This was something written by Massu, one of the very first artists and one that is very close to us all here. Many of the artists that have come through this platform have worked with him and me (growgetter), and in the early days of our work, we would spend hours studying what makes art good and what makes art bad. We have had a lot of discussions and we were not sure what to do with them all. Would people be interested in reading about this kind of stuff? Would those who see something without any kind of art/content be bothered?
Well, if it inspires others to make their art better, than its good for all of us.
Here is a blog entry by Massu
A Study on Bodybuilder Poses
Observation and info over the years of referencing bodybuilding contest poses and thru videos from youtube channels Criticalbench and AMS Muscle.
This explores the role of bodybuilder poses in emphasizing muscle structure and emphasizing the visual appeal of body form. By analyzing specific poses and their effects on muscle shape and form and how it can make muscles appear larger and more defined.
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Key Elements of Effective Posing
According to the body building youtube channels, posing serves as a critical component of bodybuilding competitions and performances. It allows competitors to strategically showcase their physique, drawing attention to particular muscle groups while creating an illusion of greater size and symmetry. Effective posing can transform the perception of a bodybuilder’s physique, often making a significant difference in competition outcomes.
But in our case, we can integrate the different bodybuilding poses for our character’s muscle growth scenes since the poses were designed to specifically highlight muscles or a particular muscle group. So when a scene calls for a bicep growth or a back muscle growth, we can look at and reference bodybuilding poses that emphasizes that particular muscle/s.
According to the bodybuilding community and coaches, the poses serve to emphasize these following aspects;
Muscle Activation
Certain poses activate specific muscle groups, enhancing their appearance. This engagement not only highlights muscle definition but also contributes to a more dynamic presentation.
Angle and Perspective
The angle from which a pose is presented can alter the viewer’s perception of size. Poses that involve turning the body or tilting the head can create depth and dimension, making muscles appear larger.
Symmetry and Balance
Successful posing emphasizes symmetry, showcasing equal development on both sides of the body. This balance creates a visually appealing silhouette that can enhance the perceived size of individual muscle groups.
Lighting and Shadow
Posing in conjunction with strategic lighting can create shadows that further define muscle contours. This interplay between light and shadow can enhance muscle separation and make muscles appear more prominent.
Transition and Flow
The fluidity with which a bodybuilder transitions between poses can maintain audience engagement and create a cohesive performance. Smooth transitions help to keep focus on the muscles being showcased, enhancing their visual impact.
Examples Different Bodybuilding Poses
Below are the different bodybuilding poses and which muscles are highlighted by each pose.
Front Double Biceps
This pose highlights the biceps, shoulders, lats, and chest, providing a strong visual representation of upper body strength and size.
The body builder feels like he’s pulling his body up and emphasizing his width and lats. The taper from the upper body to the waist really gives the pose a nice reverse triangle form.
Image below demonstrates how the upper body pose was implemented into an illustration and gives the character a nice reverse triangle upper body form which completes the feminine hourglass form.
Side Chest Pose
This pose emphasizes the pectorals and arms while showcasing the nice squeeze the muscles can have between each other.
This pose also has a very helpful lower body pose that can be used in other poses. The lower body is angled in a way that helps showcase the figure’s butt- as demonstrated by the illustration in the double bicep pose.
Back Double Biceps
By presenting the back and biceps together, this pose allows a nice overall view of the entire back muscle. This pose has a really nice symmetrical look too. Which makes it not too glaring when drawn with a symmetry ruler tool.
What makes this pose really good is how you can emphasize the squeezing of the left and right side of the back muscles thru the center line at the back. It can really add the feeling of depth and mass.
Abdominal and Thigh Pose
This pose supposedly focuses on core definition and thigh size and abs. However, this pose also can be put to good use in showing off the lats and triceps of a character.
Below illustration of the pose being used to emphasize triceps. For female characters, the breasts can also be well emphasized.
Front Lat Spread
I have not used this pose before(I think) and it’s also rare for me to see this pose adopted by other artists too. But it seems to be another nice pose that helps emphasize the upper body mass. Funnily enough, the pose is supposed to show off the lats but in FMG, the muscles and breasts will be too big for the lats to be seen.
Side Tricep
A nice and simple pose to show off the triceps. For FMG and MMG this pose can be used to emphasize the chest or breasts.
Image below is an example of the pose(altered) used to emphasize breasts.
Most Muscular Pose
The most “iconic” pose. It’s so iconic that became the go to generic pose when you want a character to be “big and strong” and sometimes also angry.
It also is the pose that has the most kinds of variations. Which is really great for us artists since we have a treasure trove of different references. And when we get to adjust the pose’s angles and mix and match the upper body pose of one set with the lower body pose of a different set- we can get really fun mix and matches!
