Rob creates excellent images. Many models return for more photo shoots. Do you have a favorite image that Rob created? Please describe the photo in the comments and explain how the picture grabbed your attention.
Eduardo Fermin is a men’s fashion and physique portrait photographer located in Manhattan, New York City.
According to Eduardo’s website, he is from Venezuela, where he studied cinematography and worked in a theater for ten years. Eduardo was first a cook and waiter in New York City. Interested in his new city, he began taking photos with a cell phone.
Josh Riquelme, a fitness model from upstate New York, who moved to New York City, had a photo session with Eduardo.
Christian Rodriguez
Christian, a fitness model based in New York City, had a photo shoot with Eduardo. (Read more about falls from the fire escape in New York City.)
Christian, suffered multiple fractures after falling (nearly six stories) from a fire escape in New York City on September 11, 2021. (He has recovered from his injuries.)
Blake Bartizal, a personal trainer and a YouTuber, had a photo session with Eduardo in Miami, Florida. Blake holds an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science.
See more photos from this photo shoot on Eduardo’s website.
Jake Hilburn, a fashion model, had a photo session with Eduardo. In this set of photos, Eduardo used light and shadow to showcase Jake’s physique and face.
The model named Totallyrico had a photo session with Eduardo. See more photos of Totallyrico on Eduardo’s website.
Philip Fusco
Philip Fusco, a longtime model, had a photo shoot with Eduardo. In a session that Men and Underwear Blog featured, Phil modeled Walking Jack underwear. (More photos of Phil are posted on Eduardo’s website.)
In an article with Fashionably Male blog, Phil discussed his Christmas-based photo shoot with Eduardo.
Phil posted a photo-shoot behind-the-scenes video on his YouTube channel.
Eduardo also composes his model photos using the beautiful City of New York as a backdrop. One location is at Times Square. (Note: I wrote a previous blog about Calvin Klein’s underwear billboards in this area.)
Eduardo’s photos are great and I wish him and his models great success. Have you enjoyed the models in this post? Is there another photo shoot that I missed? Please let me know in the comment section on through e-mail.
You decided to compete in a men’s physique contest. Great! You want to prepare for your stage time to present your hard work to the judges.
How will you choose the best board short that will present your best image to the contest judges? How to develop a smooth, confident posing style for the stage? This article will help you find the answers you need.
Bryan Blasio, a friend of Josh Riquelme, is a mens physique competitor and personal trainer in New York City.Kyle Hynick, Novice Mens Physique, St. John’s Classic, 2019. Photographer: Paul Girvan. Board shorts, Chula Wear
Preparing for a Mens Physique Contest
I found a YouTube video on advice for newbie mens physique competitors. A YouTuber, Brady Oakey, is a mens physique competitor and a coach. He provided five tips for new competitors.
Work on the correct muscle groups off season.
You are fatter than you think. Stage lean is ultra lean.
Take a longer approach to your prep (greater than 12 weeks).
Practice posing and stage presence (smile, make poses look as easy as possible).
Get a coach.
Ismael Martinez, IFBB pro (mens physique) and online coach who lives in Mexico, offers five tips for those wanting to compete.
(Ismael speaks Spanish. Below is my translation of his five points.)
Take risks-sign up for a contest and experience it.
Train with people with the same goals.
Hire a contest prep coach.
Know your strengths and weaknesses.
Tolerate frustrations; work consistently toward your goal.
Sam Newlove shares his first-time natural mens physique contest experience. The organization is the United Kingdom Drug-Free Bodybuilding Association (UKDFBA; its mens physique rules).
1. Competitors will wear an opaque, loose-fitting board shorts which are clean and decent. The colour and fabric of the shorts will be left to the competitor’s discretion. Shorts may have geometric patterns and motives, but no inscriptions and cambered ornamentation. The shorts will cover the whole upper leg, down the upper point of the knee (patella). The use of padding anywhere in the trunks is prohibited. 2. No tight, lycra style shorts are allowed. 3. Personal sponsors logos are not permitted on the shorts; however a manufacturer’s logo such is accepted.
Contestants will be asked to walk in board shorts (shorts must be just above the knee in length and can be one inch below the belly button, no spandex and no logos are permitted on the board shorts however a manufacturer’s logo such as Nike symbol or Billabongs are acceptable.)
The attire for all rounds is board shorts, which must conform to the following criteria: 1. Material and colour can be of the athlete’s personal choice. 2. No tight, lycra style shorts are allowed. 3. Board shorts should not cover the knees. 4. Personal Sponsors logos are not permitted on the board shorts. However a manufacturer’s logo such as Nike, Adidas or Billabong are accepted.
Posing Shorts: Contestants will be asked to walk in board shorts . Shorts must be just above the knee in length and can be one inch below the belly button. No spandex and no logos are permitted on the board shorts however a manufacturer’s logo such as Nike symbol or Billabongs are acceptable.
