What's the deal with Physique competitions?
I just got done with my first NPC bodybuilding show this past weekend and I figured just for the hell of it I would enter the physique class also. I entered physique A and Physique masters 35+. I was runner up in both categories. I clearly looked better than everyone else out there, but I got runner up. The dude who beat me in physique A wasn't more than 135lbs soaking wet with no veins showing and was probably around 7% BF as were most of the physique competitors. He did have a good smile though. When they announced him as first place a couple of the judges just looked at me and shook their head, clearly they thought I should have taken first. The physique masters winner was bigger than me but had nowhere near my conditioning. By the way he took 4th place in the masters bodybuilding where I took 1st.
I got to talkiing with alot of the bodybuilders at the show and they said the judges are penalizing the bodybuilding look (big and low bodyfat is what I took that to mean). Alot of the physique guys are also complaining that there have been to many bodybuilders entering their physique category. To me physique should mean symmetry and conditioning regardless of size if your proportions are right. I was clearly in the best shape with good symmetry so this physique category really has me confused. It is almost seems like a joke. Walk out there spin around once and keep smiling. If your bodyfat is to low you get penalized, if you are to big and veiny you get penalized. I still had a blast doing it but I'm done with physique because it seems obvious that I am not going to be able to take a first with their current standards.
Guys running tren and boatload of orals and other AAS for a phyique competions just seems foolish to me. You don't want to be in bodybuilder shape if you want to win it so there is no need for a serious prep cycle. I could win with a good diet and a little bit of var and mast and that would be it, otherwise I would be in too good of shape.
I don't mean to piss off any physique competitors becasue I know you put alot of hard work into it also, but it just seems foolish to me to be penalized for being in too good of shape. I would like to hear all your thoughts on this.
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In my opinion physique is a joke . isnt bodybuilding about diplaying the best physique Any way . if a competitor doesnt want to be so bulked up. Isnt that what lower weight classes are for . In lower level shows its usually about nailing your conditioning because to many guys think they should be i a weight class thats too heavy for them. For example i see in alot of the heavy weight divisions guys look soft and out of shape they probably should be in the light heavies . thats my take no offense physique people
Who am I to be talkin you had the balls to walk on stage, Im worried about a bunch of old nurses talking shit about me. Dude your my Hero for just getting up there.
but the advice is the same just grin....
Just grin buddy, Its wonderful that people despise you cause they wanna be you. next year do it again. I bet your grin will be bigger just thinking about it
And that's probably why I just lift weights...I prefer a different kind of hard work. Powerlifting is easier. That shit just sounds like a headache but to each their own...I def still respect the lifestyle and the hard work. We all do it and put ourselves thru the diets and the pain...for pride and sense of personal accomplishment. ANY OF THIS competitions we do are NOT for the weak and feeble minded
Just stick to it man...find a way to use the discouragement to your advantage. Go in there, another comp, and blow it out the water!!
I say pick and chose your comps; since this game is not a race you research the show you want to enter and see what the past competitors looked like and either fashion yourself as them or move on to another show. I only competed once and came in a whopping 3rd because my shoulder gave out during a bench but clearly powerlifting is much different then bb or physique. I picked a show and researched it before I entered.
It differs from show to show just as much as women's bikini judging. One show you'll get judged down for coming in too hard and grainy. The next show you'll win with the same package . Another show they say your too soft and need to come in harder. It comes down to the judges discretion period , there are no standards other than the mandatory poses and the mandatory board shorts. Hence why I call it men's bikini as its just as unpredictable as women's bikini..........
It's different everywhere you go. You could bring the same exact package to two shows and win one and lose another. It's extremely subjective. They don't want the bodybuulding look. Hard grainy dry and huge they want the fitness model look. That's what it was invented for in the dl first place atleast but at the next show the huge grainy dry dude wins. It's all about what those judges are looking for. That's what sucks about it. That's why it's easier with Bodybuilding you know what they want. The biggest leanest dryest most symmetrical guy is gonna win. Also have to have the right shape to ofcourse.
As for the cycle very few people know what a true men's physique cycle is because it's such a new division. At the lower levels it doesn't really matter they just run bodybuilding cycles but at the higher levels it's totally different (assuming they found one of the few coaches who know the deal) which is pretty much imposible. I kinda stumbled upon one of the best in the biz and he laughed at me when I told him what I thought a men's physique prep cycle looked like. It's totally different. You can pm me if you wanna know what a real MP prep cycle looks like. But the basics is no mast low tren and I'll leave it at that. Even the diet and training is different. It'll all come out in time.
Tell me about specific chemicals, training, and diet of the top men's physique competitors? I would love to know how these things differ from bodybuilding.
