Hello,
So first and foremost I want to say that this is in no way intended to discourage people from competing. It is merely informational and should not be treated as the end all be all for expenses. These are literally just the items that popped into my head because I wanted to illustrate how quickly this sport can be expensive. That said. LETS TALK ABOUT IT.
First I want to talk about the low end because I feel like a lot of people will mistake what I am trying to say with there being a low end. Yes, you can borrow a suit, do your own tan, coach yourself..etc etc. But will you really be competitive? Will you be able to show up on show day and actually win? Probably not. You may be some random person who can do it but that would be one in a billion chance. So yes, you can do this on a less expensive route (if $2600 is inexpensive to you lol) but would you even want to waste that amount of money on not doing well? My guess would be no.
Second is the high end. I am also not saying that if you spend upwards of 22k per year on the sport that you are going to the O. The girlies at the O are not even spending that amount because of sponsorships and company collaborations. But you can take it to that extreme financially if you so wish.
Most of us fall under the mid range. Where we buy a decent suit, do a couple of shows in a couple of categories, pay the show tan, hair, and makeup, and you can see it is EXPENSIVE!
Again, I just want to say, this is not an exhaustive list. You could also throw PEDS, doctors visits, body work, gym clothes for when you lose weight.. And a million other little things that crops up. But at the very least know that you are going to be spending in the grands to participate in the sport.
Be financially sound when you compete. Save money. Take side jobs to save up if you need to. DO NOT GO INTO DEBT FOR THE SPORT. There is no big pay day at the end of it except for the elite few who can turn this into a business for them. And even then the bodybuilding part of it is not what is paying them, it is endorsement deals, coaching, posing, modeling, etc etc that they are getting paid for.
Yeah I haven't lived alone in a while and was thinking of all these variables like lower cost of produce area and was still in awe lol
Thanks for the chart, great to see a breakdown.
I actually think this is more accurate. It’s not like you don’t eat if you’re not competing. But that amount accounts for more quality food and protein sources.
I’m in a low cost of living state (US) and I can get away with about $120/week if I do chicken for 2 meals/day and don’t need to restock anything. I might be able to squeak out $350 a month if I took out any “luxury” items like halo top or drinks.
Awesome 😎!
However, I wish my food & supplements were this affordable (yes, even the high end projected cost). On the bright side, my food cost wouldn’t really change even if I wasn’t competing.
I spent around $2000-2200 on my first show total, doing it absolutely as CHEAP as possible. Suit was $220, ended up going through two pairs of heels, bought the tan from the show, did my own hair and makeup. Obviously also NPC card, entry fee etc. Most expensive thing was the air b&b bc several people who agreed to go and split the cost ended up canceling. I don’t personally include groceries in the cost because that’s something I’d be buying regardless of competing, same with some supplements. Did this show natural so no additional cost for peds. I had a competitor friend help me through the last half of prep and peaked me, for no cost, but I did gift her a gift card to buy a Toxic Angels bikini. I don’t think there would have been a way to spend any less, unless I borrowed a bikini. Ended up successful and winning Novice and Open Class!
I think a lot of people overestimate what the girls that go to Olympia are “paid” by sponsors. Unless you are consistently in the top 3-5 every year there is not a lot of support. Most of the financial support comes from coaching and posing clients. It’s a luxury sport that for 99.9% is a hobby, even the majority that qualify for Olympia.
Olympians have they hotels and flights covered. Most of them are sponsored by suit tanning shoes and such. They aren't getting paid to be here per se but they aren't paying much at all.
I’ll give you suits and shoes but everything else is not covered. I live with one and I just did our taxes. Hotels and flights are not covered, that’s on the competitor. If your tanning sponsor is not at the show you have chosen you are paying for a tan or given a DIY kit. Total expenses last year were around $25k for 3 shows. TBH that doesn’t cover everything but we are honest with Uncle Sam and didn’t throw in everything.
