"Publisher's Page" by Doug Schneider
Season Opener – the 2016 Physique Canada National Classic
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- Created: 01 June 2016 01 June 2016
On June 11, the first event of Physique Canada’s 2016 season will be upon us – the National Classic. The National Classic is special because it was the very first competition that Physique Canada staged.
No Board Shorts Allowed
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- Created: 01 May 2016 01 May 2016
I’ve never been one to shy away from controversy, nor have I had trouble speaking my mind. So let me begin by stating this: I hope this article does for the discipline of men’s physique what the movie Zoolander did for the profession of male modeling. Zoolander was released in 2001 and starred Ben Stiller as male supermodel Derek Zoolander. The film so successfully mocked the ridiculousness of male modeling that many people felt it pretty much destroyed the credibility of the profession. Catch my drift?
Keeping Women's Physique Sports Thriving and Surviving
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- Created: 01 March 2016 01 March 2016
For all intents and purposes, the sport of women’s bodybuilding is dead. Sure, you can still find a smattering of competitions here and there, but even the IFBB ceased putting on the Ms. Olympia in 2014, which sounded the death knell. It was once the sport’s most prestigious competition, not mention a popular draw – in 1986, the Ms. Olympia was held at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Garden, a 5500-seat theater.
So what happened to women’s bodybuilding?
Fixing Faulty and Corrupt Judging
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- Created: 01 April 2016 01 April 2016
I have been directly involved with the organization of physique competitions for over 15 years. In that decade and a half, I have worked with several organizations and have seen thousands of men and women compete – maybe even tens of thousands. So I’ve met many people, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the serious competitors, it’s that their number-one concern in any competition is the fairness of the judging. Who can blame them? The judging determines the winners, so if the judging isn’t fair, what is the purpose of competing?
The New Generation of Bodybuilders Saving the Sport
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- Created: 01 February 2016 01 February 2016
Bodybuilding isn’t as popular as it was ten or more years ago. Women’s bodybuilding has died out almost everywhere and men’s bodybuilding is on a steady decline, particularly in non-drug-tested competitions. In fact, the men’s side has been in such a decline that the IFBB implemented men’s physique a couple of years ago to try to lure men back into competing. Men’s physique is a discipline where competitors wear colorful board shorts and do only quarter turns – no formal posing. Some feel that men’s physique has been successful because it has enticed more men to compete; however, others feel it’s been a disaster, since it’s more like a male-modeling contest than anything that resembles a sport, with some even ridiculing it by calling it “men’s bikini,” much to the chagrin of those who participate in it. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, you’ll agree that men’s physique isn’t bodybuilding.
