The lights, the faces in the crowd, the cheers, and the reality that THIS is the moment that you have been obsessed about for months and months can all be a major distraction when it's time to bust out your night show posing routine. But if you were smart you spent the last 12 weeks or more practicing every move, every gesture, and every pose to coincide with whatever music you chose for that night. All of a sudden those "distractions" will have little to no effect on your focus.

It baffles me when I see a bodybuilder with an unreal physique go through the motions during his or her 90-second routine as if he/she were saying "whatever." When I talk to some of these guys/gals they tell me, "Yeah I made it up in the bathroom." WHAT!?? The posing routine, although not worth much in your total score, can be a deciding factor in 1st or 2nd place if the scoring is close. So the best and most obvious advice is to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

When you step onstage during the night show and it's you and the crowd, look at it as your time to allow your personality and your ability to entertain to shine through. When I won best poser at the NA in ‘05 it meant a great deal to me because my goal was to choose music that accentuated my physique and personality - also because I knew it would make the crowd go NUTS. In ‘06 I decided to take it a step further and cut together a few different songs with energy, along with a few voice-overs and a mini "tribute" to my routine in ‘05. Both years the energy from the crowd was awesome and both years I practiced my routine at least 3 days per week, making sure I was on cue with every beat. I noticed by practicing in front of my friends and girlfriend, that I could get some good feedback to tweak my routine into what we all thought would get the crowd going nuts and what poses/motions fit better with that particular part of the song.

When it comes to choosing music, most bodybuilders simply go with the hottest song that's out at the time (in the 80's it was eye of the tiger, in the early 90's it was every popular AC/DC song...). The problem with that is you have 3-4 people using the same song and the crowd is huffing and puffing thinking or saying, "Again?!" Be original, choose something that's YOU, and don't be afraid of trying something new and different. I prefer house/techno music because it signifies my personality (high energy, full of intensity) and it always gets the crowd amped up. Think about this; a good portion of the people in the audience have been there since 11 a.m., do you think posing to the theme song to the movie Ghost is going to get them interested in your routine? Or, will bass-thumping, energy-producing rock, hip-hop, or techno wake them up? I'm not saying not to use slow, romantic, fluid, music; use it if you can make it work for you and you can make it look "pretty." When it's time to edit your music on to a CD or cassette, it's probably a good idea to have someone with professional experience to edit or "put together" your music, especially if you are bleeding two or more songs together, using voice-overs, or just to make sure the quality is 100%. Just to be on the safe side it's also wise to make sure you have 2-3 copies of your music, you never know when a copy will get scratched or have pro tan spilled all over it!

 Some of the greatest pioneers in posing: Melvin Anthony, Vince Taylor, Dareem Charles, and Ed Corney all were not afraid to be different, to get up there have some fun, and get the crowd into it!! Some bodybuilders even like to use props during a routine. I personally don't because I haven't thought of one original enough that hasn't already been used. I loved Melvin Anthony's Darth Vadar rendition at the ‘06 Arnold. If you can make good use of a costume or props, go for it; be creative. However, I wince when I see bodybuilders do the SAME OLD THING that they see everyone else doing. Here are a couple do's and don'ts regarding posing music and routines:

Do choose music that fits your personality and physique
Do practice at least 3 times a week leading up to the contest
Do practice in front of people to get some feedback
Do have someone with an editing background put together your music
Do have at least 2-3 copies of your routine on you the day of the contest


Don't use the hottest song that's out at the time
Don't be afraid of trying something different or being different
Don't make your routine up in the bathroom 10 minutes before your class goes on
Don't fall and land on the judges table during your routine (ya MIGHT get a few points taken off!)

Joe Ohrablo is a USBF pro bodybuilder, trains at Golds Gym in Farmingdale Long Island, and is a personal trainer for Bally Total Fitness.