Being a Physique Competitor - Chris Dickerson (1970)

 Strength & Health November 1970

Competing in any sport is always exciting. Regardless of whether a particular contestant wins or loses, the experience of competing can be extremely rewarding. Sometimes, however, it is heartbreaking, particularly when one does not know how to lose.

Learning how to win is always easy, but knowing how to lose is a much truer test of the stuff we are made of. Fact is, being a competitor can bring out the best and the worst in our nature.

Being a physique competitor can be rougher on the guy than being a contestant in any other given sport, because physique competitions are so difficult to judge. In swimming, running, and skiing, for instance, one is judged on “stop watch” performance. The one who passes the finish line first, wins. The winner immediately knows he has won and the losers immediately know they have lost.

Determining a winner of a physique contest, on the other hand, such as Mr. Indiana, Mr. Greater Baltimore, or Mr. Western America, etc… is not so easy. Here you are judged by many factors. These are muscular development, body symmetry and proportions, your posing ability, and even poise and speech, as compared to those vying for the title along with you. Judges often do not agree upon who the winner should be and the loser is often tempted to blame the judges rather than himself for losing. It can be frustrating.

To further frustrate the bodybuilder who is in contention of winning a title, the bodybuilder, regardless of how much muscle he has been capable of piling on his frame, is stuck with just that, HIS frame. He is short, tall, or medium in height, and will be throughout his days as a competitor. If he is particularly long limbed or short waisted, he may be at a disadvantage if competing against a man with the body structure of a Steve Reeves or Jim Haislop. The determined bodybuilder who may not have the ideal body structure, can still win major titles, even Mr. America.

Physique judging is difficult.  My first experience at judging a contest some time ago taught me that symmetry and body structure can be more important than heavy muscular development. The man I had chosen for first was not the man. My own choice was the most impressive in terms of development, but he was lacking in symmetry. After all the judges’ scores had been tabulated, the winner of the contest turned out to be the man I had chosen for third place. I was a little puzzled, even though I realized that judges are seldom unanimous in selecting a winner. I conferred with the other judges so that I might possibly learn something from them. Looking at the winner, I had to admit that, yes, he was the most symmetrical and had the best proportions even though not quite as thickly muscled as the man I had chosen.

The ideal physique, the kind that usually wins major physique titles, is one with broad shoulders, a small and tapered waist, shapely and developed legs; the neck, arms, and calves should measure the same on the tape or at least close to it. Having studied anatomy and been given the opportunity to judge in a number of contests, I personally prefer a man with developed trapezius, developed obliques and gluteus maximus as compared to one who is not fully developed in these areas. People are too often impressed by only a pair of bulging biceps. They forget that the arm is not actually a large muscle group, as are the legs, chest and back area and the gluteus maximus. A Mr. America winner must concentrate fully on each and every muscle group, and with a sense of proportion so that the difference muscle groups blend together, giving him maximum symmetry and balance.

Assuming then that you are ready physically to compete and that you’re in top shape, it is equally important that you have worked on your posing in order to show off what you’ve attained to your best advantage. This involves not only the realization of what poses suit you best, that are most flattering to you, but also how to get from one pose to the next in the easiest and most graceful manner. Although posing is hard work, involving more concentrated effort than a normal workout, it must appear effortless to the judges; moreover, it is to your credit if the judges feel you are actually enjoying posing for them. Naturally, they are aware of the pressure and strain you’re undergoing, but performing in any capacity requires a certain sense of theatre that means making what is difficult appear as though it is easy. You are, after all, a performer and are being watched every second.

The physique competitor who has practiced posing for many, many hours before a mirror, is the tone who is prepared. He is more sure of himself and will be ready to rise to the occasion. It will show, believe me. (The judges are no fools and that’s why they are judges.) Practice diligently your posing routine. Time it so that it is one minute in duration. One minute posing is standard in A.A.U. competition. Practice walking before a mirror and then before a friend or your family. Know that the judges will be watching you from the instant you walk out to the platform, until the time you have finished posing and have completely left the stage. Practice your posture and take careful note of your appearance by simply standing relaxed, as you would in the line-up. The line-up is usually at the beginning of each contest, when all contestants are marched before the judges in order for them to compare you together. It is a most crucial test of your appearance and poise and often the eventual winner is chosen from this stage of the competition, even before anyone has had an opportunity to pose.

In addition to being in top physical shape, of knowing how to stand, walk, and pose, there is in all national contests (contests beyond the local, regional, and state level) that which is called the interview. The following national contests require the all important personal interview: Teenage Mr. America, Junior Mr. USA, Junior Mr. America, Mr. USA, and Mr. America. At these meets, you will always have the interview, but be prepared for it at all smaller meets as well. I can tell you from experience that there can be an interview whenever those in charge of a particular meet feel that it is necessary to hold one.

