First conceived by Joe Weider in 1965, the Mr. Olympia competition awards the most sought-after title in all of competitive bodybuilding. When the winner of Mr. Olympia strikes their series of annual victory poses, you might be tempted to measure the cost of their accomplishment by sweat and toil. However, the financial toll of qualification often flies beneath the radar.
To a Mr. Olympia winner, the Eugen Sandow Trophy might be worth its weight in gold. But it costs so much money to even compete for it that you may well need all your prize money to offset your preparation expenses.
Of course, no two Olympia competitors will have the same receipts, and year-to-year costs will always vary. But to attempt to calculate how much it generally costs to train, tan, diet, and travel for the biggest bodybuilding show of the year, we reached out to two former Olympia competitors (see above) to tally up the rough totals.
Total Cost to Prepare for the Olympia
[Read More: Every Winner of the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition]
Training
Muscles may be a product of grit, determination, and effort, but the tools required to forge a set of prodigious, striated pecs aren’t free. Whether the workouts occur on equipment purchased for a home gym, or at a fitness facility several miles away offering a complimentary membership, the training still comes with a price tag attached.
Gym Membership
Commercial gyms follow the rented-equipment profit model, meaning that Olympia competitors are paying for access to all of that expertly engineered fitness equipment. Since most Olympia aspirants aren’t receiving free gym memberships when they’re just starting out, they may find themselves paying the full price of one gym membership — or several.
“Since I’m out in New Jersey, I work out at three or four different gyms and bounce around from gym to gym,” Williams said. “So I have about four different memberships with gyms, and they can get very expensive. You’re looking at something like $50 a month per gym on average.”
[Read More: The Beginner’s Guide to the Gym]
Although Williams and Moore both receive multiple gym memberships for free, Moore insisted it’s possible for a pro bodybuilder to successfully get by on one low-cost gym membership. However, he still maintains multiple gym memberships that he pays for out of his own pocket.
“There’s one private gym that I actually do pay the membership for. It’s 35 bucks a month, and that’s because I was a member once they first opened,” Moore said. “I also have a Lifetime Athletic Club membership, and a single membership there is $240 a month. Corporate gyms don’t care if you’re a pro or not. You’re still gonna pay them.”
Estimated Cost Range: $420 to $3,600 per year
At-Home Equipment
Daily gym attendance is assumed from Mr. Olympia aspirants who are serious about setting foot on the stage in Las Vegas. Many bodybuilders also acquire home gym essentials to ensure immediate access to the requisite equipment under all circumstances or to address specific training needs.
“I maintain all my cardio equipment at home,” Williams said. “One of the things I hated the most was getting up early in the morning and driving to a gym to do cardio.”
Williams explained that his stair climber cost him about $4,400, and his fan bike was $2,500. “At this level, you don’t want stuff that will break on you. I have to get the best quality.”
[Read More: Bodybuilding for Beginners — Your Ultimate Guide for Getting Started in the Gym]
On the other hand, Moore gets by solely on his gym memberships and relies on alternative methods of achieving his requisite cardio goals without visiting a gym.
“What a lot of guys don’t realize is you can actually get in great shape just by going on walks,” Moore said. “If you don’t have the funds available for cardio equipment, I’ve found that doing a 20-minute walk — or just 10 minutes after a meal — can serve as your cardio. I also don’t carry a lot of body fat, so I don’t do a ton of cardio just because it’s not really necessary.”
Estimated Cost Range: $0 to $7,000 per year
Workout Coaching
Some physique athletes may decline to spend money on outside expertise if they’re trainers themselves in their daily lives, but many bodybuilders in the upper echelons of the sport retain the services of personal trainers to guide them through their workouts.
[Read More: Want To Find the Right Personal Trainer? Here’s How]
Receiving regular personal training — even if it’s only a couple of sessions each week — renders the outgoing chunk of change sizable. “That’s $80 a session, probably for twice a week, and that adds up to 160 bucks a week for a trainer,” Moore explained.
Estimated Cost Range: $0 to $8,320 per year
Posing Coach
Posing is a critical component of a Mr. Olympia qualifier’s overall presentation package, but it is also an area where there is some leeway. Although some competitors get very creative when it comes to choreographing their posing routines, others favor a simpler approach. If posing innovation is your preference, chances are that you’re going to opt for some hired help.
“Last time I had somebody help me with choreography, I think I gave him like $1,000 to get a posing routine,” Williams recalled. “That was just for their time. But even when I help somebody with posing, I usually charge between $100 to $150 an hour. I don’t always use a posing coach, but I would for a big show like the Olympia because you just want to be more polished with your presentation.”
[Read More: 10 Bodybuilding Poses — What They Are and How to Do Them ]
If a simpler posing routine is selected, the Olympia hopeful may pay a significantly lower sum for a set of educated eyeballs. In fundamental sessions such as these, the choreography may focus far more on the finer points of body arrangement for the sake of maximizing the magnitude of each pose.
