As a human species achieving excellence is a common aspiration for most people. For fitness athletes, this is even more so as they are mentally programmed to always yearn for the top levels of achievement in their many different categories, be it bodybuilding, sports, weight lifting, and much more.
On the other hand, many people only consider fitness as a hobby and fail to understand the true value or meaning of what a complete fitness lifestyle should look like. I have met a lot of great fitness enthusiast that have hit a brick wall when it comes to maintaining a competitive edge in the world of fitness.
What’s more, over the years we have found people who struggle with real-world applications and solutions to succeed in this fast-paced industry. This is why we have taken it upon myself to advocate for physique athletes that seek a guide or footprint to what they should expect in this industry. Moreover, we also ultimately tackle the ways on how to succeed as a fitness athlete in today’s world. Visit southfloridaathleticclub.com for a free powerlifting training program.
What Is a Physique Athlete?
To sum it up quickly, a physique athlete is a person who is on a quest through a structured training regime, specific nutritional habits – to achieve their preferred ideal body.
The Delusion of Many Physique Athletes
Bodybuilding/fitness is in essence a business that has a ‘HEALTHY’ part of the population glued to its every move. We have found that many athletes believe that they only need to show up on stage and deliver the goods at bodybuilding events for instance. This is only partly true because what you do off stage has a great impact on your performance on stage.
To make it clearer, people don’t buy products that they are not aware of and this is why publicity and branding are so important. The fitness industry is no exception when it comes to publicity and branding and they want the best bodybuilder, fitness enthusiast, speakers, and ambassadors to promote their brand.
So you will have to be all-encompassing with the media who will deliver you to the general public. How the general public receives you will be paramount on which direction your career will take. This relationship with the media should be nurtured and maintained throughout your life cycle as an athlete to ensure maximum publicity is achieved.
Note: You should always make sure you are on the right side of the publicity.
How to Encapsulate the Public
It can be a minefield trying to navigate the ruthless and devouring industry of the media to generate publicity. But if you have just won your first bodybuilding contest or fitness event don’t expect your phone to be ringing off the hook with potential TV interviews. You will have to generate your hype and use your talents to win the imagination of the public. For if you have their attention now come competition day you will be more than just a fly by night athlete.
Here are a few ways to magnify your appeal and build your brand:
Utilize Your Gym– Your gym is the best place to start. Hang some professional pictures of yourself at the gym with the consent of the gym manager of course. This will solidify you with your base audience and this is partly half of the battle won.
TV – After the clout, you achieved from winning you should try to maximize it by appearing on TV. You should reach out to a casting agency for better-suited opportunities as the TV industry is a WHO-KNOWS-WHO kind of setup.
Magazines – Make some effort and put pen to paper and reach out to magazine editors. This will show the editors that you are more than just a physical athlete but you can also take the initiative.
Supplement Companies – This is a good way to reach your direct market. They change their campaigns yearly and you can offer your services as a promotional model. Remember exposure is what you are after so money should not be your main concern. However, if it is offered, the better it will be for you.
The World-Wide-Web – With the internet, your brand can grow exponentially in a short amount of time. This is probably the most important way to magnify your brand to the general public. You can also garner support from other countries all over the world this technique is great if you have aspirations of competing overseas.
Ultimately How Do You Reach Your Goals?
This is a loaded question as far as loaded questions go. You have to realize that everyone is unique and every path will differ. There are as of today millions of diligent, hard-working fitness athletes who are hoping to make their passion for fitness and bodybuilding a full-time profession for them The sad reality is not many will make it to realize this dream. If you don’t have that commitment and believe that you can defy the odds then you might as well stop reading further and quit altogether.
As we suspected you have continued reading because quitting is not found in a true fitness or bodybuilder’s DNA. For this I commend you, you will receive the fruits of your labor soon.
The only way to make it in this industry is if you can see the bigger picture. You must then find a way to insert yourself into that bigger picture and grow the industry as a whole, be it as a trainer, fitness coach, competitive athlete, promoter, advertiser, etc.
We need to mention that you must not become complacent. As there will come a time when you reach the pinnacle of what you can achieve as a competitive athlete. Take for example Ronnie Coleman he won Mr. Olympia eight years in a row.
This could be said to be the pinnacle moment of his career winning the eight titles. However, did he just retire or exit the sport altogether? Or did he search for other avenues to contribute to the sport in meaningful ways – that makes the industry bigger. We want you to do some research and figure that out for yourself.
Mastering a Profile of Yourself
This may sound weird to some of you but making a profile of yourself can be life-changing. It will give you a broader idea of who you are in the fitness industry and give you insight into the strengths and weaknesses you possess. Make no doubt about it that you are entering a business world with business people who are ready to devour you. So it is best to be prepared, and knowing who you are is just one of the steps needed to take on the fitness industry.
Irrespective of what market you are in you should know what it is all about. It is your duty as a business professional/fitness athlete to ensure you are the best situated to reach all of your goals that you set out for yourself. This profile can also be used as a mirror which you can use to reflect how far you have come in the industry from time to time.
Target Your Niche Market
This is important to note because if you waste resources in a niche market that isn’t yours you could lose valuable money. Your niche market is the part of the fitness industry where you spend the majority of your time. It is where you want to make money and thrive. However, you can also branch out to other niche markets that complement yours to maximize your earnings.
Conclusion
There are many hopefuls, dreamers, overachievers, and much more. You will have to find out what sets you apart from all of them and capitalize on that. Whatever, the route you take as a competitive fitness athlete, bodybuilder, or coach, much more. know first what you want out of the industry and find a way to obtain it. Follow these guidelines we have mentioned but don’t forget you do this because you love it so always enjoy every moment of it. You are in a fantastic industry that not too many people get to enjoy.
