Bodybuilding Organizations
The world of physique competitions can be confusing if you’re not familiar with the various organizations and the regulations specific to each one. Let me start by saying, you’re very wise to be doing your homework and researching the different organizations BEFORE committing to a show. The bottom line is, no matter how hard you work or how disciplined you are, if you don’t present the judges with the specific look they want to see, there’s a good chance you’ll be overlooked all together. Doing some advance research will help you avoid this frustrating situation.
In this section, we’ll take a close look at several of the more widely known bodybuilding organizations. We’ll provide a summary of what each one is looking for and we’ll send you to each organizations website so you can read their regulations and judging guidelines for yourself.
International Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness (INBF)
Founded in 1999, the INBF was created to provide physique athletes with a natural outlet to pursue their sport and to further promote the growth of drug-free athletics throughout the world. To read the INBF Constitution, which provides background on the organization and what they stand for, click here.
North American Natural Bodybuilding Federation
The NANBF was originally founded in the 1980’s as a way to promote drug tested bodybuilding shows. The organization did well through the 1990’s, growing to be a widely known natural bodybuilding forum, until some leadership changes resulted in a loss of momentum and significant struggles for the organization. Today, the NANBF is once again flourishing after three individuals stepped up and re-energized growth. The NANBF now teams up with the OCB to promote the sport of natural bodybuilding throughout the United States. For information on the NANBF’s judging criteria, click here.
Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders
The OCB is relatively new in the world of natural bodybuilding; however, because it’s so well organized and heavily promoted, it has grown to be one of the biggest natural bodybuilding organizations on the east coast. For a complete list of OCB regulations, click here.
National Gym Association
One of the most well known and widely recognized natural bodybuilding organizations in the country, the NGA has been around since 1979. It is a non-profit organization focused on promoting healthy living standards throughout the United States. To get a complete look at the NGA competition guidelines, click here.
Amateur Bodybuilding Association
The ABA was created in 1977 when the creators saw the need to establish an outlet for natural athletes to excel. The earliest competitions were held in local gyms, but grew quickly as the demand for natural bodybuilding grew. Today, the ABA has gone international, creating the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) to promote shows in over 35 countries around the world. In the past year, the ABA / INBA has promoted more than 125 natural events around the world! To obtain additional information on this organization, click here.
American Natural Bodybuilding Federation (ANBF)
The ANBF is a new organizationto natural bodybuilding founded by Kent Bierly in 2013.The ANBF's mission is to provide the ultimate natural bodybuilding experience for all the competitors and fans through uniform pricing, athlete payouts, and qualified judging as well as stringent drug testing. The ANBF is holding the shows to a standard like no other: It will no longer be the show is only as good as the promoter. The new standard will be the show is only as good as the organization and whether you are competing, coaching, judging, spectator or a vendor at an American Natural Bodybuilding Federation event, you know it will be an efficient, fair, and enjoyable experience for all involved! To access the main link, click here.