Beginners Guide To Wellness Bodybuilding Competition

 

Ready to up your bodybuilding game and own the stage as a wellness champion? Get ready for the ultimate guide that will steer you towards victory in the wellness physique category!

The IFBB & NPC recently added a distinct new category – the wellness division – to their two existing bodybuilding categories, namely the Figure/Physique and the Bikini Divisions. With this addition, there are new wellness suit requirements and different poses. Not sure how wellness differs from bikini? No worries, we've got you!

Read this 5 minute blog to find out all about this new popular Division that is Wellness Bodybuilding Competition:

The Winning Combination -

To win in wellness physique competitions, your natural body shape and genetics play a huge role. If you've got that classic hourglass figure with a small waist, nice glutes, and rounded shoulders, you're already ahead. While you can't change your genetics, we'll talk about how you can make the most of what you've got through smart training and diet.

1. Your Natural Body Shape - Being born with that natural hourglass shape is like having a golden ticket. Judges want to see a waist-to-hip ratio that looks just right and a body that's balanced on the top and bottom, to portray a beautiful muscular silhouette. You can amp up that natural shape with clever workouts and posing tricks.

2. Well-Defined Hamstring & Glutes - Having strong and defined glutes and hamstrings is a must for wellness competitions. Judges are all about lower bodies that make that hourglass figure pop. Get ready for a LOT of Leg days, because the training emphasis will be on squats, lunges, hip thrusts, and Romanian deadlifts to really sculpt those lower body muscles.

3. Strong Shoulder Development - It's not just about the lower body – judges also check out your shoulders. A top-notch upper body with well-shaped deltoids adds the finishing touch to that hourglass look and gives you an overall athletic vibe. So, literally, put your back into it!

Wellness Competition Suit Rules & Regulations

So, for NPC, NPC Worldwide, and IFBB Professional League Wellness Competitions, the rules for wellness bikini suits are pretty much the same as for other categories. The wellness bikini suits can have as much bling as you want, and competitors need to wear a two-piece suit.

The top part of the suit is like the standard one used in the Bikini division. The bottom part has to be V-shaped in the front, cover a good amount of the hips and can have or not have a connector bottom. The back part should follow the Bikini division's standard. Do not wear a t shaped back because it's against the rules.

If you want, you can wear a Competition Bikini style bottom that has connectors. If your suit doesn't meet the proper standards, you'll get a warning, and it might affect your score. This is why it is in your best interest to go for a suit designer specifically for wellness competitions.

If you are looking for a Wellness bikini suit for your next competition, then you can browse through hundreds of competition suits from Competition suit shop. The quality and custom-made options they offer are unbeatable.

Wellness Bikini Suits Posing Requirements

In an NPC Wellness Division competition, athletes have to do four different poses on stage: front, quarter turn right, quarter turn rear, and a second-quarter turn right. This might sound a bit gibberish at the moment (unless you’re at your posing stage in your training). However, do bookmark this for future reference, and get a posing coach, it is a game changer! Let's go through each one.

1. Front Wellness Pose - When facing the judges, athletes put one hand on their hip and let the other arm hang straight down. One leg is a bit forward, kind of like the front pose in the bikini division. But in wellness, the front leg should be bent a bit and moved slightly forward.

2. Quarter Turn Right Wellness Pose - Similar to the side pose you see in bikini competitions, wellness athletes turn a bit to face the judges. The right hand is on the hip, and the left arm hangs straight down. The right leg should bend at the knee.

3. Quarter Turn Rear Wellness Pose - Now, facing the back, this pose is the same as the back pose in the bikini division. The key is not to lean too much forward but to arch the lower back, pushing the glutes towards the front of the stage.

4. Second Quarter Turn Right Wellness Pose - This is the same as the last one, just with the other side of the body.

It's important to know that in wellness bikini competitions, the NPC doesn't want to see the competitor's arm off to the side with the elbow bent and the wrist bent upwards. This is something you might see in the bikini competition divisions, but it's a big no-no in wellness. If you don't pose according to the rules, it can affect your final scoring.

If you are competing for the first time, we recommend practising your poses weeks in advance. This will help you become familiar with the poses as well as move more freely on stage. Stage posing also needs to be done wearing something that resembles your wellness bikini suit the most. This is why you need to wear a posing bikini suit to perfect your posing. You can shop Posing bikini suits here - Competition suit shop. With over 100 different patterns and styles you can perfect your stage routine effortlessly.

The last thing you should do is ENJOY the entire process because it is about the journey as much as the destination! And you can take immense pride and satisfaction into all that effort you’re putting into your show!

Good luck ladies! We’re rooting for you!