Bro I agree with the majority of what you said except the cycle part. There is no one type of cycle fits all, Christ my friend just won a national qualifier with no mast and no tren and was leaner then the majority on this site, did the masters men's bodybuilding ,light heavy open and then won the overall at an extremely large show and went up against guys who were walking science projects. The same goes for any class some use more and look great and win, some use more and look like shit , some use less and win , while others use less and bomb. It does not come down to the cycle at all it comes down to how far you come down bf % and how you carb up and how you look onstage. I know numerous men's physique guys who have won cards while running straight bodybuilding like cycles , while others have accomplished the same with less. The training is different as you emphasize on different areas like a wide upper back and crazy abs and obliques unlike bodybuilding....... It comes down to the training , the posing , the prep , the cycle is irrelevant.
No obviously not eveyone is gonna run the same exact cycle just like in bodybuilding . You should know what I mean. In bodybuilding there is the "staple" drugs thay are go to for almost everyone. At the high level MP there is also a few staple drugs. And I'm not talkin about low level I'm talking top level MP competitors. I had the pleasure of talking to a coach who was so knowledgable it went over my head. and id like to think I can usually carry on a conversation regarding drugs in this sport. One of the best in the business and set up my whole prep and filled me in on some of the secrets of this division. And I'm not talking national level this Is a guy who basically exclusively trains pros. And the cycles are way different. No need for high ass tren no mast low test a few orals bbs would never think to use. It most certinally comes down to the cycle you run. If your diet is dialed in and you get lean enough drugs like mast and halo are not gonna give you the look this division was invented for. Minimal drugs are needed to do well in this division you don't need heavy bodybuildikg cycles test tren mast halo winny etc to win it's unnecessary. You just don't need thay to come in at 185lbs lean. But you do need a few specific drugs to bring in the correct look.
I'm sorry brother but I disagree not just a little but whole heartedly. For the simple fact that I've seen guys not run the bodybuilding staple cycle and win , I've seen guys win cards without going over a gram of anything , also with no growth or slin. I've watched guys do everything perfect and come up short while the guy doing less and running less beats him up. I also laugh at the coach's and gurus that sit there and think they have it all figured out when the class hasn't been around that long at all. The main thing that separates men's physique from bodybuilding first and foremost is the diet extremely different as far as carb surplus etc etc. Then its training specifically targeting muscle that gives you the v taper and emphasizes your lower abdominals and obliques , well rounded delts and a wide back etc etc. There is no staple for everyone in anything as everyone is different. Different genetics which in turn come down to muscular make up, how they utilize nutrients and yes how they utilize drugs. But saying this a staple bodybuilding cycle and if you use this your chances increase on winning or doing well is exactly what is wrong with the sport these days and what has happened here on the site. So saying this is the staple cycle for men's phisique when the division is soo young as it is , saying this is how its done this is what the pros do blah blah blah is flat out ignorant. While I've personally watched guys win cards on less gear the the gym rats on here run all the time. If everyone who took the "bodybuilder staple cycle" and came in grainy and hard all the time id agree , but I don't because its not about the drugs at all..... If it was we wouldn't have guys showing up to the Arnold who are pros mind you coming in soft with no hardness and graininess they'd all be perfect due to the drugs. All I'm saying is because some coach or high level men's physique guru said something doesn't make it true across the board by any means. I know multiple men's physique guys from my area running grams apon grams of tren mast test halo Winny var tbol etc etc who are moving up the ranks just fine and bringing the package...point being the fucking stack is irrelevant I know multiple guys that no matter what they run, how they diet, how they train the just can't obtain a certain look and that comes down to genetics. All I'm telling you is there are more ways to skin a cat...... Not everyone has to follow the same road or plan to achieve anything.... You will realize this when you get a couple shows under your belt.
And that's where genetics come into play and better diet and better job peaking, better muscle insertions,,bellie legnths, small waist, and overall shape etc. There's way to many variables that come into play worh this. My friends an ifbb pro and his offseason cycle right now is 500mg eq 500mg test 30mg dbol and 5ius of gh. A few years ago he went from 215 to 262 in 6 months never going above 7% bf on 600mg eq 500mg test and 5ius serostim. And that's where generic response to drugs and training come into play and an a diet dialed in so perfect it couldn't get better. Then you have the next guy who has the same perfect diet but can't even make those gains with 3 times the amount of gear plus slin. First you need a diet, then you need a great Generics and great response to training and drugs.
Bottom line is genetics rule all. You can have a perfect diet perfect training perfect rest and recovervy but if you don't have the genetics you're not gonna make it very far. It's sad but it's the truth. It's not somethijg to get worked up about. I've accepted I'm not gonna be a pro. But I know I can continue to improve every week/month/year and have alof of fun in the process. If I can pull out a few wins when I compete that's cool to but I like most of us got into this cause we love to lift. Real small percentage of people said they wanna compete the day they stepped in the gym.
