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    Default What's the End Game for most Bodybuilders

    by Matt Weik
    Let’s be honest for a minute. Bodybuilders don’t make much money at all. In fact, you and I probably make more than majority of them annually. Unless you are a TOP competitor, this sport won’t pay your bills.

    TOP EARNERS

    Right now, you have a few bodybuilders who have had a successful career and made a significant amount of money. The highest paid bodybuilder is by far Arnold, with over $300 million from the start of his career until now. His story will go down as one of the best the industry has ever seen. Then you have guys like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Phil Heath—all millionaires who are running businesses (and in Phil’s case, still winning Olympia titles).
    SPONSORSHIP’S

    Many bodybuilders bank on their sponsorships to bring them just about as much, if not more money, than what they make for competing on stage. There are competitors who make virtually nothing on stage that at least have the ability to keep a roof over their head and put food on their table thanks to their sponsors.
    The downside is, not many supplement companies are sponsoring athletes anymore. Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, it seemed like every supplement company had not one, but several athletes signed under them. Some of which made six-figures just through their sponsorship.
    Today, many of these athletes are lucky to get paid (monetarily) at all. Some are working for free supplements. Some contracts include payment to the shows they compete in. Some have contracts where they only get paid if they show up for an event such as a meet and greet or demo at a retail location. Then of course they show up to the booths and get paid at the major shows such as the Arnold and Olympia.
    EXPENSIVE CAREER

    The life of a bodybuilder isn’t grand by any stretch of the imagination. Their entire world revolves around training, eating, and sleeping. Which, if that’s your passion and life mission, more power to you.
    While their gym memberships might not cost a lot of money, their food bills are extremely high in order to preserve and build lean muscle mass. Their income is also based off of how they place at shows. So, if you don’t compete, you don’t bring in income. This forces some bodybuilders to compete often in order to collect some type of paycheck.
    On top of the food, they need to pay just to compete on stage, and then they also have the cost of their “supplements” as well (you can read between the lines here). Depending on their use and dosage, this could easily eat up a normal American’s yearly income. There’s a reason why you don’t see every bodybuilder rolling around in a luxury or sports car. Many of them scavenge just to get by.
    So, what’s their end-goal and why would they want to live this way?
    THE END-GAME

    Many bodybuilders don’t have an end-game. Their quest to be the best bodybuilder in the world is constantly at the front of their mind. They spend years, maybe even decades, trying to work their way through the ranks and improve their physique to one-day step on stage and become Mr. Olympia. For them, it has nothing to do with the money or the fame. It’s a goal they set many moons ago that they are working tirelessly to achieve. Some will reach the pinnacle, many will not.
    There will even be some bodybuilders who will take the name they built in the industry and try to start their own business. Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Rich Gaspari, Kevin Levrone, and others have started supplement companies that play off of their name and status in the bodybuilding industry. Some of them have done well for themselves, while others have failed miserably.
    Then there are guys like Arnold. To be quite honest, I’m not sure if there will ever be anyone like Arnold. He took an amazing career in bodybuilding and created a name for himself not only in our industry and sport, but also in the homes of people across the nation. Terminator, Kindergarten Cop, Predator, Tarzan, Total Recall, Collateral Damage, End of Days, Batman, Jingle All the Way, Eraser, Junior, True Lies, Last Action Hero, Twins, Commando, and Hercules helped build his illustrious career in showbiz (just to name a few). Then you have all the magazines he’s been in, and last but certainly not least, his time as the Governor of California.
    I think Arnold motivates a lot of competitors these days. One in particular who seems to want to follow in his footsteps is Kai Greene. Will Kai ever land lead roles and become a household name? Who knows? But, Arnold has definitely paved the path for these competitors to step off the stage and into another career if that’s where their passion takes them.
    So, whether the long-game is to be the best bodybuilder in the world, or branch out into another industry after you build your career, everyone seems to have a different end-game. They need to love what they do. Who are we to judge what they want to do with their lives? All we know is that these monsters sure make things entertaining on the bodybuilding stage.
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    Obviously I'm not pro BB, not even close, just an amateur whos first show was 1983, but I can still answer the question of what very well may have ended my humble career as a competive BB....I'll be 60 this Fall and time is catching up w me, I been losing muscle for about the last 6 years going from 245 to barely 200 lbs now, not matter how much AAS I take (I take moderate dosages esp at my age), my legs lost size, I once filled out my boxers and now have a lot of space in each leg......I have a diastatis recti which I got about 12 yrs ago from either heavy deads or squats so my abs have split and are very much distended and I've been doing rehab exercises almsot every day on them trying to close the gap w/o much luck, only alternative is surgery

    The other game ender has been an atrophied left tricep likely from a fall on ice 6 yrs ago, I have virtually no left tricep. My bench is awful and doing skullcrushers is hard. My arm is a good 1.5 inch smaller than the right one leaving me out of symmetry. This despite neck surgery to alleviate pinched nerves 4 yrs ago, how disappointing is that?

