(You can find the answer at the end of this article.)
Not everyone agrees with the adage, "If you've got it, flaunt it." But, for those who have spent the time and energy to get their bodies into rock-hard shape, fitness modeling provides the occasion to strut their stuff and collect some green.
Flip through the pages of fitness magazines and it's not altogether difficult to find pictures of toned men and sensational women. Today, we'll examine what's needed to get into this seemingly glamorous business of fitness modeling, how much money is available, and who the superstars are.
Breaking into fitness modeling
For some people, bodybuilding competitions can be a springboard into the world of fitness modeling. A person desiring to enter the field will encounter a virtual who's who in the industry at one of these contests, as publishers, supplement company owners, and many other business people are in attendance. It's basically like going to a trade show.
Winning, however, doesn't guarantee success because the person taking home first prize may not have the qualities that a particular publisher is looking for. As in Hollywood, some fitness models just have "the look" and some don't.
Will Brink, author of Body Building Revealed and Fat Loss Revealed, advises prospective fitness models to network -- they should attend trade shows armed with business cards and high-quality photographs. Brink says that hopefuls should also look at the credits in fitness magazines, collect the names of publishers and editors, and send pictures directly to them.
In addition to being proactive, Brink says aspiring fitness models need to be aware of and steer clear of con artists. As the saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Fitness models should be wary of anyone who offers to build a website for them at no cost. He says these deals can wind up in webmasters who pilfer the money that the site makes or they may post the pictures on porn sites. Another potential pitfall is photographers who offer to take pictures of models, yet are doing this as a hobby. Check references before hiring or signing on any dotted line.
At the start of her career, Candy Keane got hooked up with an agent of questionable quality. She paid, in her view, a great deal of money to an agency to land one job -- a $10 per hour gig as a promo model for Cadillac.
Winning, however, doesn't guarantee success because the person taking home first prize may not have the qualities that a particular publisher is looking for. As in Hollywood, some fitness models just have "the look" and some don't.
Will Brink, author of Body Building Revealed and Fat Loss Revealed, advises prospective fitness models to network -- they should attend trade shows armed with business cards and high-quality photographs. Brink says that hopefuls should also look at the credits in fitness magazines, collect the names of publishers and editors, and send pictures directly to them.
In addition to being proactive, Brink says aspiring fitness models need to be aware of and steer clear of con artists. As the saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Fitness models should be wary of anyone who offers to build a website for them at no cost. He says these deals can wind up in webmasters who pilfer the money that the site makes or they may post the pictures on porn sites. Another potential pitfall is photographers who offer to take pictures of models, yet are doing this as a hobby. Check references before hiring or signing on any dotted line.
At the start of her career, Candy Keane got hooked up with an agent of questionable quality. She paid, in her view, a great deal of money to an agency to land one job -- a $10 per hour gig as a promo model for Cadillac.
How much money can fitness models make?
If someone is looking at fitness modeling as a way to get rich quick, that person is likely to become very disappointed. That's because, according to industry experts, it's very tough to make a living from gracing the pages of fitness mags. Only a select few have done that successfully. Photographer Bill Dobbins goes far enough to say that there's really no such job as a professional fitness model.
"There are simply a lot of women who get photographs published in magazines, a few who get hired for individual jobs to do advertising or appear at booths in expos, and only a very few who actually make a living doing this kind of work," Dobbins says on his website. "It pays to remember that there is a big difference between a career and just a series of jobs."
Kim Lyons, a cover model for Muscle & Fitness Hers, agrees with Dobbins, sharing her views in that publication.
"Many models take jobs just for publicity," she said. "Even top magazines pay only an average $150 to $300 for a layout, and it takes as much as a 14-hour day to pose for that layout. When I modeled for clothing lines, sometimes I accepted free clothes as payment."
"There are simply a lot of women who get photographs published in magazines, a few who get hired for individual jobs to do advertising or appear at booths in expos, and only a very few who actually make a living doing this kind of work," Dobbins says on his website. "It pays to remember that there is a big difference between a career and just a series of jobs."
Kim Lyons, a cover model for Muscle & Fitness Hers, agrees with Dobbins, sharing her views in that publication.
"Many models take jobs just for publicity," she said. "Even top magazines pay only an average $150 to $300 for a layout, and it takes as much as a 14-hour day to pose for that layout. When I modeled for clothing lines, sometimes I accepted free clothes as payment."
