5 weeks out from 2007 Debut!

Complex · Apr 29, 2007

Hi guys, i'm just looking to get some honest feedback, i'm 5 weeks out from the first show of the season. Sitting at 205 lbs right now, i'm holding a little water on my abs and my lower back due to supplements.

I'm hoping to break out of the Juniors in my first show this season.

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Complex · Apr 29, 2007

ab shot from this morning after a refeed and a little dryer

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Big A · Apr 30, 2007

Your posing is good apart from the lat spreads (especially the front one) and the ab pose.

You are plenty lean for 5 weeks out. You should come in shredded.

Complex · Apr 30, 2007

Big A said:
Your posing is good apart from the lat spreads (especially the front one) and the ab pose.

You are plenty lean for 5 weeks out. You should come in shredded.

I agree the front lat is a little awkward, what do you suggest for the rear lat and ab poses.

Thanks for the response Big A

LouMessina · Apr 30, 2007

complex

I think you're pretty strong as far as your physique and potential are concerned. The remaining 5 weeks of fine-tuning should bring you in great shape. Your posing is also pretty good, with minor adjustments needed.

I think you're on-target!

Big A · May 1, 2007

Front lat - feet closer together, don't bend your knees so much, lower the right shoulder, don't push your pelvis out so much.

Rear lat - lower right shoulder, lower both shoulders so you don't stretch/thin the back out so much

Abs - crunch on your abs so they pop out

Complex · May 1, 2007

Big A said:
Front lat - feet closer together, don't bend your knees so much, lower the right shoulder, don't push your pelvis out so much.

Rear lat - lower right shoulder, lower both shoulders so you don't stretch/thin the back out so much

Abs - crunch on your abs so they pop out

Thanks alot bro, easy fixes. For some reason on my lat spreads my right shoulder sits higher, i guess its just a habit i've developed, i can fix it when im thinking about it.

Thanks again.

Complex · May 2, 2007

Alright i worked on my poses a little, actually weighing 201 not 205 like i thought. stepped on the scale for the first time in a while yesterday.

My right shoulder is still giving me trouble in the front lat but i like my posture a lot better here. However it seems my lats get lost in the shadows

, i guess its just the lighting.
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Big A · May 3, 2007

Much better. Abs and rear lat are spot on.
Front lat, straighten the legs just a bit more.
Don't worry about not seeing the lats in that photo. Much more light on stage, you will be able to see them clearly. Plus remember, the judges are sitting much lower than you are,so they are looking up at you, so you don't want to lean back too much.

LouMessina · May 3, 2007

Complex

Big A said:
Much better. Abs and rear lat are spot on. Front lat, straighten the legs just a bit more. Don't worry about not seeing the lats in that photo. Much more light on stage, you will be able to see them clearly. Plus remember, the judges are sitting much lower than you are,so they are looking up at you, so you don't want to lean back too much.

Good point. When you compare your two front lat spreads:

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notice the straight vertical line in the second photo, giving you a taller look. Note the shorter squatty-look in the earlier photo.

You displayed your traps in the latter photo, as opposed to pushing your head down into your chest;
Your knees were so spread apart in the earlier photo, you were actually squatting, minimizing your height. Keep a slight forward & outward bend to the knees, to make the quad flairs appear more pronounced. However, it should be kept minimal to avoid diminishing your height, & creating a wide horizontal line. By keeping the knees too wide, the delts appear narrow. I agree the knees should still be brought in slightly;
You repositioned your heels closer together, again maximizing your height. By spreading your feet in the earlier photo, note the straight vertical line going from your hip to your heel, hiding the quad flairs. Note the contrast in the latter photo, & how pronounced the quad flairs are. Last, note how the wide-knees & feet-apart create an A-appearance as opposed to an overall V-taper. Keep in mind you're shooting for a tall, wide-delt > tapered-midsection > flaired quad look.

A's comment about the rear lat spread is a good one. It addresses one of the most common mistakes in posing. Note the heads to your back muscles in your rear double-bi. Note how they disappear in your rear lat spread because of rolling your shoulders forward. This stretches & flattens the back muscles. You're not going to get the heads as pronounced in a rear lat spread, but that's your target.

Overall, the physique & posing are good. Fortunately, A caught your few posing weak spots. You can see the difference presentation makes.

Crimson Ghost · May 4, 2007

Get those shoulders even in the front lat spread. You're looking great man!

I'd suggest bringing the legs in closer even more on the front lat spread as I think it will make your legs look better.

For the next offseason: add more back thickness, more quad sweep (inner and outer).

worldspan · May 5, 2007

The one shot that bothered me was the 2nd shown in your initial thread, where you supposedly have done a quarter turn to the right.

This picture portrays you as half facing the right and half the judges. At
that point you are to be facing the right completely with the right arm down
to your side (the pro's can get away with it stuck out there but not amateurs). Yes you do want to take the opportunity to somehow swing
that right pec out and over.

When you are asked to make a quarter turn to the right, face right completely and you will do just fine.

Good luck! Worldspan

LouMessina · May 6, 2007

Complex

worldspan said:
The one shot that bothered me was the 2nd shown in your initial thread, where you supposedly have done a quarter turn to the right. This picture portrays you as half facing the right and half the judges. At that point you are to be facing the right completely with the right arm down to your side (the pro's can get away with it stuck out there but not amateurs). Yes you do want to take the opportunity to somehow swing
that right pec out and over. When you are asked to make a quarter turn to the right, face right completely and you will do just fine. Good luck! Worldspan

Keep in mind the quarter-turns are called the "Symmetry Round" because the judges are exclusively looking for that trait. In this quarter-turn:

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the judges are trying to compare the depth/swelling/peaks of your front muscle groups (pecs, quads, front delts...) to the same traits of your rear muscle groups (glutes, hamstrings, back, calves...)

By twisting, you can see how your right shoulder and arm hide the peak depth to your pecs; your left arm hides the depth to your back muscles; & your overall twisting minimizes the peak depth to your glutes, hamstrings, & calves. Hence you are missing a narrow window of opportunity to display these symmetry traits.

The judges would then rank you taking into consideration whatever symmetry traits they may have picked up in the remaining round(s). If no symmetry stands out, you may be ranked on the assumption of lacking symmetry.

The critical issue in your case, is you have good symmetry. It's a matter of presentation/posing to make it easily visible. Judges frequently have under a minute to scan all competitors onstage. You have to make the specific traits they are looking for as apparent as possible.

Complex · May 6, 2007

I understand the concept of what you guys are saying but i think its because i haven't really seen this pose done "correctly" that i am having a hard time getting a visual.

Is it done correctly in the perfect posing dvd? I may have to dig that out and give a look.

worldspan · May 6, 2007

If you are referring to the "Perfect Posing" dvd by Gary Udit, yes it is done correctly there.

Worldspan

Big A · May 7, 2007

BTW, I want to mention that the reason why you are getting so much feedback and help from so many different judges is because you supplied pics of every single compulsory pose. Each pic is clear and your body can be seen perfectly.

This should be a wake up call to other people that post in this forum and don't get much feedback at all.

Crimson Ghost · May 7, 2007

I agree, good pics to critique you with! Clear and lots of shots.

Complex · Jun 9, 2007

BRING ON THE "OPEN" BABY!

First place Junior Heavyweight and Overall Champion!!!!

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I'm particularly proud of this one...
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NIGHTSHOW AWARDS and OVERALL I'm particularly proud of pic 667 i think i'll blow it up and hang it on my wall next to the trophy

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If you scroll back you will find pics from my posing routine but they shot the whole thing from the side.... seriously who shoots bodybuilding from the side, give me a break.