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I Wanna Be A Pro Bodybuilder
by Schak
 As
you all may or may not know I won both the 1984 Nationals and Mr.
Universe as a middleweight. I never in my wildest dreams ever expected
that to happen as the Nationals was only my fifth contest and then two
weeks later Mr. Universe was my sixth contest. The term “pro” never
entered my mind, it was never discussed, brought up, dreamed of, any of
that kinda thing, it just happened. I competed for several years after
and as a guy that was 5’6 and weighed just over 200 pounds did very
well in the IFBB never placing lower than fifth in any of my contests
with the exception of the Mr. Olympia where I placed tenth twice. I
realized after years of competing that I was never gonna win any pro
shows because the simple fact was I was never gonna be big enough. I
did great at my height and weight and through bodybuilding went places
and did things I would never have gotten to do so I would not change
anything. I knew I had to have a real life and I always had a full time
job in law enforcement which I also loved. During all those years I
also became an NPC National judge and an IFBB Pro Judge. Since retiring
from both bodybuilding and law enforcement I now judge many shows
around the country. I have had the distinction of having judged the Mr.
Olympia as well as the Arnold Classic numerous times. I enjoy judging
and obviously it keeps me involved in the crazy game that I love.
Now here comes the part that some of you may or may not want to hear. I
don’t want to sound like a douchebag or a dickhead but nowadays if I
had a nickel for every person I run into that tells me they want to be
a pro, I would be a millionaire. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t set
your sights on high goals but you also have to be realistic. We all
have genetic limitations and very few of us have the potential to
become professional athletes. Now I am not bullshitting you I have
talked to hundreds of competitors who compete in one local show and win
and then all of a sudden that “pro thing” starts to happen. Really? How
about you compete in a few shows then get to the regional level or
national level and maybe then start focusing on being a pro. I have all
the respect in the world for our own Vinny Galanti who competed for
many years on the national level but did not ever get discouraged by
not winning his card. Finally he did win his card by taking the Masters
Nationals overall thus becoming a pro.
Not all of us can be Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler not to mention Phil
Heath. Everybody thinks they are gonna win, be a pro and make tons of
money, I hate to bust your bubble but very few of these guys make lots
of money. The girls make even less than the guys but that’s another
story. Bodybuilding is a long and lonely road and it takes a special
individual to walk it. When you decide to train for a living and hope
to get sponsored the majority of us will be in for a rude awakening.
You are probably not going to be noticed as a pro initially unless you
have a great shape or marketability. You will be busting your ass in
the gym and be famous for being the local “pro”. Everyone in your local
gym will be blowing hot air up your butt and you may even start buying
into your own bullshit. When you travel you will be just another big
guy who looks vaguely familiar but not one whose autograph is going to
be asked for. You may be lucky to get a few guest posing gigs locally
but not to the national shows. You will be a selfish son of a bitch who
will need to be coddled when you are training for a show. You’d better
have a wife or girlfriend who understands those needs or you will be
walking to the stage alone. She’s gonna be your biggest fan, mother,
concubine and best friend who is gonna be by your side when you travel
to those shows out of town. She’d also better have thick skin cuz
you’re gonna be a real prick when you’re at 4% bodyfat, carb and water
depleted waiting to step on stage.
I just judged the USA and the North American. Both were great shows
with great turnouts of competitors. I think with both those shows a
total of something like 85 new pro cards were issued. That’s a great
thing for our sport and the folks that earned them but only a handful
of those winners will ever get to have their hands raised in victory on
stage ever again. The ones that snuck in because it was a weak class or
didn’t have a lot of competition will kinda just hang in the back of
the line and get last callouts. If getting that card is a lifelong
goal, the ultimate accomplishment for you, then I applaud you but if
you think you’re going to go out and set the bodybuilding world on fire
I don’t feel bad for you I just think you’re in for a rude awakening. I
love bodybuilding and would never say anything negative about it and
for those of you that train hard and compete for the love of competing
and having fun that’s great. All of us can train and no matter what
kind of genetics we have or don’t have we can always improve. Weight
training is a very healthy thing to do and benefits all of us. Dieting
or eating clean is a great thing and of course is a very healthy way of
life. I just think we all need to have the proper perspective and keep
things real. |
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