What is classic physique?

In one line

Classic physique is a men's division that judges muscle size, balance and sharpness by the same standards as bodybuilding, but within a body weight limit set by each competitor's height.

What is classic physique?
A physique name on a bodybuilding stage
Bodybuilding shows have several divisions with 'physique' in their names. Classic physique is easy to confuse with men's physique because the names are so similar. This post explains what it judges and how it differs.
In one line
Bodybuilding with a weight limit
Classic physique is a men's division that judges muscle size, balance and sharpness, as long as competitors stay under a weight limit set by their height. Judges use the same standards as in the bodybuilding division. The biggest difference is the weight limit for each height.
What judges look at
The same standards as bodybuilding
Judges look at muscle size, upper-lower and left-right balance, how full and hard the muscles look (density) and how clearly the borders between muscles show (definition). In the federations' rulebooks, this description is word for word the same as in the bodybuilding division. So classic physique is also a division where you compete by building muscle.
A weight limit tied to height
Each height has a maximum weight
In classic physique, every height has a body weight that must not be exceeded. Under the senior rules of the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB), a competitor who is 175 cm tall can weigh up to 83 kg. The table differs between federations, and another major federation's table is more generous.
Measured before the show
Height and weight are checked at registration
At registration before the show, officials measure each competitor's height and weight. Competitors are placed in classes by height, and each class is ranked separately. So people of similar height compete against each other within a set weight.
Slightly different poses
No 'most muscular' pose
Bodybuilding has 'mandatory poses' that the federation sets and every competitor performs in turn. Classic physique competitors do not perform the 'most muscular' pose that is part of pro-level bodybuilding's mandatory poses. Instead they do a 'classic pose' of their choice, and at IFBB shows they also do a 'vacuum pose', pulling the stomach deeply inward.
What they wear
Shorts with longer sides than bodybuilding
Classic physique competitors also go on stage shirtless and barefoot. They wear posing shorts with longer sides than bodybuilding trunks (short posing briefs). One federation allows only black, while another allows any single color.
When it started
A new division of the 2010s
The International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) recognized classic physique as an official division in 2018. It came out of the 2010s trend in which new divisions branched off from bodybuilding. IFBB rules also allow a competitor who meets that division's weight and height limits to enter the bodybuilding division at the same show.
A common misconception
Is it the same as men's physique?
No. Men's physique competitors wear loose shorts that reach just above the knee and turn on stage without flexing in mandatory poses. Classic physique competitors wear short posing shorts, do bodybuilding-style mandatory poses and compete on muscle size within a weight limit for their height.
Summary
Bodybuilding with a weight limit by height
Classic physique is a division that judges muscle size, balance and definition by the same standards as bodybuilding, within a weight limit set by height. Despite the similar name, it is a different division from men's physique, where competitors wear loose shorts. Related terms: bodybuilding division, men's physique, vacuum pose.