Last month, I attended the Enercup 2014 in Hoogeveen. Here you will find the report and photos of the C-class competitions for beginners in bodybuilding, physique, and bikini fitness.
Enercup 2014
On Sunday, October 5th, I was in Hoogeveen for the Enercup 2014. I can recommend everyone to attend such a competition. Especially in the beginner class, there are many differences among participants. Presenter Gijs Boeijen, the Strongest Man of the Netherlands up to 105 kg in 2013, said that participants, like all other athletes, want to win.
That may apply to many, but I especially got the impression of people who want to bring out the best in themselves. Stepping on stage in their best shape ever and proudly showing it to friends and family with pleasure. And who knows? Maybe we have seen the future Mr. Olympia for the first time participating in a competition in Hoogeveen, Drenthe.
Various men’s classes
There were various classes of bodybuilding for men:
- Juniors
- Masters
- MAP (Men’s athletic physique) up to 1.75m, up to 1.81m, and over 1.81m
- Bodybuilding up to 70kg, up to 80kg, up to 90kg, and over 90kg
- Olympic Bodybuilding
Where juniors and masters are purely categorized by age, while other categories are mainly based on height (MAP) and weight (bodybuilding).
Men Athletic Physique
I’m not really sure what to make of it yet, but I think the MAP is not my thing. Firstly, because men wear knee-length board shorts, so legs don’t need to be trained. On one hand, it’s accessible for those who always train legs hard but struggle to gain mass and therefore wouldn’t dare to stand on stage otherwise. On the other hand, this can also mean that those legs are not trained at all, and that is really part of it (in my opinion).
On the other hand, it’s also nice for people like me who find posing trunks terrible and long for the time when you could just wear swimming trunks. But, then I’m talking about swimming trunks that end where the leg muscles begin, not where they end.
My biggest objection, however, is that in this class, the appearance above the neck also counts. “Where a good head must also be on!”, as the presenter called it. That’s where I honestly lose interest. I believe that bodybuilding competitions and related competitions should be about what you have achieved in the gym and kitchen, not whether you happen to be lucky enough to have a beautiful face. After all, we have Calvin Klein ads for that.
Still, or perhaps because of that, this class is rapidly gaining popularity. I see it a bit as the counterpart of the bikini fitness class for women. Not everyone likes the mass monsters we see in contemporary bodybuilding, and this class increases interest in bodybuilding and fitness.
Various women’s classes
In the Bikini Fitness class, the interest was so high that the participants, like in the MAP, had to be divided into three classes, categorized by height. The popularity of women’s bodybuilding decreases every year, that of bikini fitness increases.
In the Bikini Fitness category, the jury wants to see “a sporty physique without visible lines or muscle definition” [1].
Both in group and later in the individual routine, called the “Model walk,” the ladies showcased the work of months in the gym and kitchen.
Women’s physique
The Women’s Physique category, which is aimed at women who prefer to develop a less muscular, yet athletic and aesthetically pleasing physique, unlike today’s current bodybuilders.
-ifbb.com
The most muscular class among the ladies was the women’s physique where four ladies took place. We are not talking about bodybuilding yet, as the ladies must have an athletic look.
Also in this class, significant differences among participants, both in physique and posing. But that’s the fun of C-competitions. I am sure that all four ladies look back on this evening with pleasure. They certainly radiated a lot of joy on stage.
Wahyuni Baron, who won first place in this class, will soon tell on this site how she prepared for this competition.
Men’s bodybuilding
The big guys were divided into various classes: Younger than, older than, heavier than, with some participating in multiple classes.
Here too, significant differences among participants. One bigger, the other leaner. One with a perfect posing routine, the other with a tanning mishap resulting in a full-body runny mascara look.
In between, the audience was treated to guest appearances by experienced bodybuilders who were not even in all cases bigger or leaner than the beginners on stage, but clearly showed their experience in posing.
Photos Enercup 2014
I took many photos during the Enercup and captured every athlete. Do you want photos of yourself in action? Then email [email protected], with your name and in which class you participated. Also, include a photo of yourself so that I can find the right photos.
References
ifbbnederland.nl/wedstrijden/klassen/
