What a great post and article for all of us.
You hit on this about posing practice. Posing is so important when running neck and neck with a competitor in your class. Learning to pose is needed with a coach and the mirrors so that when you hit a pose you know the naturally where to make the max squeeze. There is the hit and if you timing is on a second ultimate squeeze to show the striations and more. ( lost for words here)
Not much more to add that Onk didn't cover. So very good instructions Onk and my respect to you.
FYI: Myself having been a competitor ( in the dinosaur ages , lol) and owning a gym know what the mirrors in the gym are for. Not just to be vain but to have lighting and a pump to see how you are progressing. If you are hitting your target point as you work specific muscles and lagging body parts. To see your symmetry more when your coach is not there.
Just saying my .02 cents
It's something my girlfriend I work on a lot. She has done ballet her whole life and even went to America to dance ballet but ended up doing s*** gigs at Disney World and a few others, before coming back to Aus. I did gymnastics growing up which lead to hip hop dancing where I eventually taught classes. As such, we're okay at hitting the beat and choreography.
Case in point, the other night when we were training a lady for bikini posing, my gf, who doesn't do any exercise and loves desserts was posing against this tall 6'0 polish girl with fake boobs and is ready to step on stage next week. Despite being out-genetic'd and not being stage ready, my gf managed to make her look like crap in comparison, because she is such a better poser and walker.
It really hit home to me how much posing matters, even for women's contests where they only do quarter turns and no mandatories.
Funny, because I'd always wanted to sleep with this girl I'm training, but after that night, I haven't thought about it once!