Being a professional in sports these days makes some of the wealthiest people alongside businessmen, investors, and so on. Unlike years ago, competitive sports now have a huge public following which is backed by huge investments making sports personalities wealthier than ever through participation and also endorsement deals! Here is the topic- How much money does a bodybuilder make?
Bodybuilding is a one-of-a-kind sport completely different from football, basketball, and so on. For starters, it allows the usage of performance enhancers that are usually banned in every other sport. And that’s because the competitors are legally allowed to find every advantage they can to sculpt the perfect body.
How much money does a bodybuilder make?
Bodybuilding gained popularity quite late in its history as a sport. In the early ’90s, people who dreamt of sculpting their body to its pinnacle followed their path to the USA in forming a career. Specifically, Venice Beach, California, is considered by many as the mecca of bodybuilding.
Fast forward to 2021, bodybuilding has been a life choice for many athletes with impeccable salaries. The best example of this is some of the industry’s greats, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, Kai Greene, etc. A bodybuilder starts from the bottom by competing in amateur competitions, leading up to world-class-level contests.
Amateur contests can be competing at the college level i.e. NCAA.
Getting paid can start from contesting in local gym competitions, or even county-held competitions that payout a couple of hundreds up to a thousand bucks. The aim is here is for athletes to put their name out and get recognized along with gaining experience. Winning these rank them slowly up the big leagues.
Organizations such as IFBB, and so on hold annual contests where professionals get paid an annual income between $56,000 – $95,000 depending upon the state they work in.
Winning world competitions like “Mr.Universe”, “Mr.Olympia” can land an athlete up to $400,000. Bonuses on average are $250 and above making up 1% of their salary, with 100% of athletes reporting they receive a bonus every year. Statistics show that on average, bodybuilders make $42,000 as their salary.
Aside from competing, many bodybuilders gain sponsorships and endorsement deals through their exposure in competitions. Some land movie roles and other gigs in mainstream media. Others even start their own source of income widely through the production of their own line of supplements, and startup of their own branded gyms. Arnold Schwarzenegger is regarded as the wealthiest bodybuilder after his wins in the “Mr.Olympia” & “Mr.Universe” competitions, with a net worth of $300 million.
Merchandise lines, supplements & protein endorsements, ambassador representation of global gyms, tv deals, and so on are many streams through which bodybuilders form an income. The sport has come a long way and has shown that the sky is the limit. Of course, it takes a lot of effort, sacrifice, determination to become a professional in any industry one opts to be in. Bodybuilding takes a lot of toll on the mental psych as athletes sacrifice pleasures in life such as junk food and comfort foods, partying, avoiding late nights, and so on. But the rewards reaped are definitely worth the sweat!
Bodybuilding definitely shows more potential shortly as it hits mainstream and attracts a lot of fans and investors, showing no stop or slowing down in the sport’s growth.