Well said TT, I have witnesses this myself. Genetics, work ethic, and diet can be the determining factor, while some guys rely on the gear and lack in the other departments.
Hell I was at a natural show (NGA) last fall and this 55 yr old guy came is shredded as fuck @190 lbs.
RustyhookerThe guys that have posted on here for complex physique cycles kinda baffles me. Running bigger cycles than I do to be 6ft and 180 but not hard cut? My buddy 6ft tall at 195 hard cut with just eca stack that's been standard for 30 years.
Some of the physique guys were getting impressive. They looked like the bodybuilders of the 80's with symmetry and built legs. Personally, I liked bodybuilding style from back then so it had me thinking to try it too. But if they're going back to the high school jock look, no way.
I only dropped in here to see the aftermath of you calling physique "bikini" ;)
It really is the men's version of bikini. And don't think I'm some hater and all about bodybuilding. my plan is to compete in physique this fall. It's just to subjective just like bikini is. No clear cut package theyre all looking for. That's what sucks about it. One week the big dry lean dude wins the next show he loses with the same exact package just different judges looking for a different look.
Whenever Rusty calls it bikini I have this image in my head of these guys with the whitest teeth and over the top smiles in, you've guessed it, bikinis, standing in a line on stage. Cracks me up every time.
Sometimes my own immaturity shocks even me
Lol that's really what it is tho minus the bikinis. And they do stand in a line on the edges of the stage just like bikini.
I call it men's bikini all the time.
Jesus Christ this is men's bikini and dad bod combined.........
RustyhookerI get in trouble often by wifey for random acts of immaturity. But it's so worth it!!
At least it's not just me. Being a "grown up" gets boring.......
With you I'm not surprised lol
RustyhookerHa ha!! Having kids pull my finger is always a winner.
RustyhookerBikini fits though. There's no real hard cut rules. It's frat bro's at a beach.
For a while bikini started looking like old classic bodybuilding. But now, The current top winners in my state are all just skinny/defined with no legs. The muscle guys didn't even rate. Needs standardized rules. Not pretty smiles.
Frat bros at a beach lol
I think it gets more interest over there than in the UK.
That seems to be the standard in my district. Skinny with some abs showing and a great smile and who cares about legs. Basically any skinny dude at the gym could paint a tan on and would fit right in. Kind of sickens me.
You can only get on stage and show a great smile after years of hard training. Takes real graft and dedication.
One of the judges said I could have smiled more. He said the female judges on the panel really take smiling serious. I even had my teeth whitened just for that purpose. I'm just not a smiley type of guy. It will be interesting to see how much I did smile when I get the pictures back.
My boys 6'2,240 8% bf with all natty with no eca stack no diet drinks like a fish doesn't know anything about training can go 2 years without training and eating 1 meal a day and 20 beers a night and not drop below 230 at 8%. Generics rule everything.
I just helped my friend do his first show he came in at 6ft 208 around 4% dry as the desert and got 6th out of 40 cause of his stage presence. He was nervous as it wax his first show and the other guys smiled better then he did. Everyone said he would have been top 3 easy if he was more relaxed on stage and wasn't so nervous. That's what sucks about physique. You can have a better package and lose cause of "stage presence". It's bullshit..
Rustyhooker4% shredded in physique? That's like anti physique. He'd probably tear it up though at 224 bodybuilding.
If physique turns back towards full package mass/symmetry, I'd try. I think I'd be best sticking to my direction til then. Some physique guys had big legs while the winners skipped leg day.
We all thought he should have done bodybuilding but he insisted on physique for his first show. The judges in my area like the 70s bb look. Big and shredded. Little guys don't win where I come from.
RustyhookerThen your area rocks! I can appreciate that. My cousin lady just competed bikini so I looked at all the comps to see what's new. Here it was skinny defined dudes. Looked like pushup and crunches.
That seems to be the trend. I think they are trying to keep the BB's from entering the physique class, unless you are soft and puffy BB you might do Ok.
Its a lot like women's bikini she could win at one show a big show at that, than go onto another show somewhat smaller and hold up the end of the pack.....
At one show. Then you go to the next and the big dry hard grainy dude wins. It's all about what thay group of judges want at that show and the next group could be looking for something totally differnt.
So it is pretty much a crapshoot. You never know what is going to happen.
Exactly
Exaclty that's why I'm probably going to do test only for my first show.
In the small local shows u will get penalized for being to big to dry but in the bigger shows guys come in huge and dry as fuck tbh it's all on the judges it doesn't make sense at all
I don't have any thoughts on this Makwa as I do not compete. But I will congratulate you for taking home first! Way to go brother!!!