The Most Common Posing Mistake and How to Fix It

So, you’ve been practicing your posing, watching videos, and doing your best to perfect your stage presence. You’ve got a big competition coming up—you’re excited, nervous, and feeling like a queen while also freaking out inside. Sound familiar?

First things first: if you want to eliminate bad habits and refine your technique, book a 1-on-1 session with me. But today, I want to share one of the biggest mistakes I see competitors make—one that I’ve seen in about 90% of the women I’ve worked with. Chances are, you’re making this mistake too!

The Elbow Issue: Why It’s a Problem

We’ve all seen it (and probably done it ourselves): elbows sticking out in weird directions, looking stiff and unnatural. It screams, I don’t know what I’m doing!

Here’s the problem. Many competitors are so focused on getting their lats to show that they overthink the process. In an attempt to create the perfect lat spread, they flex too hard, end up shutting their lats down, and compensate by lifting their arms higher. Unfortunately, this approach does more harm than good.

The Solution: Stop Using Your Arms!

Yes, you read that right—your arms aren’t the answer. The key to a strong, confident pose isn’t in lifting your arms but in proper lat engagement.

Let’s try this together:

1. Stand in front of a mirror and get into your usual front pose.
2. Drop your arms completely to your sides—all the way down.
3. Relax your arms and take a deep breath. Feel your chest expand and your ribs rise.
4. Don’t hyperextend your chest! Instead, focus on lifting your sternum naturally. Your torso should feel taller without arching your spine.
5. Hold this position using your musculature—not by holding your breath.
6. With your chest lifted, engage your lats—but without using your arms. Your arms should feel like they’re resting on your lats.

When done correctly, your arms will be gently pushed away from your body by your lats. This is a crucial difference! Most competitors let their delts take over, which ruins the look of the pose. The goal is to retrain your muscles so that your lats—not your delts—are doing the work.

Back Pose Adjustments

The same principles apply to your back pose:

1. Start by lifting your chest and ribs.
2. Engage your lats gently—don’t squeeze too hard.
3. Avoid pushing your arms forward. Instead, let them hang naturally while your lats push outward to create width.
4. Focus on making small adjustments using your breath rather than forcing a rigid pose.

Small Fixes, Big Results

When you engage your lats properly, your arms will automatically be in the right position. Instead of forcing your arms out, all you’ll need is a slight bend in the elbows to accentuate the curves. The goal is elegance and effortlessness—not unnecessary tension.

Now that you see the difference, it’s time to put this into practice. If you want expert guidance to refine your posing even further, check out my resources below:

👉 Book a 1-on-1 posing session: https://getpoised.net
👉 Ultimate Figure Posing Online Course: https://bit.ly/BetterPosingNow
👉 Join the Community & Get More Posing Tips: COMING SOON!!

Perfecting your pose is all about small, intentional changes. With practice, you’ll look more confident, composed, and ready to dominate the stage!