What is the going salary for a ???

[Nuteboy]

Hello everyone. I was reading an article which talked about the money professional bodybuilders are currently making. These salaries sound pretty good so I'm curious if it's true.

Per the article bodybuilders can make from $200,000 to $500,000. Does anyone know if this is true? Also the article said Mr. Olympia can make nearly One Million dollars a year.

Not bad for a bodybuilder.

[mrmoo]

Originally Posted by Nuteboy

Hello everyone. I was reading an article which talked about the money professional bodybuilders are currently making. These salaries sound pretty good so I'm curious if it's true.

Per the article bodybuilders can make from $200,000 to $500,000. Does anyone know if this is true? Also the article said Mr. Olympia can make nearly One Million dollars a year.

Not bad for a bodybuilder.

I'm just guessing but I'd say yeah, that sounds plausible. Think about it though. Professional body builders are elite. They put in more hard work than you can ever imagine. 99% of the people who try will never achieve that status. If you get into bodybuilding to make money, your an idiot.

[Transhuman]

Doubtful.

If you win the three contests with largest cash prize (i.e. Arnold, Olympia, GNC) then that what - $350,000

If you guest pose every weekend all year and receive $5000 per appearance - that's another $250,000

If you receive a lucrative supplement company endorsement - that's another $100,000 to $200,000.

Now assuming a pro bodybuilder did all this, then that's only $800,000. Then he'd still have to sell $200,000 worth of signed autographs, videos, 'personal' training, etc. to reach $1,000,000

How many bodybuilders have all this going for them.

Better yet, what do think the average annual earnings for the top 25 pros in the sport earn? Do you think it's even in the six figures?

The bodybuilders that are really successful tend to be the ones who leverage their exposure during their competitive years for a successful business(es) after their retirement (Labrada, Schwarzenegger, etc.)

[Transhuman]

And btw, bodybuilders don't receive a salary, no 401(k), no retirement benefits, insurance, etc. As a professoinal sport, it's not a very lucrative one but for a handful of players.

FYI, in the year 2000, Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman has gone on record stating that he earning "nearly $500,000 a year in prize winnings, endorsements,... appearance fees,... and workout videos."

The pharmacological and nutritional needs of a top competitive bodybuilder can be a very costly occupational expense too.

[big louie]

you've got to be the pretty far up there, like ronnie coleman gunter etc, i remember when ronnie won his first or second "O" met-rex signed him 1 million 1 year contract, then wieder got ahold of him and has been taken good care of him since..

[Transhuman]

Not true with metrx. Biochem signed Flex to a contract about 4-5 years ago at $100,000 to $200,000 per year. And that was some sort of record at the time, better than Weider ever paid. I don't think it's likely that any bodybuilder has ever received 1M/yr in endorsements or will do so in the near future. Of course, I could be wrong - but with the dietary supplement industry crashing (and their stocks following) over the past few years, I'm pretty confident in my info.

[big louie]

your damn right that wasn't true with met rx, i was smoking crack a moment ago - i ment 100 k.. hehe!!

he made 100k with met rex then he went to wieder - i'm sure he's been with wieder for 5 years now - his contract is 600k a year but his first year he made a million he had another deal with ray ban and also some mens fragrance or some shit..

gunter signed with wieder last year for 100 or 125k, a year..

[Nuteboy]

Okay guys well I'm sure being a pro bodybuilder is not going to pay off like being a pro basketball or pro football player. However, I'm sure guys like Craig Titus, King Kamali (sp) Victor Martinez and Art Atwood are making pretty good.

I'm sure these guys are making at least $100,000 to maybe $150,000. Hell you can pay me $75,000 a year and I'd love being a pro bodybuilder. Paying me to eat, sleep, guess pose and workout? Sounds good to me, where do I sign, lol.

[Transhuman]

In 2000 he made less than $500,000

http://www.ronniecoleman.com/news/news-001226.htm

I hope you're right - that's good for Ronnie if he's making a million a year now!

