NGA bodybuilding competitions consist of the following:

II.1        Prejudging (day show)

II.1.1         Symmetry Round

            Relaxed poses from front, left side, rear, and right side.  Competitors should be semi-flexed, not aggressively posing.  The feet should remain flat on the floor and the body and head facing stage left and stage right for the side shots.

II.1.2         Free Posing

            One minute of individual free posing (optional).  Should be omitted in shows with a large quantity of competitors.

II.1.3         Muscularity Round - Mandatory Poses

            Athletes will be called in groups of three to six to stage front for Mandatory Pose comparisons.  The following mandatory poses shall be used by judging panels associated with the NGA.  These poses should be presented such that the judge may make a clear determination of comparisons, with contestants not turning from side-to-side (unless instructed).  Contestants must hit the pose and relax on the command of the Head Judge, or he/she will be penalized with lower placement for not following instructions.  The poses are:

II.1.3.A                   Front Double Biceps

Contestant should stand on two feet and have upper arms out to the sides parallel to the floor, with elbows bent at approximately 90-degrees with forearms parallel to torso.  Legs, lats, chest, abdominals, and arms should be flexed.

II.1.3.B                 Side Chest Pose

Contestant should stand on foot farthest from the stage with front leg bent to show the calf and leg biceps.  The front arm should be bent at approximately 90-degrees with the rear hand gripping at the wrist.  The chest should be lifted and the abdominals pulled in tightly.  The competitor may pick a side of choice to display to the judges unless told otherwise.

II.1.3.C                 Side Triceps Pose

Contestant should stand in leg position similar to side chest pose, with the frontal arm hanging alongside the body, grasped at the waist by the rear hand from around the lower back.  The triceps should be tightened, shoulders, chest and abdominals flexed, and the legs and calves tight.  The side of choice may be displayed unless instructed otherwise.

II.1.3.D                 Rear Double Biceps

This pose is exactly as the frontal version except that the contestant must bring the leg of choice toward the judges and "spike" the foot to show calf and leg biceps development.  Contestants should not lean excessively toward the rear of the stage, nor lean backwards too far toward the judges.

II.1.3.E                 Rear Lat Spread

Contestant should face stage rear with calf of choice "spiked" toward the judges, and grasp the waist with closed hands and spread elbows to flare latissimus.  Hamstrings and glutes should be flexed, with emphasis on showing judges the width of the back (V-shape) as well as detail in the lats, teres major, rhomboids and trapezius, erectors and rear deltoids.

II.1.3.F                  Overhead Abdominal Pose

The contestant must stand facing the judges with one leg extended slightly forward, and with hands clasped behind the neck.  The abdominals must be fully flexed, with air expelled, with the legs and chest also tight.  One-arm variations of the abdominal pose are PROHIBITED unless instructed by the Head Judge.

II.1.3.G                 Most Muscular Pose

This pose will be required only for the men.  The contestant must stand with one leg slightly extended toward the judges, and assume a favorite of the following most muscular poses.  Either the "crab", hands-on-hips or partial crab (with one hand behind back) variations may be used.  Side most muscular poses are not permitted unless instructed by the Head Judge.

II.1.3.H                 Optional Poses

The judging panel may request additional poses depending on necessity.  These may include Side Hamstring Curl, Stand-On-Calves Pose, Serratus Side Pose, etc.

II.2        Finals (evening show)

a.         Presentation of the line-ups (should be omitted for classes of five or less);

b.         Posing routine to music (ninety second limit) - may be judged in amateur competitions;

c.         Announcement of the top five per class;

d.         Posedown (class);

e.         Presentation of class awards;

f.          Symmetry and muscularity comparisons for class winners (judged);

g.         Posedown (overall); and

h.         Presentation of overall awards.

II.3        Divisions of NGA Amateur Bodybuilding Competitions

NGA competitions shall include some or all of the following divisions:

a.         Mens' Open

b.         Womens' Open

c.         Novice Men

d.         Novice Women

                  The definition and rulings of a novice are:

                  1.         a competitor that has not placed in the top 3 in an open division

                              of any organization; and

                  2.         a competitor that has not won 1st place in a novice division or

                              class of any organization.

e.         Couples

f.          Teens

g.         Masters Men (over 40) can be broken into different age groups if applicable (e.g.: over 40, over 50, over 60)

h.         Masters Women (over 35 or 40) same as Masters Men

II.4        Modification of Divisions

            Promoters have the option to cancel any division due to insufficient amount of competitors or split divisions with ten or more competitors into evenly distributed subdivisions using age, weight, or heights as the criteria.

II.5        Crossovers

            A novice competitor can not crossover into the open division nor can an open competitor crossover to novice.  A master, teen or couple can crossover into the novice or open division, but not both.