Hey Posers!

Hehe, No I’m not talking about the kind of poser I was in junior high with a skateboard and a mullet.  I’m talking about my fellow carcass displaying connoisseurs.  Thanks for tuning in again.  This time around I want to talk about how to put together the best evening posing routine you can.  Ever since I started bodybuilding I always enjoyed the evening routine and I put just as much work into that as I did my mandatory poses.  I know some people don’t like the night show and that’s fine, but this is the way I see it. Think about how many months of dieting, intense training, stumbling around like night of the living dead, spending all that money, and making sacrifices in everyday life it takes for you to prepare for a show.  Do you really want it to be all over after only 15 minutes of prejudging?  The beauty of the night routine is all the pressure is off now.  It’s time to have some fun and display your physique the way you want to with whatever poses you want to!  There are many great poses you can hit to display your strong points that aren’t a part of prejudging, and if you can hit them right it also makes for some pretty darn cool pics to gawk at a week later when you look like the girl that ate the blueberry gum in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  And check this out, you get to pose to whatever music you want! Yep, it’s true.  Remember that tune that you used to listen to before high school football games to get fired up?  Well, that same tune can give you the stage presence you need to help you put on a good routine.

This article is for those who really want to put together a memorable routine, and it’s also for those who hate the night routines and just want some pointers to make it somewhat tolerable.  Either way let’s face it, the night show can get pretty boring, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Think about some shows you saw this year that had some great poser put on an outstanding routine and everyone goes nuts and they’re still cheering even when the competitor walks off the stage.   How much less boring would the night show be if we had just a few more of those?  Well I’ll do my best to hit on everything I think makes a great routine.  The more aspects of these you can incorporate, hopefully the higher the magnitude your routine will carry.  In random order I will talk about each aspect.

MUSIC:  When it comes to selecting music you obviously want to pick something you like and that you feel you move well too, but you also don’t want to pick something that’s too mainstream.  The latest top 10 hit that’s on the radio every half hour may not carry too much of an impact because we’re all already sick of hearing it every day on the way to work.  And if I ever hear Enter Sandman, Livin’ on a prayer or Smells Like Teen Spirit again I may check myself into the looney bin.  Think a little more outside the box.  Observe what others have posed to in the past, hear what’s on the radio all the time and try to come up with something else.  It could be an old B-side from an 80’s hair metal cd, old school rap, or the theme from an old TV show or movie.  Last year at the Cape Cod Natural I posed to a compilation of Vanilla Ice, Snow and New Kids on the Block. (2007 Cape Cod Natural) I chose to do that because it was not only freakin’ hilarious, but it takes us back to our teeny bopper days and brings back fun memories.  I even studied the dance moves they did in the videos and did them in between some poses because not only did it make the crowd and judges laugh, but I also wanted to remind everyone of the glorious days when MTV actually played music videos. When you choose something like that the crowd digs it, The judges dig it, you dig it and it will really help with your…….

STAGE PRESENCE:  This one I can’t help you too much with, but I’ll do my best.  Stage presence has to come from within, you have to be having fun up there and you can’t fake fun.  If you’re up there smiling, making eye contact with the crowd and the judges and you’ve practiced enough so you have confidence in what you’re doing up there, your stage presence will be recognized and that can really win the crowd over, and when you win the crowd over it helps win the judges over because the judges most likely aren’t going to give the best poser award to someone who’s up there posing while the crowd is sleeping and all you hear are crickets chirping or whatever that noise is they make.  Also, now you don’t have to cup your ear like Hulk Hogan or egg the crowd on to cheer for you because they’ll be doing it because you’ve earned it and they want to. I’ll be able to help you obtain stage presence as we go on, so next let’s talk about another very important decision we must make……..

TO USE, OR NOT TO USE PROPS:  It wasn’t until 2006 that I started dabbling into the world of props.  I was winning best poser awards every year by just sporting the carcass and carrying good stage presence alone.  But people were starting to step up their routines and I knew I was going to have to further evolve.  I was close minded about props in the beginning because I didn’t want to take away from the poses and the physique, but what I realized is if used correctly props can actually accentuate the physique.  Check out this video clip (2006 Spirit of America) This is from my first ever prop assisted routine at the 2006 OCB Spirit of America.  Notice how I use the Jedi robe to slowly reveal the physique, and the lights are dim so the ignited light saber not only adds a pretty cool effect, but I run it over my abs and quads to showcase them.  Then the robe comes off, I use the Force to push it off the stage, and the posing begins.  Since then I’ve done routines without props too.  It’s up to you.   If you do decide to use them, just make sure it serves the routine and doesn’t take away from the physique you’ve worked so hard to obtain.  I saw a dude this year hit a rear double bicep with a cape on, don’t be that guy.  Another thing that’s probably pretty important for me to mention is…….

