How Do Bodybuilders Make Money?

No matter the skill, anyone who is the best at their craft will earn a good living. So it’s no surprise that bodybuilders like Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, and Kai Greene have nice homes and drive expensive cars.

But a browse through social media will show that many second tier bodybuilders are also living a pretty comfortable life. This extends to classic bodybuilding and physique competitors as well.

This may come as a surprise to some as bodybuilding is considered a niche sport. We know that the last man on the bench of an NBA franchise or the 53^rd man on an NFL roster still makes millions. But bodybuilding, even at its peak, is on the fringe in terms of mainstream popularity.

Bodybuilders do not earn a salary, so they must earn money in other ways. They are independent contractors, and the ones with the best entrepreneurial spirit and drive will reap the greatest rewards.

Bodybuilders earn the bulk of their income through competitions, sponsorships, merchandise, and various other miscellaneous ventures.

Competition Prize Money

An outsider to the sport of bodybuilding would likely believe that bodybuilders make most of their money by winning or placing highly in competitions. In reality, this is a small part of their income. Some of the top bodybuilders in the world only compete once per year, in a big show like the Mr. Olympia or Arnold Classic competition.

Some bodybuilders even take an entire year off from competing to make improvements to their physique. If they were to compete, it would force them to diet to very low body fat levels, which would obvious stall the process of packing on more muscle.

The prize money for the 2020 Mr. Olympia competition was as follows: $400,000 to first, $150,000 to second, $100,000 to third, $55,000 to fourth, and $45,000 to fifth.

Fifth place in the Olympia is nothing to sneeze at. Top 6 at the Olympia is considered the best of the best (6 seems like an arbitrary number but it’s based on how the callouts work).

With that said, $45,000 in prize money for an event that bodybuilders spend upwards of 16 weeks preparing for isn’t that much. Not to mention that the Olympia is the Super Bowl of bodybuilding. It’s the biggest, most prestigious show. Imagine the fifth best Quarterback in the NFK making $45,000 per year.

To place fifth in the biggest bodybuilding show in the world and only take home $45,000 (not including expenses) is a direct indication that most competitors make the majority of their income elsewhere.

Sponsorships

This article goes into greater depth about bodybuilding sponsorships, but here is the basic rundown. Sponsorships used to be more lucrative in bodybuilding, to the extent that once an individual turned pro, they were set financially.

Upon receiving a pro card you were basically guaranteed a supplement sponsorship and a sponsorship with one of the two major publications, Flex magazine or Muscular Development.

With the massive decline of print media, magazine sponsorships are a thing of the past. However, supplement sponsorships can still bring in big money. The supplement industry is huge, so the opportunity is there for top competitors to represent a brand.

Clothing, cbd, and other wellness brands also offer sponsorships to bodybuilders.

Merchandise

Merchandise, like t-shirts, hats, and shaker bottles, are another way for bodybuilders to supplement their income. This brings the entrepreneurial aspect of bodybuilding into play. Depending on the product, quality, and source, clothing can have a high profit margin.

This is where social media presence is a major factor. This can also illustrate the diversity between competition success and popularity. The best bodybuilders are not necessarily the most popular. Dana Linn Bailey had mixed success on stage, but is the most popular female competitor.

Bailey competes in women’s physique. Ask a casual bodybuilding fan who won the women’s physique Olympia title last year and they probably wouldn’t be able to tell you. Ask them who Dana Linn Bailey is and they’d know in an instant.

Despite the inconsistent competition results, her flag nor fail brand is one of the biggest in the entire fitness industry.

Fouad Abiad’s best ever finish at the Arnold Classic was 6^th, but his Hosstile brand is one of the most successful companies in the industry. Instead of going the route of endorsing other brands, he started his own. Abiad sells both clothing and supplements through Hosstile.

While the upfront cost can be high, and there may be struggles early, selling merchandise can be a profitable endeavor for bodybuilders. Unlike sponsorships, the money you can make is limitless. However it takes a great deal or work and sacrifice, which some aren’t willing to put forth.

Miscellaneous Sources of Income

There are countless ways for bodybuilders to make money, but many of them are one off type ventures.

Many local, amateur bodybuilding shows will have a professional come and guest pose. Guest posing is just as it sounds; the competitor will pose on stage for the crowd as if they were competing themselves. Obviously they would charge a fee to do so, and top guys like Kai Greene can really command a lot of money (especially considering he is such an entertaining poser).

Occasionally, bodybuilders will make guest appearances at gym openings or supplement stores for a fee. Sometimes this is tied to a supplement sponsorship as part of the contract, but sometimes they can negotiate this independently.

Other bodybuilders may maintain a full time job throughout their career, or at least the early part of it. Naturally, many of them make money as personal trainers, nutritionists, or posing coaches. Some choose the online route, and offer workout programs and diet plans remotely.

Professionals can typically command a high price for their services, but this is an active way to make additional income. In other words, they are trading time for money, which has its limitations. Selling merchandise and gaining sponsorships is passive, or automated income.

Another source of passive income would be through selling workout programs or ebooks. A workout program can be sold and distributed as a pdf. They can be tailored to specific goals like muscle gain or fat loss.

Finally, a bodybuilder who creates content can make money through ad revenue. This is usually through YouTube but can also be through website ads. Lots of bodybuilders create workout and nutrition related video content. As a result, they would get a piece of the ad revenue shown on their videos.

Summary

While some may believe that bodybuilders earn the bulk of their income through competitions, this is rarely the case. Competition prize money is rather small, so even elite level bodybuilders have to look to other means to support their career.

Sponsorships are the easiest way to make additional income, in the sense that the company itself does most of the work. This can be lucrative for the top competitors, but there is only so much within the marketing budget of these collective companies to go around.

The hardest method, but the one with the greatest potential, is to go the entrepreneurial route and launch a brand. A bodybuilder’s personal brand can make considerable money through merchandise, workout programs, and YouTube ad revenue.