“If posing were to be a cost, I would probably say that most guys do that with their trainer,” Moore said. “We have a couple of judges that live here in Texas, and you can get pointers from them. I would imagine someone probably paying for choreography like a training session, so I would have to guess that guys will probably be paying anywhere from 60 to 80 bucks per posing session.”
Estimated Cost Range: $60 to $1,000 per year
Nutrition
Perfect resistance training within the advised rep range is altogether fruitless for ambitious bodybuilders who aren’t backing herculean degrees of training with equivalent levels of eating. The conspicuous consumption of nutrients produces Olympia prospects who yield monthly nutrient costs that exceed some people’s annual grocery bills — and that’s no exaggeration.
Food
To fairly frame the expense of all the food consumed to capture Mr. Olympia, it’s important to consider the amount of money it takes to nourish an average person. The USDA’s moderate food plan suggests that it costs less than $90 per week to feed the most ravenous members of U.S. households. Bodybuilders must prepare to pay far more.
“Getting a breakdown of my grocery bills, I think I’m spending roughly $400 to $500 a week on food,” Williams said. “I was eating about seven or eight meals a day, but the quality of the steaks raised the cost. If you want to get really good quality beef or good quality red meat, that’s gonna cost you a lot of money. The bulk of that money was going toward the red meat, the chicken, and stuff like that.”
[Read More: Can You Eat Intuitively as a Bodybuilder?]
Your grocery bill will also depend on what kinds of protein you prefer in your diet.
“Food used to be a little cheaper, but now you’re talking $350 to $450 a week because things are so expensive,” Moore said. “I have a lot of beef in my diet because my metabolism is high. I require a little bit more dense food versus your average guy who may not cut as easily. They may eat more chicken and fish in their diet. For me, it’s majority beef, so my cost might be a little higher.”
Estimated Cost Range: $18,200 to $26,000 per year
Nutrition Coach
Despite the presumption that Olympia competitors are simply better at building muscles than anyone else — which is probably true — many pay a steep price for their knowledge. Even at the highest level, Mr. Olympia competitors rely on experienced coaches to help them evaluate their bodies and navigate plans to optimize their physiques for display at prominent shows.
“A top-level coach could cost you anywhere between $3,000 per show up to $5,000,” Williams said. “That’s mostly for just diet and nutrition. The last time, I got a package deal where because of me being a big-name bodybuilder, I paid about $3,000 and I had a coach who did multiple shows with me. So he just gave me a bill for the whole year of $3,000.”
[Read More: The 6 Best Sports Nutrition Certifications of 2023]
It’s worth noting that attempting to compete in multiple Olympia-qualifying shows can necessitate several additional months’ worth of coaching. This can cause the annual cost of coaching to increase exponentially if qualification attempts are continually repeated, or if contenders maintain their coaches as an ongoing resource.
“When I was working with a coach, he was $250 a month, so you’re looking at three grand a year for a pretty good coach, at least for most guys,” Moore said. “When I coach, I charge guys $250 a month, which equates to a little more than 70 bucks an hour every time I see them.”
Estimated Cost Range: $3,000 to $15,000 per year
Non-Drug Supplements
From protein, creatine, and glutamine to products that pack a weightier punch, you’re going to spend a ton of money on supplements if you aspire to be Mr. Olympia. Established contenders with noteworthy wins usually find sponsors who will provide them with several essential supplements. Hopefuls without sponsorships bear the full brunt of the bills.
“Monthly, I would probably say I spent $1,000 on supplements,” Williams said. “I’m fortunate now that I have a sponsor, but I remember back in the days when I didn’t have a sponsor, I would spend about $1,000. Back in the day, if you were winning shows, you’d get a sponsor easily. But because of social media nowadays, many companies don’t care about your placement in shows as much if you have some form of engagement and could promote and help sponsors sell products.”
[Read More: Best Supplement Stacks]
Moore submitted a heftier supplement price tag and explained how individual genetics can help to reduce some of the core supplement costs. On the other hand, Moore detailed how overreliance on some of the most expensive chemical supplements can jack up the price of supplementation to alarming levels.
“I would say it costs $2,300 a month once you add up your vitamins and your nitric oxide, which a lot of us like to use,” Moore said. “If you’re someone who cuts very easily, you won’t need any type of fat burners or any thermogenic. So you may save 200 bucks a month.”
Estimated Cost Range: $12,000 to $43,200 per year
Logistics
Simply because your physique is worthy of the Sandow trophy, that doesn’t mean you can start dusting off the space on your mantle that you’ve set aside for it. You can’t simply materialize on the stage in Las Vegas because you truly believe you deserve to be there. Rest assured that everything you do in preparation for the stage, and on it, will cost you money.