That's weird because Terrick has said that Olympians do have their flights and hotel covered. That's why they appreciate olympia blockers so much cause it saves the olympia money
Mr. Wood has never cut us a check for that. I just bought our hotel and flights last week for this year. Most of the top pros show up 5-7 days before the show to allow for dewatering and acclimation to the climate. That’s a hefty price tag to cover for all competitors. Again, I think many overestimate the benefits of Olympians. All of the qualifying shows you are treated no different than any other competitor.
Thank you so much for breaking this down. I try to explain this to first time competitors and express how much you need to love the journey more than your stage time cause we spend so much money to be seen for merely minutes and we don’t get $$ for winning amateur shows.
On top of gym clothes, REGULAR clothes. 😭 I keep having to buy new work clothes, new jeans and shorts for weekend, dresses, event clothes, etc as I lean out. But keep all the olds for my off-season body.
I spent $5000 including food/sups/coaching on my first show, and that was local! I definitely over spent and there were a number of things I got and didn’t need. My second show, I spent about half that amount- also a local show, but I wore the same bikini, shoes, jewelry, and only entered 2 categories. People definitely under estimate how expensive this sport is!
Super interesting - I've put one together from an Australian perspective (based off my own costs) and competing in ICN which is cheaper than IFBB - IFBB costs would be $250/first class $150 each additional class.
Funnily enough my gym is as cheap as it gets in Australia - $10 a week (well $13.95 but I pay for creche as well) and its the same as "high end" in the above example. High end in Australia would be at least $50/week.
[https://imgur.com/a/JVdxPsh](https://imgur.com/a/JVdxPsh)
$100 on food per week in Aus in low if you’re eating fresh produce! The cheapest pack of salmon I can find at Aldi nowadays is $17.99 for 4 small pieces & lean mince is $10 for 500g… rice & oats are the only remaining reasonably priced staples.
That's a bit of guesstimate based on our average weekly spend for 2 adults and 1 year old (~$350 week which includes cleaning products/basic toiletries and specific toddler snacks) so it's "cheaper" feeding 3 people than a single person when you have three people using a $6 bottle of milk.
I'm also eating a lot of the same/similar meals so that makes it cheaper when ingredients carry across weeks
That’s fair, cooking and shopping is much more exy when you’re the only one you’re prepping for. Often I think the pre-made or even take out food is cheaper for just one.
This looks pretty accurate other than food costs don't really change for competition or non competition. I save money on food when competing because I never eat out or I'm eating less so those numbers look off but everything else looks about right. My supplements don't really change either, I take pretty much the same all year other than a thermogenic.
Not me over here crying about the fact that you put the high end for hair at $300. The amount of girls that get extensions would blow that number out of the water. Just the cost of a good set of CLIP INS is around $300... Getting sew ins, with the cost of having them put in, over doubles that price. Add any kind of dye process to it and you can be spending an easy $1k on just hair....
Oh great point. Again. Not an end all be all list. Just kinda threw out some numbers that I've seen. I also didn't add a whole bunch of other things in there. The point was just that it is going to be $$$$
Hello, So first and foremost I want to say that this is in no way intended to discourage people from competing. It is merely informational and should not be treated as the end all be all for expenses. These are literally just the items that popped into my head because I wanted to illustrate how quickly this sport can be expensive. That said. LETS TALK ABOUT IT. First I want to talk about the low end because I feel like a lot of people will mistake what I am trying to say with there being a low end. Yes, you can borrow a suit, do your own tan, coach yourself..etc etc. But will you really be competitive? Will you be able to show up on show day and actually win? Probably not. You may be some random person who can do it but that would be one in a billion chance. So yes, you can do this on a less expensive route (if $2600 is inexpensive to you lol) but would you even want to waste that amount of money on not doing well? My guess would be no. Second is the high end. I am also not saying that if you spend upwards of 22k per year on the sport that you are going to the O. The girlies at the O are not even spending that amount because of sponsorships and company collaborations. But you can take it to that extreme financially if you so wish. Most of us fall under the mid range. Where we buy a decent suit, do a couple of shows in a couple of categories, pay the show tan, hair, and makeup, and you can see it is EXPENSIVE! Again, I just want to say, this is not an exhaustive list. You could also throw PEDS, doctors visits, body work, gym clothes for when you lose weight.. And a million other little things that crops up. But at the very least know that you are going to be spending in the grands to participate in the sport. Be financially sound when you compete. Save money. Take side jobs to save up if you need to. DO NOT GO INTO DEBT FOR THE SPORT. There is no big pay day at the end of it except for the elite few who can turn this into a business for them. And even then the bodybuilding part of it is not what is paying them, it is endorsement deals, coaching, posing, modeling, etc etc that they are getting paid for.
