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Latest Bodybuilding News

  • Lee Priest Diagnoses How Bodybuilders Botch Cuts

    Lee Priest Diagnoses How Bodybuilders Botch Cuts

    Australian bodybuilder Lee Priest joined Mike O’Hearn on the Sept. 22, 2023, episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show to discuss bodybuilding strategy. Priest and O’Hearn discuss multiple aspects of the bodybuilding industry, focusing specifically on cutting weight and where competitors go wrong while attempting to drop body fat.  Generation Iron published O’Hearn’s interview with Priest on their YouTube channel. Check it out…

    Continue Reading

  • How To Use FST-7 Training To Build the Upper Chest

    How To Use FST-7 Training To Build the Upper Chest

  • 2023 Dubai Pro Bodybuilding Show Results

    2023 Dubai Pro Bodybuilding Show Results

  • 2023 San Antonio Pro Bodybuilding Show Results

    2023 San Antonio Pro Bodybuilding Show Results

Top Athletes

  • Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay Says He Will Not Compete at 2023 Mr. Olympia

    Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay Says He Will Not Compete at 2023 Mr. Olympia

  • How Shaun Clarida Trains Legs 9 Weeks Out From the 2023 Olympia

    How Shaun Clarida Trains Legs 9 Weeks Out From the 2023 Olympia

  • Learn To Grow Your Glutes Like Dana Linn Bailey

    Learn To Grow Your Glutes Like Dana Linn Bailey

  • A Look Back at Regan Grimes’ Full Day of Eating Before the 2023 Flex Weekend Pro

    A Look Back at Regan Grimes’ Full Day of Eating Before the 2023 Flex Weekend Pro

Bodybuilding Guides

  • Try These 6 Unique Bodybuilding Arm Exercises to Spark New Muscle Growth

    Try These 6 Unique Bodybuilding Arm Exercises to Spark New Muscle Growth

    Bodybuilding can be a chore, there’s no doubt about it. Hitting the iron day in, day out, and sticking to a program (not to mention following a meal plan or specific diet) is as much of a test of willpower as it is work ethic. That drudgery can extend to your exercises of choice as…

    Continue Reading

  • These Are the 10 Best Carbs to Eat for Bodybuilding

    These Are the 10 Best Carbs to Eat for Bodybuilding

  • These Are the 10 Best Dumbbell Exercises for Bodybuilding

    These Are the 10 Best Dumbbell Exercises for Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding Basics

What is Bodybuilding?

In the sport of bodybuilding, athletes compete to see who has the best physique. They are judged on their muscularity, level of conditioning (or leanness), muscular symmetry, and posing routines. Most of the work is done off stage, as competitors must train hard, eat clean 24/7, and follow a rigid supplement regimen to build a complete body.

There are two major bodybuilding organizations — the IFBB Pro League and the NPC (an amateur league). The NPC, which is where most bodybuilders start, offers eight divisions — three for men and five for women. For the men, they are Men’s Bodybuilding, Men’s Classic Physique, Men’s Physique. The women’s divisions include Women’s Physique, Fitness, Figure, Bikini, and wellness. In the bodybuilding category, there are also specific weight classes. They are:

  • Bantamweight (up to 143.25 pounds)
  • Lightweight (over 143.25 pounds and up to 154.25)
  • Middleweight (over 154.25 pounds and up to 176.25)
  • Light Heavyweight (over 176.25 pounds and up to 198.25)
  • Heavyweight (over 198.25 pounds and up to 225.25)
  • Super Heavyweight (over 225.25 pounds)

A typical bodybuilding show consists of four rounds— the symmetry round, the mandatory posing round, the free posing round, and the posedown. (Note: Each division is judged a little differently.) Here’s a breakdown of each stage.

Athletes will first complete a series of “relaxed” quarter-turns so the judges can compare their symmetry and conditioning. Then, they’ll complete the eight mandatory poses to demonstrate their size. Each athlete will then perform a rehearsed posing routine, about 90 seconds long. Finally, the top three to five competitors in each weight class will compete in a posedown, as the last chance to show the judges their best assets.

The eight mandatory poses include:

  • Front Double Bicep
  • Front Lat Spread
  • Side Chest
  • Side Tricep
  • Rear Double Bicep
  • Rear Lat Spread
  • Abdominals and Thigh
  • Most Muscular (men only)

More in Bodybuilding

  • Gabriel Zancanelli Wins 2023 Musclecontest International Ultimate Pro Classic Physique Show

    Gabriel Zancanelli Wins 2023 Musclecontest International Ultimate Pro Classic Physique Show

    The 2023 Musclecontest International Ultimate Pro Classic Physique division show was held on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Curitiba, Brazil. Twelve athletes took the stage and faced the judges to determine a winner. Gabriel Zancanelli emerged victorious and is now eligible to compete in the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL, on the weekend of Nov. 2-5,…

    Continue Reading

  • Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay Says He Will Not Compete at 2023 Mr. Olympia

    Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay Says He Will Not Compete at 2023 Mr. Olympia

  • How Shaun Clarida Trains Legs 9 Weeks Out From the 2023 Olympia

    How Shaun Clarida Trains Legs 9 Weeks Out From the 2023 Olympia

  • 2023 Dubai Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview

    2023 Dubai Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview

  • 2023 San Antonio Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview

    2023 San Antonio Pro Bodybuilding Show Preview

  • 2023 Musclecontest International Ultimate Pro Classic Physique Show Preview

    2023 Musclecontest International Ultimate Pro Classic Physique Show Preview

  • 2023 Musclecontest Titans Grand Prix Men’s Physique Show Preview

    2023 Musclecontest Titans Grand Prix Men’s Physique Show Preview

More in Bodybuilding

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