Estonian bodybuilding and fitness championships: a competitor’s guide
The EMV, or Estonian Championships in bodybuilding and fitness, is the highlight of the season, when athletes trained by clubs across the country share one stage. If you ever plan to compete — or just want to go and watch — it’s worth knowing how it actually works: what the categories are, how judging is done and what the head judge expects from you at the weigh-in.
What is the EMV in bodybuilding and fitness?
The competition is organized by the Estonian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (EKFL), and the entire rulebook follows IFBB regulations. That means the stage here runs under exactly the same rules as international events — the same list of mandatory poses, the same judging scheme, the same anti-doping policy.
The event usually fits into a single day: competitor registration and weigh-in run from 12:00–13:00, and the stage opens to the audience at 15:00. Tickets are mostly sold in advance through Piletilevi, and sales at the venue start about 1.5 hours before the start.
Categories in bodybuilding and fitness
There are more categories than it first appears. Classic bodybuilding is divided by age and body weight, while bodyfitness is partly divided by height — this is deliberate, because bodyfitness doesn’t aim for maximum muscle mass but for proportions.
- Youth (17 and under): up to 67.5 kg and over 67.5 kg.
- Juniors (ages 18–20): up to 72.5 kg and over 72.5 kg.
- Men (from age 21): up to 70 kg, up to 80 kg, up to 90 kg and over 90 kg.
- Men’s bodyfitness — the maximum weight is calculated from height:
- up to 170 cm: height (cm) minus 100 plus 2;
- 170.1 to 178 cm: height minus 100 plus 4;
- over 178 cm: height minus 100 plus 6. For example, the maximum weight for an athlete who is 174 cm tall is 78 kg.
- Women’s bodyfitness.
- Women’s bodybuilding.
- Women’s fitness.
- Veterans — they compete alongside the men or women, but are scored separately.
How a bodybuilding competition runs
The show is divided into three rounds. In the first round, proportions are judged comparatively — athletes stand in a line and the judges compare them side by side. In the second round, each athlete performs their own free routine: 1 minute for men, 1.5 minutes for women. In the third round, the mandatory poses are judged comparatively.
The top athletes go to doping control. A first positive sample results in a 2-year competition ban, a second in a lifetime ban. The head judge has the right to remove athletes who don’t meet the required standard from the stage, and a competitor who ignores the judges’ instructions is disqualified — and any results they achieved at the same competition are annulled as well.
What a competitor should bring
A simple checklist of things that are often forgotten:
- A passport or other identity document — without it you won’t be admitted to the weigh-in.
- A valid medical certificate confirming your state of health.
- Music for your free routine on a CD (or, more commonly these days, a USB stick), labeled with your name and club.
- Stage makeup and posing trunks. You can often buy them on site, but having your own spare set is always safer.
Club membership affects the scoring. If the club pays EKFL’s membership and entry fee, the athlete counts toward the club standings. Athletes from clubs that aren’t members compete as individual competitors and pay a separate participation fee. The exact amounts and account details change every year with the competition rules — check the latest version before registering.
Awards
The winner of each category receives a trophy, a medal and a diploma. Second and third place receive a medal and a diploma. Sponsors provide prizes in kind, and the overall winners receive cash prizes, provided their doping tests come back negative. This condition is strict: the money is paid out only after the samples have been confirmed.
FAQ
Do I have to belong to a club to compete?
No. You can take the stage as an individual competitor too, but your result won’t count toward any club’s standings, and the participation fee is usually higher than the club rate.
How long should the free routine be?
1 minute for men, 1.5 minutes for women. Ignoring the time limit is one of the most common reasons for penalty points — the timer runs out and the music is cut.
Where can I find exact, current information?
EKFL publishes the competition rules separately for each season — check the news section of www.fitness.ee or contact the federation directly.
Author: EKFL
Come and train! ArtGym