Board shorts (loose shorts that come down to around the knee) are worn for both parts. Shorts can be of any color and pattern.
Based on the rules of the various federations noted above, the expectation for competition board shorts is essentially the same. The IFBB does not allow cambered ornamentation.
In practice, mens physique contest athletes wear the shorts at the hips rather than one inch below the belly button. In addition, some of the board shorts have some spandex material (Darc Sport, Bro Activewear, Mens Physique Board Shorts, and Alphalete).
Swimwear details: Men’s physique competitors should wear board shorts that are waist high and about an inch shorter than the knee. Tight fitting to allow some glutes and legs definition to show.
The posing routine for the Miami Pro is different from the other federations discussed in this post.
ROUND – Men’s physique athletes perform 1 MINUTE free posing in the middle of the stage showing off their front and back and side muscles. Then walk back to the stage to wait to be called out to do quarter turns. Men Physique are to wear board shorts (about an inch above the knees), and are judged based upon muscularity, body conditioning, symmetry, and stage presence. Individual I walk and then quarter turns (front and back turns) and quarter turns when judges do compassion for top 5 placing).
Mens Physique pro Nemeth Balint. Board shorts, Narcizo.
The Board Short, Made for Surfers
Board shorts was created for surfing, but the style and fabric of the shorts have evolved. For more about the board shorts, you can read a blog post on the Old Bull Shorts webpage.
The board short does not come with a liner and fits on the hips.
Board shorts come from big brands (Quiksilver, Hurley, Billabong) that come from surfing. You need wide legs to make it easy to move on the surfboard. However, mens physique competitors are focused on physique display on a stationary stage. Some brands have made alterations to the board short focused on that competition goal (for example, coloring, tapered leg).
Mens Physique Board Shorts Style
According to a YouTuber, Hart’s Physique Channel, some of the mens physique board shorts are tapered to show the outline of well-trained thighs. This is a recent development as board shorts are made for surfing and thus have a wider leg opening.
Best Board Shorts for Mens Physique
Mens Physique Stage Shorts: Brands and Creators
Below is a chart showing the brands and creators of men’s physique stage shorts.
Ulises Moreno, a designer from Monterrey, México, creates men’s physique stage shorts as well as posing trunks for classic physique and bodybuilding competitors.
Live Fit brand is based in California, United States. The founder, CEO, and designer is Randall Pich. (He created a video on how to create a muscle tank from an old t-shirt.)
On December 25, 2020, the brand released a new mens physique contest stage short (signature pro series (maroon and teal), which feature a signature from IFBB Pro Anthony Woods). The price of the shorts is 60 U.S. Dollars.
Narcizo is a brand based in Hungary. The brand’s goal, as described on its website, is to create stage (board) shorts that suit the goals of physique competition. The sizing of the brand’s board shorts is 28, 30, 32, and 34. The offers two styles—unicolor and patterned. The price of unicolor shorts is 69 euros. For the patterned shorts, the price is 89 euros.
The Mens Physique Show Shorts brand is based in the United Kingdom.
According to its website, the focus of the brand’s board shorts is to have the right fit and colors (the brand used a horizontal stripe pattern) to make the result of the contestant’s hard work—his physique—stand out to the judges.
The sizing of the brand’s board shorts is 28, 30, 32, and 34. The price (on the day of the post) is 39.99 Great Britain pounds.
Ismael Martinez is an IFBB pro (mens physique), father, and YouTuber who lives in Mexico. His brand, IM Coleccion, has a number of items for sale, including mens physique board shorts.
His website is in Spanish and English.
The sizing of the shorts tends toward the smaller-sized waists and hips–small (chico)-27″-28″, medium (mediano)-29″-31″ and large (grande)-32″-33″.
BroActiveWear
BroActiveWear is a brand based in the United States. The brand states that it creates distinctive styles in its clothing. The sizing of the brand’s board shorts is small (28-30), medium (30-32), and large (32-34). The price of the brand’s board shorts is 100 U.S. dollars.
Pro bodybuilder and YouTuber Jason Lowe modeling BroActiveWear’s Atlanta Falcons board shorts.
Alphalete
Alphalete is a brand owned by Christian Guzman, and the brand is based in the United States. The brand started its board shorts offering (Titan) on September 12, 2020.
The sizing of the brand’s board shorts has the widest range of waist sizes (28-40). The price of the brand’s board shorts is 55 U.S. dollars.
Model: Misha Koechlin in Central Park, NYC. Photographer: Michael Hallenbeck.
I mentioned that there is interest in having the mens physique board shorts be more tapered to show some evidence of thigh development (with the muscle filling the leg of the board shorts).
For example, Kim Angel, a mens physique pro competitor from Spain has notable thigh development. He is a skilled weight trainer, who is able to keep up in an intense leg training session with Canadian pro bodybuilder Regan Grimes.
Fernando Valdez, IFBB pro (mens physique) from Mexico, works with his coach to improve his leg development.
