ANBF Men’s Physique Guidelines

Overview

ANBF Men’s Physique (MP) Division events consist of two parts: Group Comparisons and Individual Presentations. Competitors perform a 15 second introductory individual walk to center stage prior to the group comparisons and perform a longer individual walk immediately after group comparisons. Men’s board shorts are worn for all parts of the contest. Judging is based on having an overall healthy-looking fit/muscular body along with good presentation.

Eligibility

All ANBF MP competitors must be age 16 or older. Current membership in ANBF is required of all competitors to participate in ANBF events. The ANBF is a 100% drug tested organization via polygraph and random urinalysis. The ANBF requires athletes to be 7 years drug free; using the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited substance list, which can be viewed at www.anbfnatural.com. Competitors must pass a polygraph screening prior to their events to attest to their natural status.  Winners at events offering a pro card must submit to urinalysis and pass drug screening in order to be awarded pro status.

Competitor Rules

The competitors will be judged in board shorts and bare feet. Shorts must be just above the knee in length and may only one inch below the belly button; no spandex. Competitor’s numbers will be worn on front left and rear middle of their suit.   Competitor’s numbers will be worn on front left and rear middle of their suit.   Competitors are encouraged to use stage tanning products, but should remember to be careful not to wipe such products on competition facilities’ surfaces such as walls, floors, and auditorium seats.

Classes

At the promoter’s discretion, classes may be split by height depending upon the number of competitors registered for the event.

Judging Criteria

Judges will evaluate competitors on the following criteria:

• Muscle Tone and Definition – Judges will be looking for fit contestants who display proper shape and symmetry combined with muscularity and overall conditioning. This is not a bodybuilding contest so extreme muscularity will be marked down. While all types of physiques will be considered, when it comes to height, weight, structure, etc., excessive muscularity will be scored down accordingly. The following are examples of common terms used in the bodybuilding industry. These words can be helpful to access what should not be descriptive to the physiques being judged in this division:  Ripped, shredded, peeled, striated, dry, diced, hard, vascular, grainy, massive, thick, dense, etc.
• Symmetry and Proportion – In addition to presenting an overall healthy-looking muscular and lean body, ANBF MP competitors should have an even flow throughout the body. No body part should stand out from the rest. Equal development between all muscle groups should present good symmetry, shape, balance and proportion when viewed from all sides.
• General Presentation – Competitors should display good posture, confidence, and stage presence. The presentation should not be overly suggestive; competitors may be marked down for inappropriate presentations. Other factors that can affect overall appearance are skin tone, complexion and suit fit.

Judging

Individual Presentation

Each class will be introduced individually one by one. The competitor will proceed to center stage and be given 15 seconds of free posing. Competitors can perform any poses of their choice. The MC will introduce each competitor by name and where they are from. Competitors should choose stances that display their physique in the most favorable manner. Once complete, the competitor will remain on stage and line up on a diagonal line placed in the back corner of each side of the stage.

Group Comparisons

After the 15 second individual presentations are complete, each class is brought to front center stage and is guided through quarter turns to display physiques from the front, left, back, and right. The front and rear stances are to be with one or both hands on hip(s) with the opposite leg extend outward. The side poses are flexible. Competitors should use the stances they feel display their physiques in the most favorable manner. Feet may be together or one may be slightly in front of the other, hands may be at the side or one or both may be on the hip. Competitors may twist at the waist to turn their upper torso toward the judges.   NOTE: Competitors who not following ANBF posing guidelines may, at the discretion of the head judge, be corrected. Failure to comply with ANBF posing guidelines could result in a deduction of points from overall score.   Quarter turn transitions should be fluid with no stiff, jerky or military-style movements.  

Finals

Individual Stage Walk

The individual stage walk presentation portion will immediately follow the group comparisons. After a class files off, the first person in the class will perform their stage walk. The competitor walks out to music of their choice to center stage and performs two poses of their choice. Competitor will then proceed to the same side of the stage they entered from and display two poses of their choice. Competitor will then proceed to the opposite side of the stage where they will perform two poses of their choice. To complete the walk, the competitor will return to center stage and perform a final pose and wave/curtsy before exiting the stage.   Individual presentations should be done tastefully and be conducive to a family atmosphere. Competitors will be allowed 60 seconds to complete their stage walks.   Note: If a competitor has already performed a stage walk in a previous class, they will not do the stage walk a second time. If the competitor has crossed over to another category (MP to bodybuilding) the competitor may perform their routine in subsequent class.

Overalls

In events with multiple MP classes, the winners of each class will return to the stage for comparison judging following the same procedure as judging.

Scoring

Judging for placements within each class will take place during judging. Each judge takes all criteria into account and assigns an overall score for each contestant in the form of a rank/placement during the group comparison round. The highest and lowest rank for each competitor is dropped as a safeguard against bias, whether intentional or on a subconscious level.  The remaining judges’ placements are summed, and the competitor with the lowest sum receives first place in the class, while the second lowest sum receives second place, etc.   Stage walks will also be judged as part of the competitor’s presentation.  Each stage walk will be scored using the following system: -1 (no effort, bad choice of poses to display physique), 0 (good overall display of physique utilizing proper choices of poses to show strengths, nice effort), +1 (excellent display of physique, good choice of poses), +2 (exceptional display of physique with exceptional choice of poses to highlight strengths). The stage walk scores will be totaled and averaged where the amount will be deducted from the competitors score to determine final placement.   The same procedure is followed for judging of overall winners during the finals.