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View Full Version : How do you guys afford to be an IFBB Pro



GLHF
05-03-09, 11:37 pm
I was just doing some thinking and I was calculating all the stuff that I need right now. First off i wana start with that im on 16, 205 at 15% and ive been training for a few years now. I was thinking of how much i spend on supplements, nutrition, and gym. Supplements, I keep it very simple mostly whey, creatine, fish oil, and thinking of adding casein, and some NO. A month my supps cost about 90$ if a 60g whey shake costs about 1$ which is good price. Gym membership is 65$ a month. And now the big one- nutrition. If ur bulking and u go with cheap good foods such as tuna, oats, eggs and milk ur looking at about 90$ a week. That includes 8 cans of tuna a day, 10servings of oats, 6 whole eggs, half a gallon of milk. All together 515, round it off to 550 if u have a cheat meal like bk or something lol. Now that really is a lot of money specially if ur still in school. I manage to do it, but my question is what about all the ifbb pros out there. I read an article about competing at a county level stage, and the prep for the show was $34,000. Including tanning/posing/ and everything you could think of. How do the pros manage to get all this money after spending 2-3 hours a day just training. What kind of job do they work...

Alk
05-04-09, 9:19 am
Well, it would depend how good you are, how many competitions you're able to do, and if you're able to land a sponsor or not.

The Olympia (for men) is a winner take's all competition, so if you're not the best, you're not going home with anything. You get a huge cash prize for winning, but it's the biggest bodybuilding competition...so I'd assume you'd be looking for other ways to make ends meet, either through smaller competitions, and/or a regular, paying job. According to an interview of Greg Valentino on t-nation.com:

"...The promoters make money, but the bodybuilders make next to nothing. You've got guys in the top five at the Olympia who are bouncing in nightclubs just to support themselves. Mike Quinn was bouncing in nightclubs yet he was sixth one year in the Olympia. If he were the number six player in baseball he'd be making millions."

Ronnie kept his police job throughout bodybuilding as well for probably the same reasons (even though I think he was a reserve officer or something).

Until the majority of society accepts bodybuilding as a real sport, unfortunately this kind of stuff will continue.

C.Coronato
05-04-09, 11:21 am
Many guys work full time as well. Check out the video a day in the life of The House on Muscular Development. He busts his ass day in and day out to support a family and still hang with the pros. BB is not an easy lifestyle my man, its not all about glam and fame and most guys struggle daily to get by..

GJN5002
05-04-09, 2:15 pm
pray that you get a sponsor.

there are some less than honorable ways dudes get by too.

I think a majority of guys just knuckle down and work hard.

calcaneous
05-04-09, 3:40 pm
I was just doing some thinking and I was calculating all the stuff that I need right now. First off i wana start with that im on 16, 205 at 15% and ive been training for a few years now. I was thinking of how much i spend on supplements, nutrition, and gym. Supplements, I keep it very simple mostly whey, creatine, fish oil, and thinking of adding casein, and some NO. A month my supps cost about 90$ if a 60g whey shake costs about 1$ which is good price. Gym membership is 65$ a month. And now the big one- nutrition. If ur bulking and u go with cheap good foods such as tuna, oats, eggs and milk ur looking at about 90$ a week. That includes 8 cans of tuna a day, 10servings of oats, 6 whole eggs, half a gallon of milk. All together 515, round it off to 550 if u have a cheat meal like bk or something lol. Now that really is a lot of money specially if ur still in school. I manage to do it, but my question is what about all the ifbb pros out there. I read an article about competing at a county level stage, and the prep for the show was $34,000. Including tanning/posing/ and everything you could think of. How do the pros manage to get all this money after spending 2-3 hours a day just training. What kind of job do they work...


everyone has jobs bro. most people that i know who work 9-5 style jobs wake up around 4 and head to the gym and then go to work. you remind me of my friend who was complaining that paying for rent/house payments would suck on his salary. He did not take into account that he was/still is working around 20 hours(if even) a week.

If there is a will there is a way.

KJoz
05-04-09, 6:59 pm
Well... i am pretty sure most of the pro's do it because they love it.. Like someone said above, its not any easy life style.... If your up there ranking top 5.. You can cash in with shirts, dvds, sponsors and the winnings.. You can end up getting a lot of money..

Bodybuilders sorta remind me of MMA fighters.. The top guys make decent money.. The others make pretty much jack shit.. 5,000 - 20,000 a fight... Have 2-3 fights a year... Then you need to pay for training, supplements, gym, etc... Pay coaches...

But they do it because they love it.. If you love something, you guys do it even if there isn't money in it.. Even if it means working a few jobs on the side for a paycheck just so you can do something you love...

Admire people like that, that's dedication!!

Joey D
05-05-09, 8:42 am
Although I am not a pro,I know how expensive it is to compete as I do it often. I'm maaried and have one child.BodyBuilding is truly a single mans sport.I do one show a year,maybe 2, I have two job's, my grocery bill just for me,is close to $300 a week,that is not including fish,and red meat,which I only by the finest cut's,filet n.y strips,and fresh ground 99.9 sirloin. I save for my show's,and I only compete when it does not affect my family monetarily. This is a labor of love, and I will probably never make money at this,but it is not about the money,It's about the journey,and the things you learn and people you meet along the way. Pro or not we all have somewhat the same expenses. The time that it takes to do one of these shows,is the greatest expense for me and my family.

Save you money, stock pile supps,and when you have it all together go for it.I just started this all over again!

