Section 8: Safety Considerations
The 2026 Men's Bodybuilding rules contain few explicit safety provisions. The following are the ones stated:
- Warm-up time (Article 5.1): competitors should be in the backstage warm-up area at least 45 minutes before judging starts, to allow time to warm up and change into posing attire.
- No liquids onstage (Article 5.2.3, Note 3): competitors may not drink any liquids while onstage.
- No chewing onstage (Article 5.2.3, Note 2): chewing gum or other products is not allowed while onstage.
- Body-shape alterations (Article 6.1.2): implants or fluid injections that alter the natural shape of body parts or muscles are strictly prohibited.
- Chief Judge authority (Article 10.1): the Chief Judge may stop a competitor from competing where body condition drastically differs from accepted criteria.
This section does not itself address anti-doping, medical care or eligibility; it refers shared administrative and technical rules to Section 1: General Rules (Article 1.2).