Competitive Breed

Our Sport is Subjective & Judging gives you valuable perspective!
I’ll be heading back to Houston later this summer to judge the again - judging is truly an honor and privilege.
My first time ever judging was 13 years after my first ever competition & despite my experience as a coach & competitor to that point, judging challenges your biases & highlights the differences between your personal preferences vs the objective differences between physiques & how it aligns with the criteria of each category.
I remember sitting next to my big bro and NOT being on the same page in some scenarios between 1st & 2nd place … hence the importance of an entire judging panel! This surprised me a bit bc I assumed him & I may have some of the same preferences and/or value certain aspects more than others.
Sometimes the judging is super straight forward and clear as day, other times in very competitive lineups, your splitting hairs and essentially searching for flaws / weak points.
One of the first conversations I recall about the subjectivity of the sport dates back to 2011, when I was in the locker room of .bevsgym and & were talking about judges having a difficult job, often times comparing apples to oranges and being forced to lean towards their preferences. Zack used the example of two females, both being a 10/10, but one being a blond and one being a brunette.
To everyone who competes, of course we compete to win, but remember that getting to the stage and seeing your contest prep through is a huge victory in itself, and the best part of bodybuilding is the self progression it yields and the relationships you build over time. You can’t control who shows up on stage with you, so do your best throughout the process, and the chips will fall where they may.
I also always tell my athletes, I’d rather place 3-5 in a stacked class with many competitors, than walking away with first place in a small class without competitors pushing you to be better!
Present your best and enjoy the time under those lights - you never know if you’ll have the opportunity to do it again!