March 12, 2022
Writen By Marco Hernandez

The Top 10 Fitness and Figure Competition Guide for 2022

Are you looking for the next fitness and figure competition to watch in 2022? Do you want to compete in one and maybe make your way to an IFBB Pro Card?

Whichever one you’ve said “yes” to, get ready for these fitness and figure competitions sponsored and organized by the IFBB. These IFBB Pro League competitions will motivate anyone towards putting in more hours under the iron.

Luckily, we have a list of the top 10 fitness and figure competitions you need to check out.

But first, what’s a fitness and figure competition? How’s it different from other disciplines or divisions recognized by the IFBB?

It all comes down to what the judges want to see and what they don’t want to see from competitors. Let’s get into the details.

Judging in the IFBB Pro League: Fitness and Figure

There’s a prevailing misconception involving how competitors should look during anything organized and sanctioned by the IFBB and NPC. More specifically, people are under the impression that competitors need to look shredded to the bone with muscles bulging in many areas.

Yes, leanness or condition and muscularity are desirable. While they’re keys to victory in categories like women’s physique, though, they aren’t a necessity in other categories. The categories or disciplines that prove to be exceptions are the fitness and figure categories.

Here’s what competitors need to display in these divisions:

Fitness

IFBB’s fitness discipline emerged in response to a growing demand for athleticism over static poses. As a discipline, it also catered to spectators who wanted to see less muscular physiques — but not at the expense of functional movement. For this reason, the judging of fitness competitors is more than the assessment of musculature and leanness.

While a level of leanness is desirable, judges want to see competitors perform routines consisting of pushups, kicks, and splits — skills indicative of strength and flexibility.

Routines need to be two minutes long and full display strength and flexibility. Judging will be based solely on the performance of the routines, separating it from physique and other IFBB disciplines.

Figure

A figure competition differs from physique in that there’s a higher preference for shape and symmetry. Compared to the bikini category, the figure discipline requires competitors to carry more muscle mass.

Figure competitors need to be lean enough for the abdominal muscles to be on display. However, there shouldn’t be any excessive striations as a higher degree of leanness shifts the athlete to the physique category.

As for muscularity, symmetry is key, so prep in this area needs to accentuate the shoulders. The narrowness of the waist is also crucial in this division.

Now that we have established what is necessary to excel in these divisions, let’s get into the top fitness and figure competitions in 2022.

1. 2022 Figure International

The 2022 Figure International is part of the Arnold Sports Festival. In other words, it is one of the biggest competitions for the figure discipline this year.

As part of the Arnold Sports Festival, the country’s top-tier figure competitors will be on stage, including Latoya Farley, Cydney Gillon, and Wendy Fortino. Also, the presence of international-level competitors is proof of how big this competition has grown since it began in 2003.

Other competitors will include international talents like An Da Jong from South Korea and Puerto Rican Jessica Reyes Padilla. From up north, IFBB figure pro Lola Montez will also be among the competition’s top-level figure competitors.

With the international talent on stage, this is a figure competition that shouldn’t be missed. This prestigious figure competition will be held at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. The 2022 Figure International will be on March 4, 2022.

2. IFBB Pro League Legion Masters Championship

The IFBB Pro League Legion Masters Championship has always been a high-level multi-discipline competition. It’s where athletes in all disciplines — including fitness — lay everything on the line to bag the championship and get a chance to compete at the Olympia.

The competition will feature not just some of the country’s best in figure, but competitors from other IFBB disciplines like bodybuilding and physique will be there as well. Hence, there’s something for everyone. Adding to the excitement is the competition’s master of ceremonies who will be none other than the Voice of Bodybuilding, Bob Cicherillo.

No IFBB Pro League competition is complete without top-tier competition and a big cash payout. This year’s IFBB Pro League Master’s Championship fitness category will take home not just a medal but $2,000 and a spot on this year’s Jim Weider’s Olympia.

This is one of the biggest and most prestigious IFBB shows to hit venues this year. This year, the IFBB Pro League Masters Championship will be in Reno, Nevada at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on October 7, 2022.

3. 2022 NPC Governor’s Cup

Here is another IFBB Pro League event nobody should miss in 2022. The 2022 NPC Governor’s Cup will be in Sacramento this July 9, 2022, and it will host some of the best bodybuilding and physique competitors in the country.

Beyond the stacked physique and bodybuilding categories are the competitive disciplines of figure and fitness. This year’s NPC Governor’s Cup has multiple sub-categories for these disciplines, including novice, masters, open, and even teens.

The 2022 NPC Governor’s Cup’s head judge will be none other than Sandy Williamson, a head judge for numerous IFBB and NPC events. The organizer of this year’s Governor’s Cup is Spectrum Fitness Productions, one of the most well-recognized bodybuilding show organizers in the country.

4. 2022 NPC Clash of the Titanz

There’s a reason why athletes are chomping at the bit to compete at the 2022 NPC Clash of the Titanz. Besides the prestige that a podium win brings, this competition — organized by the NPC — pays one of the largest cash purses of any figure competition.

The 2022 NPC Clash of the Titanz is giving up to $10,000 worth of cash prizes to the winners. The second and third-place finishers will take home $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The winner of this year’s Clash of the Titanz will take home the grand prize of $7,000. With the cash payout that awaits the victors, the competition will be fierce.

This year’s NPC Clash of the Titanz will be at the Lassiter Concert Hall in beautiful Marietta, GA. Part of the proceeds of ticket sales and registrations go towards saving homeless pets and no-kill shelters, so it’s for a good cause.

