Do you want to be a fitness model?
People who follow my items know that I generally write about nutrition, supplementation, training, and other topics that are more science-based than personal, like what’s covered in this article. I decided to ditch my science geek persona, and write about a topic that I know will be useful to the thousands of people who want to be a fitness model.
In addition to being known scientifically as “core hard” and no BA writer, why would I write what some might consider a “fluff” article? Over the years, I’ve had hundreds, possibly thousands, of girls asking me via email, messaging, or in person “How can I become a fitness model? I know.” I get this from beginners and I get it from women who were at the time but couldn’t “break in” effectively.
The truth is I’ve been in the health and fitness , and bodybuilding business for a long time, and although I’m known as a nutrition science-based “guru”, I’ve coached many fitness players, and judged fitness and shape/bikini performances for NPC and Fitness America and Fitness USA and other federations as well as providing marketing and business consultancy for all types of athletes, including fitness models. So, it is not as far-fetched as it may seem that I will use this space to cover an unscientific topic, which is, how one can become a fitness model.
This article will be useful for both experienced people and beginners who are looking to “break into” the business world. If you are already a professional and successful fitness model, I am sure you can still gather some useful information from this article.
First, the bad news, there is no one way to become a successful fitness model. There is no one way or magic secret. However, there are some basic things that a person can do to dramatically improve their chances of “achieving success” in the fitness field as a model, and perhaps use that success as a stepping stone for bigger things, like movies, TV, etc.
Many of the top fitness models (Tris Stratus and Vicki Pratt come to mind but there are many others) have moved on to careers in entertainment of all kinds. Bottom line, while there is no magic secret to success as a fitness model, this article will be as close to a blueprint for success as you will find.
“Do I need to compete?”
This is a question I get asked all the time and it is not easy to answer. In fact, the answer (drum roll) is yes and no. One has to eliminate why they are competing in the first place to answer this question. For example, do you need to compete if your goal is to be a successful fitness model?
The answer is no. Many of today’s well-known fitness models have never competed, or competed in a few small shows and that was clearly not part of their success as fitness models. However, competition has its potential uses.
One of them is exposure. At higher level offerings, there are often editors, publishers, photographers, supplement company owners, and other entrepreneurs. Therefore, competition can improve your exposure. Also, competition can make sense if you are trying to create a business that is related to your competition or will benefit from your winning an offer.
For example, let’s say you have a private training gym that you are trying to build. Earning the title of Mrs. Fitness America, or winning the NPC Nationals title and being an IFBB professional, is sure to help your reputation and that of your business. There are many scenarios that would help win an offer for a business or other endeavor.
On the other hand, we must realize that winning an offer in no way guarantees success at the end of the business (which is really a business) for being a fitness model. The phone won’t ring with great contract offers. Also, it is very important to realize that it is common for the fourth, sixth or eighth place holder in a fitness show or character show to get more pressure than the winner. why? Although a winner may have what it takes to win this show, the editor, publishers, supplement companies, and others often feel more marketable.
I’ve seen it so many times where the winner was shocked to find that she didn’t get the attention she expected and the other girls who were ranked inferior got attention in the form of photographs, magazine covers, etc. Something to keep in mind when you ask yourself the important question “Do I need to compete and if so, why do I compete?” Answer this question and you will know the answer to the title of this section. Winning a title of some sort can be a stepping stone, but it is not in and of itself a guarantee of success in the fitness industry. It’s like a parchment. This is what you do with it.
currently. If you’re competing for fun, by all means keep it up, but the above is focused on competition as it relates to the business side of being a fitness model.