Beyond Bodybuilding Stage: Finding Purpose After Competition

To succeed as a competitive bodybuilder, you need total commitment in the gym and the kitchen to sculpt the perfect physique.

Furthermore, the adrenaline rush of stepping under the bright stage lights with an energetic crowd can be addictive.

However, irrespective of how good you are, your time as a competitive bodybuilder is limited. Each athlete eventually peaks, followed by a gradual decline in performance and competitive ranking. That is when you must ask yourself: “What’s next?”

Most bodybuilders overstay their welcome, as leaving behind the intensity, camaraderie, and singular focus of competing can have you feeling lost. The growing popularity of the Masters division has made matters worse. It gives the bodybuilder more reasons to hang on to their posing suits.

Nonetheless, the pursuit of the next bodybuilding championship must end at some point. Hundreds, if not thousands, of athletes, deal with this transition each year.

If you’re unsure about how to channel your drive, discipline, and warrior spirit into a life beyond the stage, this article is for you.

In this article, we dive into the world of post-competition purpose and explore unique challenges and opportunities that arise when it’s time to pull down the curtain on your competitive bodybuilding career.

The Emotional Landscape of Transition From Competitive Bodybuilding

Whether you are a seasoned pro or a first-time competitor contemplating your next move, this article will give you the tools and insights you need to get past the next chapter. Here is how to deal with the psychological side of the equation:

Loss of Identity

Rising through the bodybuilding ranks can take a long time. Most elite bodybuilders spend anywhere between five to 10 years before they start making it big on the biggest pro stages in the sport.

The idea of walking away from the stage after such a long time can come as a shock. After all, everyone, including your family, friends, and fans, knows you as a competitive bodybuilder. Your life (and identity) revolved around training, counting macros, posing, and competing.

Acknowledging the Emotions

After you’ve spent a considerable time pursuing a title, it’s normal to feel adrift and unsure of what you’ll do after your bodybuilding career ends. It can even lead to depression in some cases.

You shouldn’t try to bottle these feelings or ignore them. Instead, talk to a therapist, coach, or someone who has been through the same challenges. Sharing your experiences and feelings can be incredibly therapeutic.

Reframing Success

As a professional bodybuilder, your success is measured by how many contests you win. However, you must expand the view once you call it a career. Here are some other factors you must consider:

• Overall Health: When you are after a title, you treat your body like a machine. While it might help you achieve your transformation goal, it takes its toll on the body in the long term. After retiring from competing, you must tweak your training and diet regimes to focus on your overall health and longevity.
• Give Back: After multiple years of training, you know the sport of bodybuilding, like the back of your hand. If you want to remain in the bodybuilding industry, you can transition to mentoring and coaching athletes or sharing your knowledge with fans through seminars, books, or online.
• Explore New Passions: It’s absolutely okay to take a break from bodybuilding after a long stint. Try your hand at cooking, painting, or a new business in a different field. The discipline and work ethic you gained through years of bodybuilding will pay dividends anywhere you go.
• Reconnect with Your Loved Ones: Bodybuilding can be a very selfish sport, as it is all about your physique. This can strain your relationships. Use your new-found time to reconnect with your friends and family.

Rediscovering Passion and Purpose

Here is how you can rediscover your passion and purpose beyond the bodybuilding stage:

Leveraging Skills and Experience

Years of practicing a particular sport give you several high-value skills that you can turn into a new career. Think about it: Bodybuilding requires sticking to a particular plan, overcoming setbacks, and pushing through scorching pain. These skill sets are also the recipe for success in any field you pick.

Competitive bodybuilders are known to set ambitious goals and then break them down into smaller, more achievable milestones. This skill is invaluable in project management, personal finance, or business development.

Though bodybuilding is a solo sport, you require the help of several people to get in stage-ready shape. You have your coach, nutritionist, training partner, sponsors, and family. A bodybuilder must constantly collaborate with different people on his team and leverage their expertise to his advantage. I have never met a business owner who wouldn’t love to have someone with these skills on his team.

Professional bodybuilders can be incredibly tough — physically and mentally. It allows you to fend against adversity and tackle new challenges as they crop up in real-time. Bodybuilders thrive off pushing past their comfort zone.

Exploring New Interests

I know several competitive bodybuilders who are doing incredible things outside the world of bodybuilding. Heck, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the best example of this, as he wears multiple hats. He is a bodybuilder, actor, politician, writer, businessman, show promoter, producer, and god knows what else.

It is all about your curiosity to learn new things and go all in on them.