5. 2022 Fit Body Fusion IFBB Pro League Wings of Strength Chicago Pro Fitness

Tim Gardner Productions brings to you an IFBB Pro League event of massive proportions. The 2022 Fit Body Fusion IFBB Pro League Wings of Strength Chicago Open is a bodybuilding event nobody will want to miss.

Many athletes from all over the world will compete for glory and recognition — and a chance to qualify for an IFBB Pro Card. The opportunity for the highly coveted IFBB Pro Card is up for grabs for the competitors of the event’s Pro Qualifier categories — namely the NPC Classic and Women’s Bodybuilding.

Being the massive event that it is, the Wings of Strength Chicago Pro Fitness Open is a two-day event. The Wings of Strength Chicago Open kicks off on the 21st of July 2022 and ends the day after.

Cash prizes, medals, sponsorships, and — as mentioned — an IFBB Pro Card await the event’s competitors. The countdown has begun for what’s shaping up to be an event to remember. All this goes down at the Tinsley Park Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.

6. 2022 Emerald Cup

On its 40th anniversary, the Emerald Cup guarantees to awe and inspire fans and aspiring competitors this 2022 with its Expo Event and bodybuilding competitions. A two-day bodybuilding and physique extravaganza, the 2022 Emerald Cup will start on April 29 and finish on April 30, 2022.

The event — organized and sanctioned by the IFBB and NPC — will be two days of non-stop expos and competitions brought to fans and enthusiasts by Ribic Productions.

The fitness competition — as well as the figure competition — will be on the first day of the event. The figure competition is in the IFBB Masters bracket, meaning competitors above age 35 will grace the stage and display the fruits of hard work under the iron.

The event is stacked both in terms of talent and sponsor booths. The 2022 Emerald Cup is the best event to attend for anyone in Bellevue, WA. The venue will be the Meydenbauer Center along 6th Street.

7. 2022 IFBB Pro League and NPC Chattanooga Night of Champions

The IFBB Pro League’s Chattanooga Night of Champions features the best talents of the country competing in several IFBB and NPC-sanctioned events. The categories include wellness, physique, bikini, and figure.

The Night of Champions figure event has various sub-categories that competitors can take part in. Among these is the Heroes category, open to service front-liners and members of the military. There are also figure events for masters competitors. For those who have just broken into the sport in pursuit of their IFBB Pro Card, there’s the novice category.

The IFBB Pro Fitness event is one of the show’s highlight events. The winner will take home $2,000 and a medal.

The roster of athletes willing to join the fitness and figure competition continues to stack up. The Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, TN, will be the proving ground for the fitness and figure athletes of the event. October 22, 2022, is the date to save for anyone looking for a top-tier fitness and figure competition to behold this year.

8. NPC Northern Kentucky Grand Prix Championship

Don’t let the “Prix” fool you; fans will not see cars driving past the speed limit. Instead, fans in attendance will get to view the best fitness and figure competitors ever to grace the Southeast.

Sanctioned by the NPC, the Northern Kentucky Grand Prix Championship will play host to the best athletes in bodybuilding, bikini, and physique. As well, the Grand Prix Championship will also be one of the biggest fitness and figure competitions in 2022.

The winners win more than medals, trophies, prize money, and bragging rights. As the event is an NPC-sanctioned one, the victors will earn a chance to qualify for the NPC Nationals — a major competition for any aspiring fitness and figure competitor.

As the categories attract the best talent in the bodybuilding world, the Grand Prix Championship will be the stage for top IFBB and NPC talent. It all takes place at Rivercenter Boulevard in beautiful Covington, Kentucky.

9. 2022 NPC IFBB San Diego Championships

A year without a major fitness and figure competition in California would be incomplete. Luckily, there will be at least two major IFBB and NPC fitness and figure competitions taking place in the state. One is the NPC IFBB San Diego Championships.

This year’s NPC IFBB San Diego Championships have the Pro Classic Physique competition on the marquee. Be that as it may, the figure competition is one any aspiring competitor should witness to get an idea of the country’s top figure athletes.

The figure competition has categories for masters competitors, meaning competitors above 35 will be putting on a show on stage. The competition also has a category for novice athletes looking to win a major IFBB and NPC-sanctioned fitness and figure competition. Winners will earn an opportunity to qualify for the biggest competitions in the sport — the NPC Nationals and the Olympia.

The date of the event will be on March 26, 2022, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego.

10. 2022 NPC Los Angeles Championships

Months after the NPC IFBB San Diego Championships will be the Los Angeles Championships. Just like the San Diego Championships, the NPC Los Angeles Championships is a qualifier for Nationals and Olympia.

The figure competition consists of several masters brackets. This populates the figure division with competitors over 35. Besides divisions for novice athletes and competitors, the Los Angeles Championships also features the open figure division.

The Los Angeles Championships is one of the major IFBB Pro League events to take place in California. The event will take place concurrent with another major figure competition — the Zhana Rotar Figure Competition.

The Zhana Rotar Figure Competition is more than a contest for a medal, cash, bragging rights, and a trophy. Held by the NPC and IFBB, it’s a Nationals qualifier, entitling winners to a shot at an NPC Nationals title in 2022.

All this takes place on July 16, 2022, at the Hilton Anaheim.

Watch Any Fitness and Figure Competition and Be Inspired

There’s no problem catching any of these events as an enthusiast. However, as soon as you feel inspiration (and you will), be prepared to take your training and physique to the next level.

In your corner will be us at Iron Bodies and Minds in Sacramento. Get your first week on us and experience IFBB-grade training that will get you that stage-ready physique you’re after.