Some questions for the judges ???

chris250 · Sep 3, 2006

Hey ProMuscle Judges,

Got a few questions for ya...As many of you know (maybe) I have been getting ready for the NA's this september...After, dieting for 12 weeks, Trop and Dante both thought that my size for the show woundnt be good enough to be competive on the NA stage...That hurt, but I understood...So then I decided to just do the Continnetal USA's in Chicago on the same day...
Threw most of my prep I have been playing catch up and trying to bring up weak bodyparts...It has been a tough prep to say the least...I didnt get much of any offseason, and the past couple of years have not been to good for bodybuilding...But, this year things have been better and I got a good 5-6 months of decent training for this show...I kinda put my offseason and precontest prep in to one phase...So this is what I have ended up with...Probably smaller than what I would have liked to come in at, but overall im very happy with how things are starting to turn out...
So here are the questions...For being two weeks out is my condition good for a NQ show ? What about if I was doing NA's is it good, or does it need to be much sharper ? Also, im 230 in these pics (im 5-10 height) im thinking I will end up as a heavy...Also, please let me know about my posing, am I hitting my shots right, (mainly worried about my back bi shot) foot positioning is right ? What does the judges look at as good posing ?
The first set of pics are relaxed round...I havent got much of a chance to tan yet, and the lighting isnt good...But, I hope you guys can see if I need to change anything...Thanks for your time...

chris

chris250 · Sep 3, 2006

Shots from the front

Front double bi shot
Front lat spread
Upright mostmuscular shot

What do I need to work on for next year ?
What about foot postioning on my front bi shot ?
Hand placement on my front latspread ?

thanks
chris

chris250 · Sep 3, 2006

From the side...

Side chest shot
Side tri shot

Chest heald up high enough ?
Not sitting on my side shots enough ?

chris

chris250 · Sep 3, 2006

Ok hear is where I get lost...I have tried all different ways to hit my rear bi shot, and I still dont think im doing it right...When I look at my relaxed round back shots, I think (and let me know if im wrong) I see more muscle that im not showing...For some reason, I cant seem to find a way to hit it just right..I know I need more work on my back, thickness and width, but for some reason I believe I can get more out of it if I hit it right...I put in 3 differnt shots of my rear bi shot for you to see...What am I doing wrong here ?
As for the rear latspread I think it is better than the past...But, is my feet to far apart ? Could I use a different hand placement ?

thanks

chris

chris250 · Sep 3, 2006

Here are two different mostmuscular shots

First one is what I call the Levorne shot
Next one is a normal boring mostmuscular
Last shot is a ab shot, but done the way Levorne did it...

chris

KenT · Sep 5, 2006

Hey Chris! First, it's nice to see you again. Been a long time since we used to chat when you were competing in the L.A. area. You've clearly gained a lot in the years since.

You've got a lot of questions, and I'm not going to get to all of them in detail tonight. However, the advice NOT to do the North American and instead to do a national qualifier is good. I think, given that "life" has forced you to be a little erratic over the last year and in getting your prep going, that you should take the next year to really put together a great package for next year. You've had enough disappointments -- don't set yourself up for another one. Instead go somewhere that you will clearly be one of the top competitors at that level.

Next, on posing. As you will see from some of the other critiques I've posted, I'm generally an advocate for the "classic" versions of the mandatory poses, rather than the ones currently popular.

In the side turns, I DON'T like (and I don't think it works well for the competitor) to be pulling the arm closest to the judges way far back as is popular nowadays, and as you are doing. It stretches out the pec, making it look shallow, and does similarly bad things for the triceps and the biceps. You're NOT doing it, but I also thing hyperextending that arm to try to show triceps is a mistake, as it totally extends the bi and makes it look underdeveloped. So, bring that arm forward enough to be able to show thickness in the pec, and as much size in the arm as you can.

In the quarter turns I also don't like having the hands way forward of the shoulder. It means that I'm looking at your biceps at its thinnest angle which makes it look underdeveloped relative to torso and legs. So...WITHOUT rolling your shoulders forward (which collapses the pecs and makes the shoulders narrower), bring the hands back more in the plane of the shoulders so that I'm looking at your arms from a better angle.

Because your legs are well developed, in each of the mandatories you should be focusing on how you present your arms...you need to make choices in each pose that maximize the volume of the arms. So in side chest, instead of leaving the elbow hanging out away from the body, pull it in so as to use the lats and rib cage to push against the tris and bis, making them look bigger.

And so on....

I'll try to get to the specifics with another post, after I've really had time to look at ALL the photos you've provided!

Again, great to see you! Used to enjoy chatting with you those many years ago in L.A.!

Ken T.

Crimson Ghost · Sep 5, 2006

Great post KenT!

Chris, you look great man. I agree with everything that KenT said. In your front "quarter turn" pose your arms look non existant, esp with huge wheels like yours. I think you could use more tricep size/ thickness as well. To me your biceps really overpower everything in that area.

Do the smaller show to get your natl Q and put in a very long and solid offseason with Dante and Trop to brink out more size/ thickness. Don't get me wrong, you're a BIG dude but at 5'11" (I am too...) it's a bit harder to fill out than if we were 5'2".

Good luck and I'll look over the pics more to see if there is anything else that jumps out at me.

chris250 · Sep 5, 2006

Thank you Ken and CG...

I will try the relaxed poses again and take some pics, to see if that is what you are meaning...I think I understand what your saying but I want to take pics and see for myself...

I will put up my final pics from the show after it is all over with so you can see the final product and let me know what I need to work on next year...

thanks for you time

chris

Crimson Ghost · Sep 5, 2006

Okay...look at the first pic you posted in this thread.

If I were standing off to your side and looking at you, your hands would be positioned out in front of your torso in that shot. The angle that it puts your arms at minimizes how they look.

Imagine someone was in front of you in that pose and put their hands on your hands and pushed them back toward your torso.

HTH...