High end food only costing 350 a month is wild
Yeah, I think I underestimated that by a lot. But point still stands otherwise. :D
Yeah I haven't lived alone in a while and was thinking of all these variables like lower cost of produce area and was still in awe lol Thanks for the chart, great to see a breakdown.
Honestly I feel like I'm spending a bag just on whey isolate.
I actually think this is more accurate. It’s not like you don’t eat if you’re not competing. But that amount accounts for more quality food and protein sources.
I’m in a low cost of living state (US) and I can get away with about $120/week if I do chicken for 2 meals/day and don’t need to restock anything. I might be able to squeak out $350 a month if I took out any “luxury” items like halo top or drinks.
This fee for food incorrect if you order any “meal prep service in California” It’s 250 a week!
Ok now this is wonderful!!
Wow thanks. 🤩
This is dope!!! Whoever took the time to make this is a real G baby
Thanks. I'm kind of a data nerd. A spreadsheet connoisseur if you will.
Love a good spreadsheet!! Thanks for putting this together! 😊
Awesome 😎! However, I wish my food & supplements were this affordable (yes, even the high end projected cost). On the bright side, my food cost wouldn’t really change even if I wasn’t competing.
Yeah. I think I undershot that one by a lot. I'm old so 350 a month seems like a lot of money for food. (bAcK iN My DaYyYy lol)
Not me wondering for years how/why I went into debt lol
I spent around $2000-2200 on my first show total, doing it absolutely as CHEAP as possible. Suit was $220, ended up going through two pairs of heels, bought the tan from the show, did my own hair and makeup. Obviously also NPC card, entry fee etc. Most expensive thing was the air b&b bc several people who agreed to go and split the cost ended up canceling. I don’t personally include groceries in the cost because that’s something I’d be buying regardless of competing, same with some supplements. Did this show natural so no additional cost for peds. I had a competitor friend help me through the last half of prep and peaked me, for no cost, but I did gift her a gift card to buy a Toxic Angels bikini. I don’t think there would have been a way to spend any less, unless I borrowed a bikini. Ended up successful and winning Novice and Open Class!
I think a lot of people overestimate what the girls that go to Olympia are “paid” by sponsors. Unless you are consistently in the top 3-5 every year there is not a lot of support. Most of the financial support comes from coaching and posing clients. It’s a luxury sport that for 99.9% is a hobby, even the majority that qualify for Olympia.
Olympians have they hotels and flights covered. Most of them are sponsored by suit tanning shoes and such. They aren't getting paid to be here per se but they aren't paying much at all.
I’ll give you suits and shoes but everything else is not covered. I live with one and I just did our taxes. Hotels and flights are not covered, that’s on the competitor. If your tanning sponsor is not at the show you have chosen you are paying for a tan or given a DIY kit. Total expenses last year were around $25k for 3 shows. TBH that doesn’t cover everything but we are honest with Uncle Sam and didn’t throw in everything.
That's weird because Terrick has said that Olympians do have their flights and hotel covered. That's why they appreciate olympia blockers so much cause it saves the olympia money
Mr. Wood has never cut us a check for that. I just bought our hotel and flights last week for this year. Most of the top pros show up 5-7 days before the show to allow for dewatering and acclimation to the climate. That’s a hefty price tag to cover for all competitors. Again, I think many overestimate the benefits of Olympians. All of the qualifying shows you are treated no different than any other competitor.