POSING:  This is the fun part, now we have to decide how we can best show off our physique in an interesting way.  I like to incorporate more free poses than mandatory poses because everyone just sat through hours of prejudging and saw everyone hit the same poses, plus you can really wow people with some classic poses that not only compliment your physique, but show your ability to really perfect the art of posing.  So first, think of your strong points.  For me it’s my forearms, calves and shins, but unfortunately I can’t compete in a t-shirt and shorts so I try to take advantage of my small waistline, that’s why I like to hit those classic twisting poses down on one knee,  and they also just plain look cool.  Another great thing is you’re not being compared to anyone else so you can show off a body part that may not quite be up to par with the others, but you’ve worked hard to make improvements there and you want to display it, and really that’s what bodybuilding is all about.  At the 2008 SOA I hit an inner thigh pose because you could actually see my sartorious muscle and I wanted others to see it so when I talked about it afterwards people would know I didn’t just make it up.  You can find great poses to emulate in Arnold’s bodybuilding encyclopedia, or maybe check out poses by some of your favorite pros on YouTube.  I would observe pics and watch Mr. Olympia tapes because there were dudes on there who are really outstanding posers.  Flex Wheeler and Lee Priest really stood out to me.  And in the movie “Pumping Iron” all those old school dudes could pose, especially Ed Corney, I use a lot of Corneyesque type stuff in my routines.  Not only must the posing be good, but also the………..

CHOREOGRAPHY:  Now that we can pose we have to make smooth transitions into poses choreographed with the music.  I think this part is pretty simple.  Take whatever music you select and hit your poses to the beats that occur within the song.  Also allow yourself enough time to make fluent transitions into each pose.  Until you’re really comfortable on stage perhaps you should select some music that allows more time to get to each pose between your intended beats you want to hit poses to.   Then as you evolve you’ll be able to bang out some impressive stuff.  OCB competitor Russ Kleekamp is one of the best I’ve ever seen at this.  In his routine at the 2007 SOA he hit over 60 poses and didn’t miss a step. Remember, the transitions are just as important as the poses.  You can also use transitions to heighten the anticipation of the next pose.  If there is a part of your music that gradually increases in volume maybe you can slowly raise into a victory pose at the same time for instance.  Your posing and transitions should serve the song.  Which brings me to my next topic……

THEME:  You do not have to have a theme to your routine, but it is a good option to consider.  Do you want something funny, serious, intense, sad, thought provoking? The list goes on, and you can also do a combination of a few.  I’ve done intense routines, funny ones, dramatic ones, classical ones.  Remember, it’s all about the stage presence so if you pick a theme, really try to do something you dig and can really put your heart into.  My favorites are the funny ones because they come easy to me.  I pretty much make a fool of myself in every day life so why not do it on stage in front of a couple hundred people, plus who doesn’t like to laugh?  You can also do a movie theme.  Ken Arsenault did a routine to the classic 80’ movie Risky Business and looked like a much sharper looking, more muscular and way less whacky Tom Cruise.  At the 2006 Gaspari Pro show Sean Sullivan had an elaborate Batman routine.  At this year’s Cape Cod Natural Lisa Watson did a baseball theme routine to the song “Put me in Coach.”   You smell what I’m cookin’ here, so let’s move onto……..

PRACTICE:  Fortunately and unfortunately I sport a little OCD so I am constantly thinking about my routine.  I practice more in my mind than actually physically practicing it.  If you can visualize what you want to do clearly, it will make your physical practice more efficient and ultimately result in one bad ass routine.  I bring my music into my car so I can listen to it and run through it in my mind repetitively, I put it on my ipod and run through it during my cardio. It’s pretty ridiculous actually, but it works for me.  Then of course you have to run through it physically because some things seem better in your mind than they actually are.  It also helps to work on your routine as far out as possible, a few people I know start working on their routines around the same time they start their diet, and when show time rolls around they bang out a stellar routine and they make it look easy.  As time goes by and you become more of a veteran you can throw great routines  together in less time and still nail them come stage time.  I can’t tell you how many months I worked on that Star Wars routine, I made up the Brett Michaels routine one week out.  And when you practice your routine, do it in front of family and friends to get their feedback and enhance your comfort level when it comes to performing in front of people.  And when you’re comfortable doing that, you can really add some……………….

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE:  Now you can really bust a move.  I’ve seen Big Ach do the moonwalk and move like a robot, I’ve also seen people do back flips, splits and so on.  I’m not saying dance moves and stunts are necessary, but it can serve the routine quite nicely.  When I did “Brett Michaels Part 1” at the 2007 Maine Event, I got on YouTube and studied Brett Michael’s dance moves from the Unskinny Bop video and did them during the routine at the same part in the song he actually does it, I did the same thing with the Vanilla Ice and NKOTB thing.  I incorporated those moves, but I did not let it deter me from actually posing.  You can’t get so carried away with this part that your routine becomes a high school dance off instead of a posing routine.  Check out this clip from the 2008 SOA. (2008 Spirit of America)  You’ll notice in the first half of the routine I’m integrating my butt shakin’, belly wave and dance moves with my poses.  Then, the second half over the guitar solo I get down on a knee and just straight pose.   This is where practicing in front of others comes in.  They can let you know if you’re doing too much.   And Finally…..

HAVE FUN:  What’s the point in bodybuilding if it’s not fun?  Prejudging is fun, the night show is fun, going to the after party and stuffing yourself then puking in the parking lot while your friends laugh at you is fun.  It’s all a great time, so enjoy the whole day.  You get one day to show off your hard work, take advantage of every second of it.  Take as many pictures as you can, make new friends, help the person in your class that came up by him or herself that needs some help with their tan backstage, get constructive feedback from the judges, Wink at the hot judge while you’re on stage, even if she’s not hot, wink at her anyway and maybe she’ll move you up a place. OK, I’m getting off track now.  Anyway, if you notice what all my pointers tie into, it’s stage presence.  Stage presence shows that you’re having fun, Fun helps you put together the best routine you can.

Pose like a champ!

Mike

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