Rich Gaspari details how posing can be used to defeat a bodybuilder with a better physique.
Is it possible for a bodybuilder with a worse physique to beat a superior competitor? That’s the question we asked Rich Gaspari during our recent conversation. Majority of the hard work is done in the weeks and months before a competition to present the best tooled physique. But if the competition is close, a bodybuilder with a slight physique disadvantage can use posing to win the show. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Rich Gaspari details how posing can be used to defeat a genetically superior bodybuilding physique.
Pro bodybuilding competitions are exciting face offs pitting top level athletes against one another. But for the most part, bodybuilding competitions are simply displays of the hard work that has been done for the year leading up to the show. Since there are no goals to score or a race to complete – most of the deciding factors of who wins and loses is decided well before the actual competition.
So if a bodybuilder shows up on stage with a physique that is worse than a fellow competitor next to him on stage – is he immediately doomed to lose? Not necessarily. There are some small but extremely important factors that come into play the night of a pro bodybuildings competition. Mental focus and stamina play a large part while posing on stage. Some physiques fade after being put through the paces. Others seem to improve.
But most importantly, posing plays a big role in who wins and who loses. Perhaps a bigger role than many fans might realize. While talking with Rich Gaspari, we asked him if it was possible for a weaker physique to out-pose and win a bodybuilding show over a superior physique. Gaspari confirmed that it’s certainly possible. How does he know? He’s done it himself.
Posing can’t save you if your physique is too far behind a fellow competitor. But if it’s close, posing can be a deciding factor in your ultimate placing. Rich Gaspari details how posing is ultimately the art of illusion. It’s finding the exact perfect angle to hide your weak points while displaying and over-exaggerating your strong areas.
You’ve probably best noticed this when watching live streams of the Arnold Classic or Mr. Olympia. When the camera turns towards a side angle, you’ll see the competitors let loose their stomachs while doing back poses. The only thing that’s important is that the stomach is sucked in and controlled while the judges can see them.
Rich Gaspari recounts a handful of times that he defeated bodybuilders that positively had better genetics than him. They presented a better overall physique due to the aesthetics of their genetics. Yet he was able to defeat them through hard work and extreme dedication to posing.
The battle of posing isn’t as easy as it might originally seem either. Pro bodybuilders are extremely dehydrated on the night of a competition. Under the hot lights and multiple rounds of posing – the strain puts a mental and physical toll on the athletes. You’ve likely seen behind the scenes shots of bodybuilders even needing oxygen masks after stepping back stage.
You can watch Rich Gaspari go into detail in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