So, sign up for new things and embrace the unknown. You might discover a newfound love for a particular art, a hidden artistic talent, or a passion for helping others.

Some bodybuilders also focus their attention on helping a particular group of people.

“Forget GOAT, forget Sultan of whatever, forget about the accolades from before. What I’ve done is not who I am now. Bodybuilding is what I did; it’s not who I am,” said four-time Arnold Classic champion Flex Wheeler. “I’m starting over from scratch, and now I want to do bigger and better things for people like me — amputees or people with disabilities, guys and gals over 50, parents, and grandparents.”

Ensure that you never stop learning. Enroll in new courses or workshops, and expand your library. Each industry, especially health and fitness, is constantly evolving, and you need to stay updated to remain relevant.

I also recommend joining new social clubs or networking groups in your niche to remain in the know and connect with like-minded people. Support at the right time can uplift your new career.

Case Studies

The eight-time Mr. Olympia champion Ronnie Coleman started his own supplement company after leaving the field. On the other hand, the ever-so-philosophical three-time Arnold Classic champ Kai Greene has channeled his artistic spirit into a successful career as a painter and motivational speaker.

These are just a few examples. Numerous others, like Rich Gaspari, Lee Labrada, Kevin Levrone, Dorian Yates, and Phil Heath, are doing great things after saying goodbye to competitive bodybuilding.

Building a Support Network For Life Beyond the Stage

Catering a large support base while you’re still active in the sport can be incredibly helpful after your competitive days are behind you.

There are three layers to building a support network:

1. Get a Mentor

You are missing out on a lot if you don’t have a mentor, as they can help you avoid mistakes and steer your career in the right direction. However, getting the right mentor is key here as they have walked your path and faced the same uncertainties and difficulties. This is what you should do:

• Get Help From Champions: Seek former champions who have transitioned into coaching, entrepreneurship, or any other field of your interest.
• Learn From Their Playbook: Ask questions and soak their knowledge about the industry, career path, and mental models. Remember, SOPs from one industry can be applied to a different field.
• Seek Personalized Help: Sometimes, you might have to hire a coach, which might cost some money upfront but will pay dividends in the long term.

2. Community Connections

Building your personal brand should be one of your priorities as a professional bodybuilder. It will help establish you as an authority and expert in the field and build credibility.

While your mentorship relationships are usually limited to a handful of people, your community-building ambitions can reach into the millions.

You should not only connect with your peers but also find ways to communicate with your fans. Social media platforms are a godsend for this purpose. Here is a quick overview of what you should be doing:

• Find Your Tribe: Join online forums, social media groups, and local meetups around your niche (division). Actively participate in the groups and add as much free value as possible.
• Share Your Story: Nothing helps you connect with your audience better than pulling back the curtain on your life and sharing your struggles, triumphs, and aspirations. Make your followers feel like a part of your journey.
• Celebrate Together: Remember, it is not just about you. You must cheer on your peers as they explore new passions, start businesses, or share successes.

3. Give Back

Once you have gathered enough knowledge and experience, you will have newbies look up to you for help and guidance. Take a few of them under your wing and support other causes (or businesses) you believe in.

Most former competitive bodybuilders, even when they start new businesses in other fields, keep sharing tips and tricks about staying healthy and building a jacked physique. Some people might be following you because of what you achieved in the fitness world. You must give them a reason to stick around.

Thriving in the Next Chapter

Here’s how to use everything you learned in bodybuilding to fulfill your maximum potential in life beyond the stage:

Set New Goals

Begin by rediscovering your ‘why.’ Be honest with yourself about why you are doing what you are doing. Is it for the money, recognition, or giving back? Having this clarity sets you up for success.

Always set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) and celebrate each small win that comes your way.

Keep Learning

Most people begin bodybuilding, curious about how far they can push their bodies. You must use this same approach for your next endeavor as well. Find something challenging and go all-out in its pursuit.

Constantly upgrade your knowledge through books and courses. Also, keep up with certifications, research, and new tools in your line of business.

Maintain a Balance

Prepping for a bodybuilding contest can jeopardize your work-life balance. However, you shouldn’t let that happen in your next innings. Find a healthy balance for you and stick with it. Plus, focus on sleep and stress management to ensure optimal body functioning and recovery.

Conclusion

The end of one journey is simply the beginning of another. Transitioning is a slow process, and some days, it can be more challenging than others. However, you must avoid the rebound and be willing to adapt.

Remind yourself that you are an athlete with a world of possibilities ahead of you. Redirect your competitive energy, passion, and discipline into the next challenge and conquer that, too. Best of luck!

---