Don’t Stand Out On Stage For The WRONG Reasons By Employing Figure Posing Mistakes…
Ewww… Those tacky figure posing mistakes. You’ve seen her, the figure competitor that just doesn’t seem to fit on stage with the other athletes. She looks good no doubt, but something is off. Typically, very common figure posing mistakes can make you stick out like a sore thumb on stage. Granted bad posing will make the judges to notice you rather quickly, however it’s not the type of recognition you want.
If you are getting ready to enter your first figure competition, these posing guidelines and tips will help you greatly so you can avoid the common mistakes most women make.
Boo-Boo #1 – Not Having Enough Muscle
To ensure good posing you need well-developed muscles
. Why? Because you can’t flex fat. As of now I haven’t seen any studies saying that you can. In addition, you need muscle so you CAN flex it. So, just to be on the safe side it is a good idea to have at least a solid year of quality weight training under your belt before you get on stage.
A year of hardcore training will allow enough muscle gain to take you through the figure prep process because when you diet off the body fat, some muscle can be lost in the process. Therefore, just for insurance purposes, build a good solid base first.
Boo-Boo #2 – Not Learning the Figure Poses
You may think that this is a no-brainer, but I’ve seen women enter figure contests and they didn’t have any idea on how to pose. Not a clue! As far as figure posing mistakes goes, this is one you need to avoid at all cost!
Please, Please, PLEASE don’t be the woman backstage asking how to pose, what to do on stage, and learning the poses the 20 minutes before it’s time to step on stage for pre-judging.
The judges and audience feel bad for the lost and confused competitor. It’s a sad thing to see. If you are going to put in the grunt of precise dieting and training, then put in the work to learn your posing and avoid the figure posing mistakes.
Boo-Boo #3 – Failure to Put in Practice Time
Okay, great. You’ve mastered Boo-Boo #2 and learned your poses. Good job, but your work is not done. Once you learn your model pose, your front and back poses, and your quarter turns you need to practice them. Don’t just practice them sporadically. You need to put in practice sessions every day and even a few times a day if you plan to win first place or take overall.
We aren’t born to stand in such awkward positions for a set amount of time with a grin plastered across our faces. Great posing is created through constant practicing until it becomes second nature. You know you are figure-ready when you can go IMMEDIATELY into any pose on command.
Often times, figure posing mistakes can be as simple as just learning the core groundwork, which is pretty easy.
Boo-Boo #4 – Morphing into Some Strange Transformer
The purpose of posing is to display your well-built and fit physique to the judges and audience. Granted you have to flex your muscles to show what you have, and even twist your body and move 
your arms out of the way to show different areas of the body, but don’t go into some strange alien-like stance like you’re about to be beamed up.
I’ve seen women crouch down, lean forward, and spread their arms 2 feet away from their body. That’s not posing! A proper figure pose starts with good posture and body alignment. Once you have those established, only then should you twist, move and adjust your body and limbs.
Lee Apperson also suggests to avoid awkward hand positions such as over spreading your fingers, and the common awkward-looking index finger point. The point is, standing in a pose is not an everyday thing and it’s going to take some practice… So, practice BEFORE you step on stage.
Boo-Boo #5 – Doing the Trap Squeeze
A common figure posing mistake is scrunching up one’s shoulders while in the front pose and back pose. I’ve seen figure competitors have their shoulders pulled up so high it looked like they were 
doing a static rep for a shoulder shrug. This is usually a position a figure athlete gets into when she tries to pose her upper body to make her shoulders appear full and round and to get the lats to flare out.
Squeezing your shoulders up to your ears does nothing to improve your shoulder or the appearance of your lats. It makes your shoulders look smaller and your back width look narrow.
A proper front pose is the shoulders held high, back opened up, and arms hanging relaxed at each side. The pose is supposed to look easy, not like you are constipated.
When you learn each pose and how to pose each properly, you won’t make this front pose mistake.
Learn How to Avoid More Figure Posing Mistakes…
Now that you know the figure posing mistakes, it’s time to take action and get on the right path…
If you build your muscle base, learn how to pose and practice your posing you won’t have to morph into some stance on stage. Listen, I know this is a lot to grasp. That’s why I created my FREE Contest Prep Crash Course. See below…