Joe D

mritter3
05-05-09, 8:46 am
Although I am not a pro,I know how expensive it is to compete as I do it often. I'm maaried and have one child.BodyBuilding is truly a single mans sport.I do one show a year,maybe 2, I have two job's, my grocery bill just for me,is close to $300 a week,that is not including fish,and red meat,which I only by the finest cut's,filet n.y strips,and fresh ground 99.9 sirloin. I save for my show's,and I only compete when it does not affect my family monetarily. This is a labor of love, and I will probably never make money at this,but it is not about the money,It's about the journey,and the things you learn and people you meet along the way. Pro or not we all have somewhat the same expenses. The time that it takes to do one of these shows,is the greatest expense for me and my family.

Save you money, stock pile supps,and when you have it all together go for it.I just started this all over again!

Joe D

hey good stuff joey, obviously your heads in the right spot

GODSEY
05-05-09, 9:45 am
THis is a good thread. It seems to always boil down to sacrifice, like how much are you willing to sacrifice? And although there seem to be many reasons to put the all the time, energy and money into this passion, there has to be something inside to drive you. It can be a lonely path. Trying to be the best at a sport that is generally misunderstood by the outside world. A place like this is where support is given and taken, very much needed to not get discouraged.

dannynb
05-05-09, 10:00 am
Well I'm no pro either but all the same it is a difficult path. One that I couldn't make without the support of my fiance, kids, people at work and here. It can be expensive, I spend roughly $100-200 a month on supps(and that's squeaking by), grocery bill a month is about $800 a month or more at times, not including for the rest of the family. I have to balance my family, work, and training in a 24 hour period. Normally I sacrifice sleep so I can see my family. This is tough on all of us and many times I have debated giving it up so my family wouldn't have to give up certain things. But in the end they won't let me, so I keep going. Taking this year off from competing has been good, giving me time to focus on my lagging body parts but also focusing on my family. Sacrifice is a major role in this sport....but it's something I wouldn't change.

G Diesel
05-05-09, 11:59 am
I was just doing some thinking and I was calculating all the stuff that I need right now. First off i wana start with that im on 16, 205 at 15% and ive been training for a few years now. I was thinking of how much i spend on supplements, nutrition, and gym. Supplements, I keep it very simple mostly whey, creatine, fish oil, and thinking of adding casein, and some NO. A month my supps cost about 90$ if a 60g whey shake costs about 1$ which is good price. Gym membership is 65$ a month. And now the big one- nutrition. If ur bulking and u go with cheap good foods such as tuna, oats, eggs and milk ur looking at about 90$ a week. That includes 8 cans of tuna a day, 10servings of oats, 6 whole eggs, half a gallon of milk. All together 515, round it off to 550 if u have a cheat meal like bk or something lol. Now that really is a lot of money specially if ur still in school. I manage to do it, but my question is what about all the ifbb pros out there. I read an article about competing at a county level stage, and the prep for the show was $34,000. Including tanning/posing/ and everything you could think of. How do the pros manage to get all this money after spending 2-3 hours a day just training. What kind of job do they work...

There is little to no money in bodybuilding, so if you want to pursue it on that level, you will need a good job.

$34k in prep money? Give me a fucking break. If that dude is using that much shit, he should have his head examined. You better have a Ronnie-like contract if that is the case, cuz that would make for one expensive plastic trophy otherwise.

Make bodybuilding your passion, your lifelong pursuit... Pour your heart and soul into it but don't expect it to pay your bills. It can be more than a hobby or pastime, it can be your life, but in 99.99% of cases it will not be your career and it won't feed your family.

Seek balance and do your best to have your priorities lined up properly. Shit, if you want it bad enough, you can have a job on the periphery of the industry (personal training, gym ownership, supplement biz, nutritionist) but competitive bodybuilding as a career is a tough nut to crack and often comes at what many find to be too high a price.

Peace, G

dannynb
05-05-09, 12:19 pm
There is little to no money in bodybuilding, so if you want to pursue it on that level, you will need a good job.

$34k in prep money? Give me a fucking break. If that dude is using that much shit, he should have his head examined. You better have a Ronnie-like contract if that is the case, cuz that would make for one expensive plastic trophy otherwise.

Make bodybuilding your passion, your lifelong pursuit... Pour your heart and soul into it but don't expect it to pay your bills. It can be more than a hobby or pastime, it can be your life, but in 99.99% of cases it will not be your career and it won't feed your family.

Seek balance and do your best to have your priorities lined up properly. Shit, if you want it bad enough, you can have a job on the periphery of the industry (personal training, gym ownership, supplement biz, nutritionist) but competitive bodybuilding as a career is a tough nut to crack and often comes at what many find to be too high a price.

Peace, G

G always lays it straight.

G Diesel
05-05-09, 12:45 pm
G always lays it straight.

While we're at it... At 16, worry about school and athletics and girls and your family. Have some balance in your life. Plan on college so you can have more opportunities available to you later on. Have FUN with bodybuilding. Train to get big and strong and to better what physical gifts you were given. Learn the structure of the lifestyle as it will benefit you in so many other instances down the road. At this point, training should be a joy not a chore dependent on financial resources.

Peace, G

Joey D
05-06-09, 5:47 am
And that's all!! Well said G

krazyassmexican
05-06-09, 5:52 pm
first time i am gonna have to agree to use the word great post lol

g diesel just layed the truth

LittleMan55
05-06-09, 6:04 pm
Once again G is preaching the good word!

Renji007
05-06-09, 10:54 pm
Bodybuilding doesn't make you a lot of cash, it can help pay for things if you WIN....

A lot of the bodybuilders I know are physical therapists or trainers. One even works for a strip club after his shift at the gym so he can buy his supps and travel to competitions. Its like they say, this life is about sacrifice. Hell I work at a photo studio so I can pay my insurance and bodybuilding nesscaties. Thank god I got a free 4 year ride to college or I'd be screwed XD