Competing in Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness

Natural bodybuilding competitions are popular because athletes are becoming more aware of the benefits of creating a beautiful body naturally, rather than with drug use. Natural bodybuilding and fitness organizations watch dog these competitions, disbarring any competitor that has not been drug tested within a two month period before the competition. Athletes who are found to have been using drugs will be banned from competing for five years and possibly banned for life, especially if it is a second offense.

Poses

In natural bodybuilding and fitness competitions, athletes compete according to their different age classes and sex. Each athlete is required to do a series of different poses and routine to show off the muscles of their body. The uniforms that are worn during the competition are bikini trunks for men of any color but devoid of any other markings or ornamentation. For women, a two piece bathing suit is worn, also of any color but without ornamentation.

At the beginning of the natural bodybuilding and fitness competition, the athletes of an age class will come out in a group and stand in line in front of the judges. During this part of the competition, they stand in a semi-relaxed state and turn to the right a quarter turn each time the judges ask them to do so. The judges will ask them to turn until they have seen each side of the body and looked for the symmetry, musculature and definition in each competitor's body.

The next stage in a natural bodybuilding and fitness competition is for the athletes to perform the ten mandatory poses that show off the muscles of all parts of the body. There are specific ways the poses must be held in order to best show the musculature of the contestant's body. The first nine both men and women do but the tenth is sex specific, with the men performing the most muscular pose or 'crab shot' and the women performing the most symmetrical pose. The other poses are the front double biceps, front lat spread, abdominal pose, side chest, side triceps, rear double triceps, rear double biceps, rear lat spread, quadriceps, and hands on hips most muscular.

The final stage of the natural bodybuilding and fitness competitions is the routine stage, where contestants have ninety seconds to perform a routine to music that shows off their muscles and talents. Some athletes will include karate or gymnastics with the free style poses which shows their physicality and endurance.