Becoming a professional bodybuilder is no easy feat – it takes dedication and consistency, and there is NO ROOM for excuses. In fact, jumping on the bodybuilding stage is not for everyone, as the process is so difficult.

As a coach who has two client reach professional status – one in ICN, and the other in ANB – this article will cover what is required to reach this goal. Many women have tried and failed. and this article should make the path easier for you.

1. You need a good coach.

Bodybuilding is hard – helping someone build the right amount of muscle, and to have that muscle be completely symmetrical, and to then help them lose all their body-fat without losing that hard-earned muscle, is something only advanced and highly experienced coaches can do.

That’s why you want to hire someone who is advanced, if you have advanced fat-loss goals.

As an athlete, you are simply following the nutritional guidelines, training programs, and lifestyle recommendations offered by your coach, and then checking-in with them on a weekly basis to receive feedback.

2. You need discipline.

Without discipline, nothing will go right. You have to eat what is on your plan all day, every day. You have to complete all your workouts, and push yourself each time you train. You have to complete all step goals, all cardio, take all supplements, and there are no days off.

3. There is no off-season

In the off-season you continue to count your food, follow your training and stick to a structured routine. You don’t have weeks or days off. What you do in your off-season will show in your next competition. Muscle is built in the off-season, and competition recovery, including getting your food and metabolism back up to where it was pre-dieting, is essential.

If you don’t recover your metabolism, you will not be able to lose fat the next time you want to compete.

4. It IS your lifestyle, and everything else is secondary

Your life will revolve around your training. You need to put your food prep, steps, and training first. I’ve had women talk about going pro, but they don’t want to track in their off-season, they want to drink alcohol with their friends. Going Pro means beating every other woman in your open line up, so it’s a pretty impressive feat! If you slack off, it’s likely the woman who didn’t will beat you.

So that’s what it’s like to be a professional bodybuilderI It sounds intense, but the women I train for bodybuilding absolutely loved the sport. They loved the lifestyle. So if you don’t love it, then I don’t think becoming a professional bodybuilder is for you 😉

Jen X