Practicing Your Posing Routine/T-Walk

The season is around the corner, and most Federations have their opening shows this month. That means for most of us the “off-season” is officially over, and it’s time to get the high-heels out and practice our posing routine. For many of us, this is the most challenging and even frustrating part of competing, but if you don’t spend time here, how are you going to show all that hard work in the gym and in the kitchen to the judges? I know, it is easier to do 10 pull-ups than 10 posing routines, right? But remember, even seasoned pros like Arnold hired a posing
coach and would practice an hour a day leading up to a show to polish his routine…
Last year was my first year competing, and I found taking the stage so, so, so difficult. My heart was pounding, everything was moving so fast, and it seemed like the moment I hit the stage I couldn’t remember my left from my right. To top it off, there were always last minute changes like getting your time on stage cut from 45 seconds down to 10 seconds, or in one case, our T-walk was cut out entirely and we were forced immediately into comparisons. I still managed to almost trip over my feet on the rubber coating of the stage walking out!!! Oh well…This year I am psyched to work a lot harder at my routine. That means creating a vision-board with tear sheets of some of my favorite fitness models and studying how they hold themselves, and combing through you-tube for any winning routines from past shows. It’s also good to have as much raw footage of yourself, old and new. That way you can critique yourself and make all the necessary changes to improve your stage presence. I know already that there is sooo much I will be changing about my walk, and my posing. I saw from stage photos and from this video how I was dropping into my waist instead of lifting, and I wasn’t creating enough movement in my poses either!
I’m excited to get to work preparing for my second year of competing. Posing sessions are a lot of work, and potentially full of a some embarrassing moments, (you just know what the guys at the gym are thinking when you pull out those 50 dollar stillettoes), but it’s nothing a good ipod mix won’t cure! Have fun! Laugh at yourself! Get a buddy who is also competing, or a really, really good friend, and find a space where you can practice for a good half-hour, as often as possible.

Take Videos!!!! Again, Take Videos!!!
This footage was all taken over the course of several days at the Good Life gym in Cobourg, Ontario as I prepared for the WBFF World Championships in Toronto, 2010. Though I didn’t place, it was an incredible event, and I met a lot of fantastic people and worked with some of the best photographers in the business. I highly recommend doing 3 or 4 shows in your first year to try out the different Federations and also to get some real practice time up on the stage. As Cathy Savage likes to say, “4 weeks out from your show, you should be doing the housework in those high heels!”. Good Luck everybody!!