Can you bodybuild for a living?

planetfuzz · 08-18-2008, 03:13 AM

Ok...so of course elite bodybuilders can make a very nice living off of bodybuilding but how realistic is it to want to make a living off it. I went to college for a couple semesters and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. I would loooove to do nothing but eat and workout until I'm 80. Is this possible??

edwards · 08-18-2008, 06:32 AM

I'm not a bodybuilder. However, I have seen two pros in my gym, Debbie Laszewski and Tony Freeman. Tony is one of the best. There is very little money in winning the big shows. It *seems* that they make most of their money by training people. The best bodybuilders that win the big shows get sponsorships and can make a few bucks appearing in ads. But realistically, how many pros get a BSN sponsorship?

If I were in your shoes, I would come back to reality and think about finishing college. The jobs in demand right now are things like:
patent/copyright lawyers
internal auditors (accounting)
engineers
jobs relating to clean energy
anything to do with China (learn to speak Mandarin)

If you want to drop out of college, money can be made doing underwater welding on oil rigs in texas and louisiana ($80,000 +) among other things.
good luck

Australian made · 08-18-2008, 10:04 AM

Perhaps you could go into fitness type modelling although if thats you in your avatar i'd say you can count that one out

badfish51581 · 08-18-2008, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwards

If you want to drop out of college, money can be made doing underwater welding on oil rigs in texas and louisiana ($80,000 +) among other things.
good luck

Dude, my buddy in california does that. I asked him one time why he does it because it's incredibly dangerous and he said, "It's the closest thing to being a pirate." Hahaha. It pays really well and he only needs to work 6 months every year. Crazy stuff though.

edwards · 08-18-2008, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badfish51581

Dude, my buddy in california does that. I asked him one time why he does it because it's incredibly dangerous and he said, "It's the closest thing to being a pirate." Hahaha. It pays really well and he only needs to work 6 months every year. Crazy stuff though.

the guys in louisiana on the rigs make good cash. the underwater welders do the best, but the rest of the crew does real well too. there's plenty of opportunity for overtime. its usually a 2 weeks on 2 weeks off type of deal. there are rigs all over the U.S. Many of the oil type jobs don't have enough staff since they cut way back when oil was only $14 a barrell. now that it's over $100, they are ramping up production as much as possible. petroleum/natural gas geologists are in demand as well.

**Nightwanderer** · 08-18-2008, 03:01 PM

you could get sports/nutrition/physical therapy related degrees while trying your best to go pro, if that's what you really want to do. At the very least you'll have a solid foundation on paper to train, rehabilitate, and/or advise others in their own quests for greatness. I never want to discourage anyone from any big dreams they might have. Just make sure you pick up practical skills and knowledge along the way, because things never turn out the way we expect in life.

planetfuzz · 08-18-2008, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Australian made

Perhaps you could go into fitness type modelling although if thats you in your avatar i'd say you can count that one out

Hey hey hey,I just haven't had a haircut in a long time and I could always shave my chest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightwanderer

you could get sports/nutrition/physical therapy related degrees while trying your best to go pro, if that's what you really want to do. At the very least you'll have a solid foundation on paper to train, rehabilitate, and/or advise others in their own quests for greatness. I never want to discourage anyone from any big dreams they might have. Just make sure you pick up practical skills and knowledge along the way, because things never turn out the way we expect in life.

This is true. I know becoming pro in the long run is an absurd long shot but it's a lofty goal that would be worth shooting for. I think even doing shows as a hobby would be nice. That'd be a good plan though,a college degree is always a good thing to fall back on. I was actually looking into online schooling. That seems like a good option since it would be easier to workout/eat/sleep. Thanks for the feedback,just kind of wanted peoples thoughts.

imprezivr6 · 08-18-2008, 04:15 PM

Are you really 4"11?

planetfuzz · 08-18-2008, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imprezivr6

Are you really 4"11?

Haha,oops. Typo. 5'11''.

**Jayhawkk** · 08-18-2008, 04:38 PM

LMAO, I was thinking the same thing... Dude, no way in hell at 4'11" :P

imprezivr6 · 08-18-2008, 05:07 PM

How old are you ?

And define "living"? What kind of lifestyle do you expect to have?

I would say training people would be the bulk of your income.

planetfuzz · 08-18-2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imprezivr6

How old are you ?

And define "living"? What kind of lifestyle do you expect to have?

I would say training people would be the bulk of your income.

I would define living as enough money to live comfortably. I was just curious as to what people thought about making a living off it and if it was even remotely possible without getting insanely huge and signing a contract in blood with muscletech.

**smeton_yea** · 08-18-2008, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by planetfuzz

I would define living as enough money to live comfortably. I was just curious as to what people thought about making a living off it and if it was even remotely possible without getting insanely huge and signing a contract in blood with muscletech.

Of course you have to get insanely huge to be in the pro ranks.

In the natural bbing competitions you don't have to be freaky big, you still have to get big, know how to pose , and follow the organizations rules. You have to have willpower, determination,and a desire to eat a lot of food. Also remember there are those with genetics that do what you do and they'll always be better because they have elite genetics and determination. (ie Ronnie Coleman and the top six )

when you a kid have you ever met a kid around the same age as you but solid as a brick? while you were skinny Well there's an example of a mesomorph. same with ecto's and endo's

planetfuzz · 08-18-2008, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeton_yea

Of course you have to get insanely huge to be in the pro ranks.

Also remember there are those with genetics that do what you do and they'll always be better because they have elite genetics and determination. (ie Ronnie Coleman and the top six )

That brings up another topic...people like Ronnie Coleman have amazing genetics obviously but how much of that is hard work and how much is just genetics?

**smeton_yea** · 08-19-2008, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by planetfuzz

That brings up another topic...people like Ronnie Coleman have amazing genetics obviously but how much of that is hard work and how much is just genetics?

Look at the shape of your muscles after two-three hard years of training. your muscles will always be that shape . you cannot change that(unless you do site injections or synthol) Arnold's bicep peak is genetic you can do all the concentration curls you want going after that peak, if it's not in your gene's it's not there.