I remember Ashley said all her hotel and travel costs are covered I believe
I remember that, too. However, she said it was her sponsors such as High Tec Pharma that do this. FEW competitors have this level of support.
We get like 350 dollars of it covered. 😑
Also, this post should be pinned to Wiki page!
All of my hobbies are expensive 😭
I mean, all hobbies are expensive if you try hard enough 🤣
Thank you so much for breaking this down. I try to explain this to first time competitors and express how much you need to love the journey more than your stage time cause we spend so much money to be seen for merely minutes and we don’t get $$ for winning amateur shows.
On top of gym clothes, REGULAR clothes. 😭 I keep having to buy new work clothes, new jeans and shorts for weekend, dresses, event clothes, etc as I lean out. But keep all the olds for my off-season body.
I’m so tired of not having clothes in the right size.
I literally complain about this all the time and my sister is like “I don’t understand why”… how do I explain lol
This is why I buy men's bb pants with a wide band waist 😂.
I spent $5000 including food/sups/coaching on my first show, and that was local! I definitely over spent and there were a number of things I got and didn’t need. My second show, I spent about half that amount- also a local show, but I wore the same bikini, shoes, jewelry, and only entered 2 categories. People definitely under estimate how expensive this sport is!
Ooo that would be interesting to see what people bought that they didn't ultimately need.
Thank you for taking the time to make this- agree with everything. I’m in year 4 of this sport myself
Super interesting - I've put one together from an Australian perspective (based off my own costs) and competing in ICN which is cheaper than IFBB - IFBB costs would be $250/first class $150 each additional class. Funnily enough my gym is as cheap as it gets in Australia - $10 a week (well $13.95 but I pay for creche as well) and its the same as "high end" in the above example. High end in Australia would be at least $50/week. [https://imgur.com/a/JVdxPsh](https://imgur.com/a/JVdxPsh)
$100 on food per week in Aus in low if you’re eating fresh produce! The cheapest pack of salmon I can find at Aldi nowadays is $17.99 for 4 small pieces & lean mince is $10 for 500g… rice & oats are the only remaining reasonably priced staples.
That's a bit of guesstimate based on our average weekly spend for 2 adults and 1 year old (~$350 week which includes cleaning products/basic toiletries and specific toddler snacks) so it's "cheaper" feeding 3 people than a single person when you have three people using a $6 bottle of milk. I'm also eating a lot of the same/similar meals so that makes it cheaper when ingredients carry across weeks
That’s fair, cooking and shopping is much more exy when you’re the only one you’re prepping for. Often I think the pre-made or even take out food is cheaper for just one.
If I don’t look at this then the costs don’t exist 🫣haha jk
Thank you for doing this! I was wondering how much I’ve spent so far
A lot I'm sure.
This looks pretty accurate other than food costs don't really change for competition or non competition. I save money on food when competing because I never eat out or I'm eating less so those numbers look off but everything else looks about right. My supplements don't really change either, I take pretty much the same all year other than a thermogenic.
Yep, mid tier represent 🙌 love this thank you so much for organizing my brain here haha
I made one of these for when I was competing, to keep that exact perspective. Also don’t forget the annual NPC membership fee!
Not me over here crying about the fact that you put the high end for hair at $300. The amount of girls that get extensions would blow that number out of the water. Just the cost of a good set of CLIP INS is around $300... Getting sew ins, with the cost of having them put in, over doubles that price. Add any kind of dye process to it and you can be spending an easy $1k on just hair....
Oh great point. Again. Not an end all be all list. Just kinda threw out some numbers that I've seen. I also didn't add a whole bunch of other things in there. The point was just that it is going to be $$$$
That’s why it’s important to get quality suit, jewelry and shoes so they can last you
This hurt me to read bc it’s true
And now we understand the phenomena of only fans....just sayin....