Column 2 | Ambitious

ANSWER

It takes a lot to be one of the best bodybuilders in the world - above all, it takes above-average genetics. Without them, nothing works in our sport and if you have them, together with the right training and adequate nutrition, you can go very far.

But before you even know whether you have such good genetics, you first have to know your limits. At the beginning of your "career" you simply cannot estimate how far you will get. You only gradually gain clarity. That is why I advise you to first strive for success at the amateur level. Otherwise you could quickly experience great disappointment and give up bodybuilding in resignation.

The optimal age to start bodybuilding is between 16 and 20 years old, but you can still make it to the top at 26 - unlike many other sports like tennis or football. The best example is IFBB professional Vince Taylor, who only started bodybuilding at the age of 26 and is now one of the greats in the sport.

Find a gym that is inexpensive but still meets your needs. There are gyms that charge a monthly fee of no more than 20 euros. Only through intensive machine and weight training can you build the muscle mass that is necessary to be able to compete at the top and also explore your limits. Effective training is based on the following basic rules: You can find more information about effective training, different training methods and intensity techniques under the heading TRAINING and the individual subchapters.

A second important point is a healthy, needs-based and, above all, protein-rich diet. This includes the consumption of complex carbohydrates (e.g. rice, oatmeal, pasta), high-quality proteins (e.g. egg white, poultry, cottage cheese) and healthy fats (safflower, rapeseed and linseed oil). If you stick to these guidelines, the use of supplements makes sense. For this, I recommend the use of PROTEIN 96 (for protein enrichment), TRIPLE WHEY (for protein enrichment and as post-workout nutrition), MALTO 95 (complex carbohydrates as post-workout nutrition) and AMINO TABS (for amino acid enrichment). With these supplements you will be able to achieve good results to start with.

You seem to be a determined person. That's good, because that's the only way you can achieve your goal. You have to have the discipline and the inner attitude. You should live for sport without ignoring other interests. You should stick to your training, but at least at the weekend you should also think about other things. You should pay attention to your diet, but you should also be allowed to eat "out of the ordinary" from time to time. This is the only way you will be able to maintain hard training and a disciplined diet for years or even decades. If you work yourself to death in the gym every day and stick to the nutritional principles too zealously, you will quickly get tired of it all.

But I want to make one thing very clear to you: Don't rely on the potential financial security that comes with bodybuilding. Professional sport is not something you can plan. You can set high goals for yourself, but you should also be able to live with it or deal with it if you don't achieve them. You never know what will happen: an injury, an illness and that might be it. Not to mention the limited financial earning potential, especially in European professional bodybuilding. Possibly the best ten to 20 in the world can make a living from bodybuilding alone - perhaps only the best five can get "rich" from it.

The earning potential in bodybuilding is nowhere near that of other professional sports. My absolute advice is that you should definitely learn a "normal" profession before you consider becoming a professional. This will open new doors for you if professional sport remains closed to you.

As for your question about sponsors, I can tell you that in the society we live in, you first have to perform well before you get a sponsorship contract that will help you achieve your further ambitions. In bodybuilding, this primarily means showing success at amateur championships. In SPORTREVUE you will find all the necessary contact details for the German bodybuilding associations and their championships. The organizations' websites provide a lot of further information. I wish you all the best and much success.