, there are definite dos and don’ts. For starters, don’t let your gut hang out. Keep your abs either tensed or sucked back. Also, try to moderately tense every muscle in your body, especially the lats and quads. Years ago the relaxed round was just that – relaxed. But no more. Now relaxed means “tensed.” Try not to tense too hard though. The strain will show on your face, and you’ll be increasing the odds of a muscle cramping up. You may be standing there for 15 or 20 minutes, so practice standing this way for ever-increasing lengths of time. Also, keep in mind that for as long as you’re onstage the odds are good to excellent that at least one judge is looking at you at any given moment – even if you’re not in the group being judged. Assume that you’re being judged from the minute you step onstage until you step off.

If you’re in the group being judged, the head judge will next ask you to make a quarter turn to the right so your left side is facing the judges. As before, keep your abs tucked in. Make sure your hamstrings and calves are flexed. To fully flex the calf, pivot up on your toes and turn your lower leg just slightly towards the judging panel. Keep your left arm straight and slightly behind you, and your right arm slightly forward. This helps to show off the triceps and chest to your best advantage.

Another quarter turn brings your back in full view of the judges. Make sure your lats are fully flexed and outstretched to bring out your width and V-taper, and try flexing your calves by pushing down on the floor with the balls of your feet. After close scrutiny you’ll be asked to do another quarter turn so your right-hand side is now facing the judges. As before, keep the arms slightly forward and back to show your body off to its best advantage (but reversed, with your right arm slightly behind you and left arm slightly forward). Your final quarter turn brings you back to facing the front.

You may think it’s redundant to present both sides to the judges separately, but few bodybuilders are perfectly symmetrical. Whether from genetics, poor training or an injury, most bodybuilders have a best side and the judges know this. In most cases the difference is insignificant, but occasionally a bodybuilder may step onstage with a glaring defect.

Although muscle size is important during Round 1, the judges are also looking at symmetry, proportion, and definition (bodyfat percentage).

Judges often want to see both sides of a competitor’s physique to assess symmetry and look for imbalances.
Photo of Gustavo Badell by Irvin Gelb