    I remember talking to a pro BB a number of yrs ago and he told me that at some point, my body was going to let me down. I thought no way! Now I know different. I still have intentions of competing in Grand Masters contest at some point, after I tackle some financial issues so my dream is still alive. But all the preceding conditions maybe be my end game

    Anyone else want to chime in on what was yr end game???
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    You have me by a few years but I understand what you are saying. Torn muscle, nerve damage, muscle damage, joint issues, RA and a host of other issues that just creep up on me the last 12 years. All we can do is just keep grinding.

    Keep on Dreaming Brother!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by drtbear1967 View Post
    You have me by a few years but I understand what you are saying. Torn muscle, nerve damage, muscle damage, joint issues, RA and a host of other issues that just creep up on me the last 12 years. All we can do is just keep grinding.

    Keep on Dreaming Brother!!
    Thanks for the inspirational words Bro, I guess the good news is that at my age, geriatric division is that most all my fellow competitors also have simliar issues so maybe that may level the playing field eh??

    Like Dave Draper said: Age but dont get old!!!
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Survivor View Post
    Thanks for the inspirational words Bro, I guess the good news is that at my age, geriatric division is that most all my fellow competitors also have simliar issues so maybe that may level the playing field eh??

    Like Dave Draper said: Age but dont get old!!!

    Obviously, competitiveness is lower in quantity and quality in masters division, you have problems, but the others guys will not be much better. Go and try your dream, you have nothing to lose!
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    BigZ MC Site Admin Board Certified MD

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Survivor View Post
    I have a diastatis recti which I got about 12 yrs ago from either heavy deads or squats so my abs have split and are very much distended and I've been doing rehab exercises almsot every day on them trying to close the gap w/o much luck, only alternative is surgery
    Side note*: Don't mean to intrude on this thread, but I also have a small Diastasis Recti which has developed over the last 10 years or more. I never knew what it was until this year (probably because my doctor doesn't know what it is either). There's a RN nurse who developed a program to treat it without surgery called the Tupler Technique. She has before and after photos of people who have successfully used the program to reduce their Diastasis Recti. It involves an 18 week program of exercises while wearing a splint to bring the muscles together to allow for healing. It looks promising so I'm thinking of getting it myself.

    I just turned 50 this year, and I also see the effects of age, and I'm trying to hold on to what I have. My end game has always just to get to the point where I could pass for a regular competitive bodybuilder. Never wanted to do the business bodybuilder thing, just want to look good.
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    Have to just keep pushing as best we can.
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigZ View Post
    Side note*: Don't mean to intrude on this thread, but I also have a small Diastasis Recti which has developed over the last 10 years or more. I never knew what it was until this year (probably because my doctor doesn't know what it is either). There's a RN nurse who developed a program to treat it without surgery called the Tupler Technique. She has before and after photos of people who have successfully used the program to reduce their Diastasis Recti. It involves an 18 week program of exercises while wearing a splint to bring the muscles together to allow for healing. It looks promising so I'm thinking of getting it myself.

    I just turned 50 this year, and I also see the effects of age, and I'm trying to hold on to what I have. My end game has always just to get to the point where I could pass for a regular competitive bodybuilder. Never wanted to do the business bodybuilder thing, just want to look good.
    Bro I went out & bought the tupler program, I did it for a number of months and had very modest results, one of my main issues is that as you progress into it, the time spent doing the DR exercises came close to an hour a day which wasnt going to happen for me. I hired a tupler coach for one session, was ok but came back to spending an hour a day when I'm at 70 hrs a wk as is....so I end up going to Physical Therapy and now spend only abt 12 min a day. But dont seem to be working either!! some DR cant be closed naturally and require expensive surgery, which my insurance wont cover plus recovery is long and no guarantee wont have a relapse, sooooo.....

    But not to discourage you as yrs is probably much smaller, with mine is a complete 4 fingers I can fit into my abs
     

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