What % of population could become an IFBB Pro?

[Nirvana]

anybody could be Mr. O if they just took steroids, It's really is that easy! the bigger you are-the more juice you pump duh! I could be a pro race car driver if I just had numbers on my mazda, if I had a $195 pair of jordans I could play like MJ. If I get an expensive set of golf clubs I could play like tiger woods

[Chick]

I'm a firm believer that genetics play a tremendous role in BB...drugs are just the finishing touches in most cases. Bone structure, proportions, insertions, muscle bellies, etc. are not helped by drugs. Therefore, I truely believe that out of 10k gym rats perhaps only 1 or 2 would have what it takes to be an elite IFBB pro....take into account the commitment, discipline, etc that must exist with training, eating, sleeping, etc.....


I def. don't qualify due to my poor proportions, wide waste, narrow shldrs, long torso, etc...I could jump on a ton of drugs and come nowhere near the caliber of any pro.... I frequently see a couple of IFBB Pro's and it's always a cold reminder that no matter what, I can never look like them.


Discuss

I'm sure it could be figured out...but "population" is a little deceiving and unfair since the majority of the population doesnt even compete....so I think you have to use the percentage of competing BBers at the National level...since athletes competing at any other level arent going for a pro card...

Example:  USA- 500 athletes/ 10 pro cards? (guess)

[Mr Nobody]

It might seem like an easy thing to do, especially when you're just talking about it, but it's very hard to become pro. Look at guys like Edgar Fletcher and Matt Mendenhall - they have elite genetics, crazy structure and respond well to drugs, but couldn't hack it into the pro ranks despite trying several times.

And they're just a drop in the ocean filled with amateurs, most of whom have far less impressive genetics than those two. Not to mention it takes years and years of effort to get there, which most people won't commit to.

Anyone who thinks guys like Kamali and Titus are "average" don't know that they're talking about. Only reason a lot of pros deflate dramatically and look like crap after they stop competing is because they are lazy and their heart isn't into lifting hard. If guys like Tom Prince and Kamali lifted hard without juice, they'd still be more muscular and bigger than the average guy you see in the gym. Average guy in the gym = 5'9" 170 lb at 20% body fat.

[/b]
Kiwiol on the money. Nice Post

[dov]

anybody could be Mr. O if they just took steroids, It's really is that easy! the bigger you are-the more juice you pump duh! I could be a pro race car driver if I just had numbers on my mazda, if I had a $195 pair of jordans I could play like MJ. If I get an expensive set of golf clubs I could play like tiger woods

"Nirvana" = teh funny

[dov]

I'm sure it could be figured out...but "population" is a little deceiving and unfair since the majority of the population doesnt even compete....so I think you have to use the percentage of competing BBers at the National level...since athletes competing at any other level arent going for a pro card...

Example:  USA- 500 athletes/ 10 pro cards? (guess)

The initial discussion was btwn me and a few friends...one very naive friend suggested that any of us 3 could use heavy doses of aas and look compatible to some IFBB pros! We laughed histerically at him and thought we set him straight. He then states that many guys at local gyms could easily turn pro only if they were serious about it. He said 10% of gymgoers(18-40yr old men) have potential to compete. I said out of 10k maybe 1 or 2.

[kiwiol]

The initial discussion was btwn me and a few friends...one very naive friend suggested that any of us 3 could use heavy doses of aas and look compatible to some IFBB pros! We laughed histerically at him and thought we set him straight. He then states that many guys at local gyms could easily turn pro only if they were serious about it. He said 10% of gymgoers(18-40yr old men) have potential to compete. I said out of 10k maybe 1 or 2.

Saying anyone can become pro if they juice hard enough is like saying anyone can win the gold medal in the Olympics if they put in the same amount of training time as the athletes do or become as great a physicist as Tesla if they put in the same amount of study time.

If getting a pro card was easy and close to 100% of the population could look like pros, then you wouldn't have such a long line of amateurs in the local ranks struggling year after year to get that card. Ask those very guys who have the experience and they'll tell you it's no easy task.

[che]

Of course isn't easy to become an IFBB Pro but in the end  it all comes down to how well you respond to drugs .

[pugalist666]

It might seem like an easy thing to do, especially when you're just talking about it, but it's very hard to become pro. Look at guys like Edgar Fletcher and Matt Mendenhall - they have elite genetics, crazy structure and respond well to drugs, but couldn't hack it into the pro ranks despite trying several times.

And they're just a drop in the ocean filled with amateurs, most of whom have far less impressive genetics than those two. Not to mention it takes years and years of effort to get there, which most people won't commit to.