Travel to the Gym
The act of traveling to and from the gym every day may seem negligible, but depending on how far you live from your preferred gym, that expense can escalate rapidly. If you stretch that expense over sometimes multiple trips and many years, you’re soon talking about some monumental money.
“The drive for me to get to and from the gym is 40 minutes on average,” Williams said. “If you’re going back and forth from the gym more than once each day, that’s a lot of gas and mileage on a car.” Factor in tolls where relevant, and it all adds up to a big sum.
[Read More: How to Train Your Strength Sport in a Commercial Gym]
Adding to the travel cost is the fact that a number of elite bodybuilders double up on their daily trips to the gym, thereby doubling their fuel expenses. Driving a gas-guzzler can also cause the expenses associated with Olympia-motivated excursions to skyrocket. Therefore, even a free gym membership can become expensive if the distance traveled is far enough.
“The gym that I will train at most times is 15 minutes away. It’s probably close to 100 miles per week that I’m traveling to and from the gym,” Moore said. “My primary vehicle now is a Camaro. It’s a ‘01 and it might get 14 miles a gallon. Premium fuel only. I used to train at a gym that was $18 there and back on the tollway. That toll bill and that fuel bill goes up really, really quickly if you have to travel 20 miles each way with tolls.”
Estimated Cost Range: $550 to $8,000 per year
Travel to Qualify
One of the underrated expenses of pursuing Mr. Olympia has to do with simply qualifying for the event. Only the bodybuilders who place in the top five at Mr. Olympia automatically reserve places for themselves onstage for the following year. Otherwise, candidates must travel to events that offer Mr. Olympia placements to their winners and secure a first-place finish.
“If the show you’re trying to qualify at is in the U.S., you’re looking at a bill of maybe like $3,000 per show in terms of airfare, the hotel, and all of the expenses,” Williams estimated. “If the show is international, then that’s going to add up. A lot of the American bodybuilders hate going outside of the U.S. to do shows and stuff like that because it gets expensive fast, but sometimes you have to because one guy is winning multiple shows, so there are fewer qualifying spots.”
[Read More: IFBB Pro League Announces Ways to Qualify for 2023 Olympia]
Moore agreed with this and differentiated between the costs of preparing for an Olympia qualification event. Specifically, he separated the price of tailoring a physique for an individual show from the travel expenses and returned with a similarly steep estimate of the sum being spent.
“If you don’t qualify on the first attempt, you’ll have to continue spending 2,500 bucks the next month, and 2,500 bucks the next month,” Moore said. “That’s without the travel. If you’re traveling, you’re looking at a minimum of $1,500 per event. So now the added cost jumps to $4,000. If one show is in August, and you need to tack on another $4,000 for a September show, then another $4,000 for an October show, it jumps way up.”
Estimated Cost Range: $2,500 to $20,000 per year
Miscellaneous
Bodybuilding as a pro isn’t all about slinging around heavy dumbbells and weighing out your macros on a food scale. When you’re planning to be under the stage lights in Vegas, you need more than muscles — you’ve got to get your tanning oil ready to go, too.
Posing Trunks and Tanning
Perhaps the simplest expense to tabulate for Olympia candidates is the combination of posing trunks and a tanning package. Prior Olympia qualifiers may only incur these beautification costs once per year. On the other hand, first-timers may have to repeat the process several times to qualify, and then go through the ordeal yet again before posing at the Olympia.
[Read More: Why Do Bodybuilders Use Spray Tan for Competitions?]
“Well, the posing trunks are usually $50. Then you would have to probably buy a tanning package and that could run you another $200,” Williams calculated. “With the tanning package, the oil is also included with all of that. Those are the major expenses when you’re getting ready to get on stage.”
Estimated Cost Range: $250 to $1,000 per year*
*$250 per show, estimated four shows per year
Olympia Weekend
The clear benefit to qualifying to appear on the Olympia stage is that your air travel to the event and hotel costs are covered. Still, maintaining your nutrition and training regimen becomes even more expensive in an unfamiliar city.
“The thing about the Olympia is if you qualify by winning a show, then they would cover your airfare and also pay for the hotel,” Williams said. “So the majority of your expenses would come from your food bills. Uber rides also add up. Those aren’t covered, and I probably spent $1,000 on Uber at the Olympia because I was always back and forth from the gym and the grocery store.”
[Read More: 2023 Olympia Set to Take Place Nov 2-5, 2023, in Orlando, FL]
To top it off, embracing the amenities of a free hotel may work against you — your room won’t, after all, have one of the most important components of bodybuilding success.
