Originally Posted by
Hazard
From Examiner - Jan 1, 2011
Are politics involved in bodybuilding competitions and should you be concerned?
The sport of bodybuilding has been in existence since the late 19th century when a man by the name of Eugene Sandow of Prussia (now known to us as Germany), engaged audiences by giving displays of his muscle performances at carnivals. He later went on to organize the first bodybuilding competition in 1901, entitled the "Great Competition"; wherein, he was a judge along with two others. In those days, the perfect physique was close in proportion of the ancient Roman and Greek statues. Today, not only have the physiques changed but so has the judging criteria.
Every competition is different and for each one of them, what the judges are looking for will also be different. Whether you enter a natural show or not, there are standards that must be followed which will be very crucial for all competitors who desire to compete.
Entering a bodybuilding competition is a lot more involved than just deciding to enter by signing up and getting the credentials you need to move forward. Not only will there be a lot of work to be done to physically prepare, there will also be work you will need to do to prepare mentally.
Some would beg to differ that there is any politics in bodybuilding competitions; but if you've ever been in competitions, known someone who has, or been to a competition, you will learn that many of the judges at these events already know who they are going to pick as the winner, even at first glance. Depending on your overall preparation, this could very well work for or against you.
The panel of judges are basically looking for the overall quality of muscular development based on mass, definition, proportion, symmetry and stage presence. In order to be a good judge, the judge has to have a good eye for knowing what a "good bodybuilder" looks like. If the judge does not have an eye for spotting a "good bodybuilder", regardless of the rules of that particular judging system, placement wouldn't be fair and rules would be useless.
So just what makes one competitor's body better than another competitor's? It could be that one has a better diet and exercise routine; or it could be just plain ol' genetics. Since bodybuilding is a sport about illusion, just having that better body may or may not win you the competition. You see, the body could be fantastic but if stage presence is lacking, or if there is a lack of confidence and poise, placement chances can be ruined. Attitude is everything in this business. Therefore, whether you place 1st, 5th or not at all, your attitude should be of grace and poise for your fellow competitors. How you lose can mean even more than winning. Winning is easy and doesn't take a lot of effort to feel the effects. But it's losing which teaches us the greatest lessons in humility. Losing doesn't make you a loser, it just means that it wasn't your time to win. In competitions, sometimes you have to practice the art of losing several times before you see the upswing of that losing streak.
One of the most important components to this preparation will be the development of stage presence. You will learn that stage presence is KEY to your bodybuilding success; not just your physical presence but also your demeanor, regardless of the competition's outcome. You will quickly learn the importance of having a great attitude going in. If the judges don't like you, you will never win a competition, regardless of how great your physique may be. Perhaps this is where the politics issues start.
Here are a few pointers to consider that can increase your chances of being a top pick in the judges' eyes:
Ask the judges what they are looking for and where you need to improve. Then listen to their feedback and apply the advice. The advantage here is, when entering the next competition, the judges will see the changes you made out of respect for their input and this can score you higher toward a win.
Keep your name clean in and out of the competition because your competitors can easily find out any negative press about you or something you've said and report it to the judges.
Never boast or discuss steroid use of others or yourself. These type subjects, especially if you are entering competitions can become a very dark cloud that will hang over your head due to gossip or slander and can ruin your good name and image, whether you use or not.
Always remember, the other competitors are your competition, and like you, they want to win. People you think may have your back could very quickly stab you in it.
If you get into the sport of bodybuilding and decide to shy away from competitions because you feel it may be too political, you may be in it for the wrong reasons. The actual beauty of the competitions is the overall love of the sport. Creating the physique you want and being in a position to display it with a chance of placing or turning pro is the whole idea. If you take it seriously but not to the point of feeling pressure and stress of what you may consider an unfair advantage or favoritism over you, then, you can simply enjoy the competition for what it is. if not, it is then that the sport becomes something other than its original intent and begin to live up to its bad name. So, does this mean that bodybuilding competitions are actually filled with politics or are the politics of the competitions self-induced by perception?
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