Anyone who thinks guys like Kamali and Titus are "average" don't know that they're talking about. Only reason a lot of pros deflate dramatically and look like crap after they stop competing is because they are lazy and their heart isn't into lifting hard. If guys like Tom Prince and Kamali lifted hard without juice, they'd still be more muscular and bigger than the average guy you see in the gym. Average guy in the gym = 5'9" 170 lb at 20% body fat.

i dont consider this to be average , i consider it to be shit genetics , to me average = 5 10 - 511  210-220 with body fat under 15%

[powermaxx9]

i think the better question is who the fuck would want to

hahahahahahahahha

stop playin, most people dream of this at one time or another.

[pugalist666]

hahahahahahahahha

stop playin, most people dream of this at one time or another.

ya when your 12 , then you grow up and realize how ridicules the idea of being a pro bodybuilder or pro wrestler  

[James Blunt]

Saying anyone can become pro if they juice hard enough is like saying anyone can win the gold medal in the Olympics if they put in the same amount of training time as the athletes do or become as great a physicist as Tesla if they put in the same amount of study time.

If getting a pro card was easy and close to 100% of the population could look like pros, then you wouldn't have such a long line of amateurs in the local ranks struggling year after year to get that card. Ask those very guys who have the experience and they'll tell you it's no easy task.

Speaking of physicists.. if string theory ever became a law of physics it would be true that any person in the world was a pro bodybuilder in a paralell universe due to the ever expanding universe creating every possible outcome for every situation.  

[Nirvana]

how the hell did greg kovacs ever go pro. and what about dave palumbo did he ever go pro, these two were about the worst looking physiques ever

[dr.chimps]

Saying anyone can become pro if they juice hard enough is like saying anyone can win the gold medal in the Olympics if they put in the same amount of training time as the athletes do or become as great a physicist as Tesla if they put in the same amount of study time.

If getting a pro card was easy and close to 100% of the population could look like pros, then you wouldn't have such a long line of amateurs in the local ranks struggling year after year to get that card. Ask those very guys who have the experience and they'll tell you it's no easy task.

QFT! It took me 5 mins at 17 to realize that I would never have the genetics to be a pro-BBer.

/took me 10 mins to realize i wouldn't be tesla.  
//you want fries with that?
  

[marty31672]

I'm a firm believer that genetics play a tremendous role in BB...drugs are just the finishing touches in most cases. Bone structure, proportions, insertions, muscle bellies, etc. are not helped by drugs. Therefore, I truely believe that out of 10k gym rats perhaps only 1 or 2 would have what it takes to be an elite IFBB pro....take into account the commitment, discipline, etc that must exist with training, eating, sleeping, etc.....

i think probably 3-5% could be IFBB pro's with a proper training and nutrition

I def. don't qualify due to my poor proportions, wide waste, narrow shldrs, long torso, etc...I could jump on a ton of drugs and come nowhere near the caliber of any pro.... I frequently see a couple of IFBB Pro's and it's always a cold reminder that no matter what, I can never look like them.


Discuss

[mesmorph78]

More people than one would initially think

[Yev33]

Totally right on needing the the proper structure to be a pro, small waist, wide clavicles, tiny joints, long muscle bellies, great response to AAS. But think about how many pros actually posess ALL of those qualities, and how many average guys out there posess NONE of them. Everyone has flaws in their structure, from average gym rats to IFBB pros. And please don't compare pro bodybuilders to NBA players, first and foremost to play in the NBA you have to be tall, so if you are under 6'3" you already have a lot going against you, next there is the athleticism factor, hand eye coordination, and lets not forget skill. How many of those qualities do you need to be a IFBB pro? Im just bringing up basketball because I used to play in high school and I can easily relate to it, I'm sure other people that have played other high school or college sports can give examples of their own. Not saying that anyone can be an IFBB pro, but saying that it's an elite 1% out of all the people that lift weights regularly is completely wrong. Why not ask the question how many IFBB pros would stand head and shoulders above the average gym rat if AAS was taken away completely. Besides Ronnie and Levrone I can't really think of any.

[Valane]

Totally right on needing the the proper structure to be a pro, small waist, wide clavicles, tiny joints, long muscle bellies, great response to AAS. But think about how many pros actually posess ALL of those qualities, and how many average guys out there posess NONE of them. Everyone has flaws in their structure, from average gym rats to IFBB pros. And please don't compare pro bodybuilders to NBA players, first and foremost to play in the NBA you have to be tall, so if you are under 6'3" you already have a lot going against you, next there is the athleticism factor, hand eye coordination, and lets not forget skill. How many of those qualities do you need to be a IFBB pro? Im just bringing up basketball because I used to play in high school and I can easily relate to it, I'm sure other people that have played other high school or college sports can give examples of their own. Not saying that anyone can be an IFBB pro, but saying that it's an elite 1% out of all the people that lift weights regularly is completely wrong. Why not ask the question how many IFBB pros would stand head and shoulders above the average gym rat if AAS was taken away completely. Besides Ronnie and Levrone I can't really think of any.