“Where they put you up, there’s not a full kitchen,” Moore laughed. “So a lot of times you have a room, but if you have to cook your food, you actually have to pay for an Airbnb. They don’t allow you the choice if it’s outside of the host hotel. Let’s just say the place you pick is about $180 a night for a decent Airbnb and you do that for three days. You’re gonna be out of $540 in additional costs just to stay there. So that’s an extra little cost right there if you’re a smart athlete.”
Estimated Cost Range: $500 to $2,000 per year
The Prize Purse
All told, it takes a hefty sum just to reach the prestigious stage, even if you err on the thrifty side of the prep game. But some of all this spending will be offset by qualifying wins and potential prize purses at the Olympia itself, especially for those competing in the Mr. Olympia division.
In 2022, the top spot in the Mr. Olympia came with a $400,000 prize purse, with the prize amounts scaling down with each slot until a $30,000 award for fifth place. Here’s how the top slots across each division broke down monetarily in 2022:
Note: In 2022 and in years previous, the Wheelchair Division prize purses were not announced during the Olympia weekend awards ceremony.
2022 Mr. Olympia Prize Money
- Hadi Choopan— $400,000
- Derek Lunsford — $150,000
- Nick Walker — $100,000
- Brandon Curry — $40,000
- Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay — $30,000
2022 Classic Physique Prize Money
- Chris Bumstead — $50,000
- Ramon Rocha Queiroz — $20,000
- Urs Kalecinski — $10,000
- Breon Ansley — $6,000
- Mike Sommerfeld — $4,000
2022 Bikini Olympia Prize Money
- Maureen Blanquisco — $50,000
- Jennifer Dorie — $20,000
- Ashley Kaltwasser — $12,000
- Daraja Hill — $7,000
- Lauralie Chapados — $6,000
2022 Men’s Physique Olympia Prize Money
- Erin Banks — $50,000
- Brandon Hendrickson — $20,000
- Diogo Montenegro — $10,000
- Charjo Grant — $7,000
- Edvan Palmeira — $4,000
2022 Wellness Olympia Prize Money
- Francielle Mattos — $50,000
- Isabelle Nunes — $20,000
- Angela Borges — $12,000
- Kassandra Gillis — $7,000
- Rayane Fogal de Souza Santana — $6,000
2022 Ms. Olympia Prize Money
- Andrea Shaw — $50,000
- Angela Yeo — $20,000
- Helle Trevino — $12,000
- Margie Martin — $7,000
- Branka Njegovec — $6,000
2022 Fitness Olympia Prize Money
- Missy Truscott — $50,000
- Jaclyn Baker — $20,000
- Ariel Khadr — $12,000
- Sarah Kovach — $7,000
- Michelle Fredua-Mensah — $6,000
2022 Women’s Physique Prize Money
- Natalia Abraham Coelho — $50,000
- Sarah Villegas — $20,000
- Brooke Walker — $12,000
- Barbara Menage — $7,000
- Ivie Rhein — $6,000
2022 Figure Olympia Prize Money
- Cydney Gillon — $50,000
- Jessica Reyes Padilla — $20,000
- Lola Montez — $12,000
- Jossie Nathali Alarcon Becerra — $7,000
- Natalia Soltero — $6,000
2022 212 Olympia Prize Money
- Shaun Clarida — $50,000
- Angel Calderon Frias —$20,000
- Kamal Elgargni — $10,000
- Ahmad Ashkanani —$6,000
- Oleh Kryvyi —$4,000
Excluding the Wheelchair Division, the total 2022 Olympia prize purse amounted to $1,561,000.
The Final Tally
All presumed endorsements aside, nobody gets to grace the Mr. Olympia stage without spending an exorbitant amount of money, whether it belongs to them, a sponsor, or another interested party.
Even accounting for someone’s victories along the way, the financial cost of pro bodybuilding runs deep. If someone has absolutely bootstrapped every aspect of their preparation, they could conceivably pose beneath the Olympia lights for $37,480, but this is probably quite rare.
Realistically, many Olympia qualifiers are likely doling out much closer to the high end of this spending estimate, which is $135,120.
That’s nearly a $100,000 gap between the lower and higher ends of the spectrum, but it’s one that makes a lot of sense. There’s a lot of wiggle room with finances because there are plenty of different ways to go about your prep. As some examples, you might only compete once to qualify; you may have sponsorships footing various supplement, nutrition, and training bills; and you might not have to pay a lot in gym fees if you can swing a free membership or two.
Regardless, you’re likely to spend a lot of money on your Mr. Olympia prep. Unless you take home one of the top spots in the Mr. Olympia itself, your prep costs may well exceed your prize money.
This should give you a sense of the financial formula necessary to build a body capable of qualifying for the Olympia crown. On top of blood, sweat, tears, and transcendent genetics, it may take in the realm of six figures to construct a seven-figure body.
Featured Image: @akim_bkbeast_williams & @patricktmoore / Instagram