The purpose of the interview is to give each individual competitor the opportunity to demonstrate his personality and display his ability to speak and answer questions put to him by the judging panel. In this way the judges are given the pertinent background information on him, so that he becomes a person to them and not just a mass of muscle on display. The interview may be as long as five minutes for a contestant and is the first part of the competition; so in the name of Hercules, please dress for all contests you may enter so that you are always prepared for the interview. Being dressed properly for the interview means wearing a suit, dress shirt and tie. My advice is to go out and have a suit tailor made, it’s worth it, believe me.

Now. Lets sum up what a physique competition will involve, from beginning to end. First of all, your application to enter has been sent in, along with your usual two dollar entry fee. Two dollars is a standard fee for A.A.U. competition. This takes some of the sting out of meet expenses. Make sure that the application has been sent in before the “deadline.” Next, you should arrive at the meet on time; the time as given on the application. You should be dressed appropriately, in suit, shirt and tie, and shoes shined. You should have your gym bag with you to carry your posing trunks, towel, some kind of gym shoes, a warm-up or sweat suit so that you remain at a constant body temperature and don’t cool off too quickly and catch cold while you are down to your posing trunks.

Be sure that you have with you your A.A.U. membership card and that it is current and has not expired. An A.A.U. membership card can be obtained by calling your local Amateur Athletic Union (A.A.U.) and simply asking for an application for a membership card so that you may compete as a bodybuilder. Bring that card with you because you cannot compete without it.

A travel permit is no longer required of a contestant, unless he is competing outside his region (or association) and his expenses are paid for by his gym or other than himself; in other words, he is being sponsored. But this need seldom concern most of us.

Prior to the competition, all contestants are usually called together, either by an A.A.U. Official or the man who is emceeing the show. You are then given a number, and will be expected to wear it on your trunks to help judges identify you. You are then called individually, but that number, to appear behind closed doors and in private, before the panel of judges, usually seven in number, for the personal interview.

After all contestants have been individually interviewed, you are directed to change to your posing trunks, and to re-appear before the panel of judges for the physique judging itself. Generally, there is the “line-up” first, where all contestants face the judges in trunks in a single line, so that they may compare you with your opponents. You are asked to face front, give a right side turn, face back, another right side turn, and again to face front. In this manner, you can be observed and compared from all sides. This is important for fair judgement and all the more reason that the competitor should have good development all around and not just from the front. You are then marched off and brough back for individual posing.

Now is your chance to show off your posing routine and your posing ability. If there are body parts being awarded, best legs, chest, back, arms, and abdominals, you will be called back to give your best pose, showing that particular body part.

For all practical purposes, the contest is now over. Let me explain. It has been decided by those of the A.A.U. Committee, that contests should be prejudged. This means that the contestants appear in the afternoon of the evening of the contest, to be judged at a more close and intimate situation and under normal overhead lighting. This allows more time for each contestant and makes it possible for each contestant to be called back as often as judges feel it is necessary for fair judging and results. All of this comparing and being called back and forth can be boring from an audience standpoint. Therefore, it is done before the audience arrives and what the audience sees that evening is each contestant posing under the posing light on the posing platform, but the results have already been decided. In running the contest in this manner the best interest of both contestants and audience are considered.

Generally contests start at 8:00PM and so all contestants, at the end of pre-judging are asked to return by 7:30PM. You are warned that even though the judging has been decided, the results can be changed according to your behavior or lack of it on the platform before the audience that evening.

It is evening and the contest begins. You have completed your individual posing, this time in the main auditorium before the audience. Next comes the presentation of awards, and with it, the increase of each contestant’s heartbeat. As a contestant, let me say, it’s the part of the competition that’s the toughest.  You ask yourself, why am I here? Why did I ever go into bodybuilding? You wish you were out sitting in the audience, instead of sweating out the results backstage.

What’s it worth anyway, all those sets and reps  and all the sweat? What are you doing here, and on a Saturday night, when you could be out having the kind of fun you have grown unaccustomed to, for the sake of training? Wow! You must be nuts!

Finally win, place, or don’t place at all, the contest is over. The chips are down and the pressure is off. Fellow contestants climb in cars to drive to some place to eat, to go catch a late flight home, or back to the motel for a little sleep. You think and suddenly you feel a part of a fraternity and you’re proud, even if you didn’t fare too well that evening. You congratulate the winner, there can only be one. You sit eating and talking about what has happened on this long day. You know yourself where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing on Monday. On Monday, you’ll be back training and training harder than ever. You think to yourself that you’re going to change your routine a bit, that the exercise that Ron told you he does for shoulders, sounds great, that you’re going to try it. You can hardly wait.

Enjoy your lifting!