Arnold Shakes the Board: The New Game of Professional Bodybuilding

When I was 20 or 21, I started thinking seriously about becoming a bodybuilder. My body responded well to training—I grew fast and strong. I reached 100 kilos with a solid amount of muscle. But then I had to make a tough decision: should I go all-in on bodybuilding or finish my university degree and aim for a stable career?

I was lucky enough to train with two Mr. Mexico champions and met many people who dreamed of making a living from bodybuilding. However, being realistic—and being in Mexico—I realized that pursuing a professional career in bodybuilding here was basically a mission impossible. The lack of support, the minimal recognition, and honestly, the genetic disadvantage compared to American competitors made the path steep.

I met people who sold steroids stolen from hospitals. Others sold drugs. Some even offered sexual services—just to finance their lifestyle as bodybuilders. It was a dark world disguised as one of discipline and muscle. After finishing my degree, I started job hunting and came to a harsh realization: I could earn in a couple of months what a professional bodybuilder in Mexico made in an entire year. The decision was clear. Bodybuilding would remain my passion, yes—but only as a hobby. My professional career had to come first.

The truth is that in Mexico, bodybuilding just isn't profitable. It's an expensive lifestyle with very little sponsorship. Prize money in national competitions is symbolic—nowhere near enough to turn this discipline into a sustainable profession. What a bodybuilder spends on food and supplements isn't even close to what they can win in national contests.

Just a few days ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger—the living legend—announced a historic prize increase for the 2025 Arnold Classic: $1.5 million will be awarded. This year, Derek Lunsford, the winner, took home half a million dollars. But next year, the champion will receive $750,000. To put that into perspective—that's more than the $600,000 Samson Dauda earned for winning the last Mr. Olympia.

Arnold is playing for real. He wants the Arnold Classic to become the biggest bodybuilding competition in the world—even bigger than the legendary Mr. Olympia founded by the late Joe Weider. And it’s very likely we’ll see a quick response from the Olympia organizers, with a prize adjustment to be announced soon.

Right now, bodybuilding in the U.S. is booming. It’s become a viable, lucrative career. Derek Lunsford, who placed third in the 2024 Mr. Olympia, has already won $500,000 at the Arnold Classic and $100,000 at the Pittsburgh Pro. If he wins the Olympia in October, he’ll have earned a total of $1.2 million. That’s historic.

Arnold is making history—but not as an athlete. He’s doing it as a promoter of bodybuilding. The Arnold Classic has become a real threat to the Weider organization. And now, Mr. Olympia must respond in a big way to maintain its prestige.

But the Weider organization’s first reaction was rather bitter. Lenda Murray, one of the greatest champions in the history of Ms. Olympia, publicly criticized Arnold for his "overwhelming" support of male bodybuilding while leaving out the female side. Murray pointed out that even the third-place male finisher at last year’s Arnold Classic earned more money than dozens of female competitors combined.

And while she’s right in what she says, it’s also true that bodybuilding—like many professional sports—is a business. It depends on sponsors and demand. And today, male bodybuilding has far more viewers, much more marketing, and therefore, more money.

In an ideal world, the prizes for Mr. Olympia and Ms. Olympia should be similar. But let’s be honest: the payouts depend on sponsors. And most of them target the male market, because that’s where their biggest consumers are. That also explains why there’s less support for the women’s divisions.

One fascinating part of bodybuilding is those extreme physiques. And while that generates admiration in the men’s category, in the women’s category it has seen less acceptance. In fact, the Ms. Olympia was suspended for five years after 2014, when competitors like the legendary Iris Kyle pushed their physiques to the limit, sparking highly divided reactions from the audience.

I’ve always said I deeply admire women’s bodybuilding. What athletes like Lenda Murray, Kim Chizevsky, Iris Kyle, and Andrea Shaw have accomplished is brutally admirable. But we also have to understand that professional sports don’t survive on applause alone. They need investment. And whoever pays, often sets the rules.

What Arnold is doing is historic. His support for bodybuilding is raising the entire sport to new heights. As this momentum grows, all athletes—men and women—will benefit. What Lenda Murray said, on the other hand, strikes me more as a political jab than a constructive critique. This isn’t discrimination—it’s about numbers, about business. The audience calls the shots. And at the end of the day, they’re the ones who decide which sport grows—and which one doesn’t. Criticize Arnold? No, when few people have done as much as him to promote bodybuilding. Lenda should seriously think about what else she could do to promote female bodybuilding.