Bodybuilding athletes in India are frozen in the times of competitions, especially, when one or the other is happening almost everywhere round the year. A profession refers to a specific skill or knowledge based work which is taken up against a salary or a monetary reward. But when it comes to bodybuilding athletes, the equation is quite different than the other professions or sports professions.
What is professional bodybuilding?
There are certain questions which arise in the mind while referring to professional bodybuilding. What is professional bodybuilding? It refers to the bodybuilding athletes who participate in competitions and are not paid for representing their state or country. They instead are paying for their expenses, travel, training and registrations. The only athlete who gains is the one who wins and that is also a one-time affair. Till the time you can push yourself to win, every time you participate, you are practically unpaid and are shelling out money to build a profile of an unpaid athlete! In the end, there are many title winners across the country and you end up being a face in the crowd.
What other modes of income can be considered if we call bodybuilding a profession?
Now, the question is what are the other payment modes which give bodybuilding the rank of a ‘profession’. Most guessed answer can be brand endorsements. According to a ground research by the journalists, the best athletes are helped with are a stock of supplements for a year until their sponsoring contract is renewed. Here also, there is no monetary benefit and it is not a permanent mark of employment.
Modeling and acting for a profession as a bodybuilder?
Next answer is that a bodybuilder gets into modeling easily. Really? How many bodybuilders are seen on hoardings, TV advertisements or Print campaigns? Or for that matter how many could churn out regular money out of modeling assignments or for that matter acting in a film. This proves that modeling and acting are a different skill-set based industry. A bodybuilder if needs to link this profile with his or her career, he or she has to hone his/her skill-set to be able to get regular assignments and become regular professionals in modeling or acting market.
What is your career goal in bodybuilding?
Sejal Dewan (name changed) took to bodybuilding accidentally. She was first going to gym to maintain a figure so that she keeps getting modeling assignments. But to her dismay, because of tough competition, she couldn’t get enough assignments. Her trainer asked her to transform and she took to it seriously. She became a bodybuilder and started competing. Though she won a few titles, she ended up getting broke and earning her living through random work coming her way. When asked what’s her career goal, what will she do after she is no more competing… she was absolutely blank! She was doing a random guesswork of whether starting a business or becoming a trainer. This is the case with most the athletes.
Conclusion
Hence, bodybuilding is not a ‘profession’, it is only a sport and a sport that is very different from other performing athletic sports which are recognized as ‘professional games’ all over the world. You can be very passionate about bodybuilding but only building your body will not make a career for you.
Most of the athletes end up being online trainers which has become a trend. There is nothing wrong in it and why not, provided that you have the right knowledge to do so. The knowledge must be backed up by proper practical training. Even if you have thought of opening a supplements store or a related business to generate income, you must have appropriate knowledge of the market as well as your product. Not everyone who gets out of the stage can make it sustainable in the retail world! Guys and gals, take note that your body won’t last and succumb to time or circumstances but your knowledge will keep growing, it will leave a legacy for others around you even if you are not there anymore
Nothing replaces the right knowledge
To sum it up it is very important to be clear whether bodybuilding is your passion or you wish to turn it into a profession. If it is your passion then of course you can spend lacs of bucks on it and fulfill your stage dreams, till the time you can afford. If you call it a profession then you must gain proper knowledge on training, human body and nutrition through recognized academies or institutions. You can then train others and earn on different levels. If you wish to start a business then gain knowledge about the product you want to venture in, do ground research, invest time and money according to a planned project and then do it.
There is no substitute to knowledge and awareness because as muscle brings power to your body, knowledge brings power to your brain. A combination of both can be invincible in any market. If you think studying is a task then you must remind yourself that what seems interesting to you never seems like a task, it is in fact a necessity for making your career instead of running blindly after competing, endorsements or random earning sources.
Decide a work you wish to do, gain knowledge, training and certifications, focus on that goal and make your passion earn for you, make you feel worthwhile even after an age or circumstance when your body alone will not be your identity, it will wither away but the work you have converted into your profession will remain with you forever, will build you a unique reputation, moreover, if you do your work with passion it gives employment to not only yourself but others too in the long run. It is important for bodybuilders to hold a vision, focus on career and gain maximum knowledge.
About The Author
The team is based out of Delhi and is connected to all the leading athletes, trainers and nutritionists. The purpose is to bridge the gap between common people and all fitness e..
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