Let The Ladies POSE!!

Let The Ladies POSE!!

Be sure to check out our great interview with IFBB Pro Macey Toney for StrengthAddicts IGTV. Macey turned professional by winning the 2019 NPC USA Championships in the Women’s Physique Division. She went on to do two pro debuts in 2021 and is considering doing a contest or two in 2022. That is if she can find a coach that will work with her while respecting her wishes. While Macey’s elated to have been able to earn pro status and while she is poised to winning a pro contest, she is very much committed to one day starting a family with her husband Dillon. Any coach Macey works with has to understand this.

Starting a family is a non-negotiable, meaning Macey will not compromise her health in order to win on stage. She is also considering the possibility of Dillon prepping her and hiring a coach that would essentially come in at the end, almost serving as a second pair of eyes. Both situations could prove fruitful for the USA champ.

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Another subject we touched upon was just how expensive competing has become. Has anyone seen the price of eggs lately? Good grief! We discussed what all goes into funding a prep and how that factors in when considering cost of living. Macey’s insights were very good ones and she illustrated her assertions by pointing to how stacked some contests are. This is because competitors don’t have the luxury of competing in multiple shows – they have to pick just one (if any) in the year. Macey did this topic far more justice than I can write here. It’s worth a watch/listen just for this.

But there’s more – a lot more! Macey also addressed the posing controversy between Milos Sarcev and Bob Cicherillo. She addressed the fact that due to the fact that there are six women’s divisions and four men’s divisions that many contests smoosh everyone together all in one day. This creates a situation where countless professional ladies do not get their full 45 seconds of stage time to pose.

Should convenience trump the fact these women have spent all sorts of time and effort to get to the stage? Should it outweigh the fact that many of these ladies won’t place in the money? And that on top of all that, they won’t even get the full time they’re entitled to to pose? That seems like an awful lot for the ladies to give up just so a contest can end early.

In the end, posing is how athletes take what they’ve built, the art they’ve created, and show it off to the world. And it really is to the world. Take the amazing production value of contests run by Jake Wood, Big Steve Weinberger, or Tim Gardner. These are world class productions in high definition for the world to see. These ladies want everyone in the venue, as well as everyone at home, to appreciate what they’ve worked so hard for. They want to inspire others. Give them their FORTY-FIVE SECONDS, and if that means having to have one day for the ladies and one day for the men, then so be it.

Sell one ticket that gets you access to both days. That way promoters don’t have to worry if attendance for the men is higher than for the women or vice versa. The ticket is for everything. And if that means raising ticket prices, then raise ticket prices. Posing is not just how the athlete presents their physique, but it’s also ENTERTAINMENT. That’s not the portion of the contest to cut into. That’s the best part!

Photo Credit: @Prime24Photography

Do you guys know what’s the single most exciting division to watch at the Olympia? It’s not Men’s Open Bodybuilding and it’s not even Classic Physique. It’s FITNESS! People love the routines and they do not leave their seats. It’s like a bodybuilding show, the circus, the Olympics and a rock concert all wrapped into one. People LOSE THEIR MINDS! That’s entertainment, folks! Who wouldn’t want to see conditioned muscular women, in fantastic shape, posing artistically in a NON-RUSHED 45 second round? And even if there are 40 ladies in the division. So what?

40 x 45 Seconds = Entertainment

Christian Duque