Photo courtesy of Fivos Photography.

Don’t do it for the fame and glory – do it for the passion.

You sacrifice time with friends, family, and become involved in a love hate relationship with the cardio equipment. You diet down to extremely low levels of body fat by cutting out sweets, and carbs have become the enemy.  You’ve become the poster child for the pinnacle of fitness. Then you walk out from behind a curtain, muscles glistening with tanner and the smell of it consuming your nostrils. You stand toe to toe against your competition (which you are seeing for the first time) in a straight line, obeying every command from the head judge. Turn after turn you hit your poses showing off your symmetry, mass and conditioning while wilting under the heat of the lights. Finally, you wait… you hear your heart beating in your chest as you wait to hear where you placed.  The first place winner is…. YOU! Congratulations you did it… you won… you are officially a pro. Here come the supplement deals, money, fame, and sponsorships…

You stand there with your 10$ trophy and a card with your name on it saying Pro Bodybuilder but none of the accolades come with it. What do you mean? No fame? No huge sponsorship dollars? You are correct. In the world of natural bodybuilding there is very little money to be had. Maybe you will get a small supplement stipend from some small upstart, some apparel to wear from another startup company that offers you a discount code, you might  even grace the cover of a natural bodybuilding magazine with you as the feature article that a few hundred people actually look at.

Here is the reality; natural bodybuilding is an expensive hobby and there is very little money to be made. You might be lucky to win back the money spent traveling or participating in the show. It’s an event in which you can lose because the subjectivity among judging panels varies widely according to what each organization defines as the “ideal physique.” Yes, you can lose just because someone liked the others guy’s pectorals better than yours. This is not a sport where baskets, hits or touchdowns determine the winner. It’s an art form subject to the eyes of the beholders.

 So then what’s the point?

The point is this is a passion. It’s a way of life. You get up every day and train for the sheer challenge of pushing yourself to new limits, knowing that you will either be working a full time job to support yourself or be your own business owner. Maybe you will be a personal trainer, prep coach, own a gym or a 9-5er, but you are ok with that. Every day you wake up, put your feet on the ground and continue your journey to make your body your canvas that is a constant work in progress.

This journey is a humble one. It is one with few accolades inside a very small contingency of fitness enthusiasts. You may get a few handshakes and congratulations from your fellow competitors but you are more likely to get odd looks and people telling you that you’re crazy for doing it. This path is one of continuous improvement, small personal victories, and self- satisfaction. You may even inspire people along the way to live a healthier lifestyle and break free of the mental barriers that have imprisoned them.

These are your accolades.  They’re not nearly as prestigious or glorifying as any endorsement contract, but they are longer lasting and more meaningful to those people.  The admirers are fewer than you might hope for, but their respect and gratitude is often much deeper.

So you want to be a natural pro bodybuilder? Do it because you love the process because it definitely will not be for the fame.

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Greg Robinson is 33 years old and qualified to become a natural pro bodybuilder with both the USBF & DFAC in 2012. So far this year he has placed first in Men’s Open Bodybuilding Class at the OCB Battle for the Belt in Burlington, NJ  and will be making his pro debut at the end of Sept. 2014. He currently is the bodybuilding representative for the American Natural Bodybuilding Federation and maintains a full time job as an Index Manager.

You can find Greg Robinson on his Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram page. He also has a YouTube channel where you can find exciting and informative videos about natural bodybuilding.