Related question, which companies provide most of the lucrative endorsements ($50+/yr) for bodybuilders? Weider Pubs (American Media), Muscletech, Weider Nutrition? ISS? Who?

Also, since the supplement industry sucks nowadays (past few years). Twinlab went bankrupt. Royal Numico lost billions of dollars selling metrx/gnc. (Although Weider Nut stock is doing better). Now ephedra is banned. Precedent setting action where prohormones, etc may be banned. DSHEA is sure to be amended/gutted. Will supplement companies continue to hand out big endorsements to bodybuilding athletes?

[Desibaba]

Well guess what? U guys r talkin about the extremely elite level of pro bodybuilders.I know of a local IFBB pro named Paul *****.He is a very nice guy and close to 300 lbs.He last competed in the NOC but didnt do well in 2002 and took the year off.He has personally told me that he is broke and simply works as a personal trainer and at night he works as a bouncer at a local nightclub called the Voodoo Lounge.Dont believe me? The voodoo lounge is in fort lauderdale,FL and paul does not have any supplement contracts.Only the best make it in this sport.If you have just a bachelors(in any field) youll make more money than most pros make.I feel bad for the guys who give up college and their jobs and move to venice beach to see if they can become a pro or not.

[Bob Smith]

I read recently that Ronnie, with all of his contracts/winnings/videos/etc, made in the high 6 figures for 2002. I would guess that its close to the $800-900k range. But he is the very best in the industry right now. Whos next? Probably Cutler. Priest probably makes some good cash too.

Lee Priest answered this question in one of the recents MD's. He said that the income for pro BBers is an absolute joke except for maybe 5 or 10 guys. Ever wonder where those "rumors" about guys turning tricks and selling drugs make cash came from? Its because the income from their profession sucks.

[hardcore210]

Cutler's making some huge money. He competed in quite a few shows and either won or placed 2nd. He also guest-posed nearly every weekend last year, except during his Olympia prep. Jay's got quite a few endorsements: ISS, Shiek, Under Armour, and a few others. But like most everyone else said, they don't make shit compared to bench warmers in other sports. IMO, bodybuilding requires the most dedication and hard work to be elite than any other sport, yet they get paid the least. It pisses me off to see guys bitching about these multi-million dollar deals and not getting paid enough!

HC210

[Desibaba]

How much does tiger woods make compared to ronnie coleman? Both men are at the top of their games.Golf and bodybuilding.

[Bob Smith]

Whether BBing really is a sport or not is certainly up for lively debate.

As for comparing their income to pros in normal sports, the difference is easy. On the low end, you have the NHL. Highest paid player gets something like $8 mil. On the high end you have A-rod at damn near $20 mil. Look at the attendance for the pro sports and you will see a correlation to players salary. BBing shows have a very low attendance. Its just not a very marketable endeavour to the general population.

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by Desibaba

How much does tiger woods make compared to ronnie coleman? Both men are at the top of their games.Golf and bodybuilding.

Desi, comparing golf to BBing is not going to get you anywhere. Golf...major sport, tv contracts, real personalities that you can market to the masses, high fan participation and attendance. BBing doesnt have a single one of those.

BTW, Tiger makes, IIRC, around $50-70 mil/yr. He averages about $6 mil for tournament winnings in the US (not including some from overseas), contracts with Nike, Buick, and a whole host of others. He appears personable, hes fairly good looking, he has charisma. Now compare that to Ronnie. He talks like a 2nd grader, most of the general public find his body repulsive, hes never on tv, his "sport" is filled with cry-baby bitches, and beyond that, its not even an objective sport. Its 100% subjective, based on whoever Weider wants to win, and how the judges are feeling that day. Tiger goes out and plays one of the most difficult sports on earth and routinely beats 100 of them in a single tournament.

The next time youre at the mall, do a quick survey asking people who 5 bodybuilders (of any era) are. $10 says that less than 10% of people can even name 3. Now ask the same people to name 5 golfers. Most will be able to come up with Tiger, maybe Phil Michelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nickalus, Chi Chi Rodriguez.