Levrone shrunk to nothing when he stopped the AAS. Years ago i would have said a smaller percentage, but given some of the physiques that are rewarded nowadays and the systematic substance abuse, i would say a good 90% of people could reach pro level.

[dov]

id say probably 1 or 2 % COULD NOT become ifbb pro's. for 98-99%, it is not a question of possibility, but a question of will.

Sooooo....let me be sure that I'm understanding you correctly. Are you saying that 99% of male gymgoers aged 18-40 could become an IFBB Pro if they have enough willpower?

If this is true, I think you may be the most delusional poster on GB. I think you drastically underestimate the qualifications to become a pro. You have aspirations of becoming a pro BB, correct? Good luck

[flexingtonsteele]

People give pros too much credit............Id say a LARGE percentage of the population could become pros......its just a matter of how far someone wants to take their "weightlifting hobby"........it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to become a pro bodybuilder............b ut for what??

Believe me when i say this, the best bodybuilder on the planet right now isnt a pro, its someone somewhere with crazy genetics and an unbelievable response to drugs, who probably doesnt even lift weights and is ripped and muscular.....But we'll never know because this person has yet to step foot in a gym and probably never will........

All we see are the guys who took their hobby to the next level, thats all.

[pugalist666]

People give pros too much credit............Id say a LARGE percentage of the population could become pros......its just a matter of how far someone wants to take their "weightlifting hobby"........it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to become a pro bodybuilder............b ut for what??

Believe me when i say this, the best bodybuilder on the planet right now isnt a pro, its someone somewhere with crazy genetics and an unbelievable response to drugs, who probably doesnt even lift weights and is ripped and muscular.....But we'll never know because this person has yet to step foot in a gym and probably never will........

All we see are the guys who took their hobby to the next level, thats all.

this

[TRIX]

LOL

[dov]

People give pros too much credit............Id say a LARGE percentage of the population could become pros......its just a matter of how far someone wants to take their "weightlifting hobby"........it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to become a pro bodybuilder............b ut for what??

Believe me when i say this, the best bodybuilder on the planet right now isnt a pro, its someone somewhere with crazy genetics and an unbelievable response to drugs, who probably doesnt even lift weights and is ripped and muscular.....But we'll never know because this person has yet to step foot in a gym and probably never will........

All we see are the guys who took their hobby to the next level, thats all.

True...same goes for true athletes...most of them are sitting in prison. There just seems to be waaay too many knuckleheads in the gyms I frequent that truely believe they could be an IFBB Pro as if it's just a simple choice on their part....

"Flexngsteele"...you have done a show or 2 if I'm not mistaking...as far as I know and suspect, you're a natty correct? With that being said, could you become an IFBB Pro by dedicating yourself to the "lifestyle", including drug use of course? Is it truely just a matter of choice to parley your "weightlifting hobby" into becoming a Pro? Are you seriously saying that there's still a chance for Goodrum and Arvilla?

[Palpatine Q]

HaHaha   now I have a GH gut to go along with my imaginary Gyno that I hide by putting my hand on my hip. I own your minds.  I easily could have been a pro, along with quite a few other posters here.

These guys are not the "genetic elite"....they are walking pharmacies. Sorry Bobs, but that includes your hero too. As far as all that bullshit about tiny joints, round muscle bellies blah blah blah......tell that to Jay Cutler.

You DO need good genetics to be a pro. but PLENTY of people have good genetics. they just have no interest in taking enough drugs to kill a horse.

You guys need to stop drinking the Kool Aid

[io856]

People give pros too much credit............Id say a LARGE percentage of the population could become pros......its just a matter of how far someone wants to take their "weightlifting hobby"........it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to become a pro bodybuilder............b ut for what??

Believe me when i say this, the best bodybuilder on the planet right now isnt a pro, its someone somewhere with crazy genetics and an unbelievable response to drugs, who probably doesnt even lift weights and is ripped and muscular.....But we'll never know because this person has yet to step foot in a gym and probably never will........

All we see are the guys who took their hobby to the next level, thats all.

that reminds of this MONSTER guy I saw once FUCKING HUGE WITH LEANS he looked black not sure what ethnicity

made me feel like a little girl and never trained a day in my life

[dov]

HaHaha   now I have a GH gut to go along with my imaginary Gyno that I hide by putting my hand on my hip. I own your minds.  I easily could have been a pro, along with quite a few other posters here.
These guys are not the "genetic elite"....they are walking pharmacies. Sorry Bobs, but that includes your hero too. As far as all that bullshit about tiny joints, round muscle bellies blah blah blah......tell that to Jay Cutler.

You DO need good genetics to be a pro. but PLENTY of people have good genetics. they just have no interest in taking enough drugs to kill a horse.

You guys need to stop drinking the Kool Aid

Oh great! Just what most delusional gymrat bodybuilders need to hear! These types of comments only fuel their delusional fires! "Groink" has always been a level headed guy on here, but I think your comment is unrealistic.