How Much Does an IFBB Pro Card Cost?

By Ali Hammad June 13, 2024 05:05

Photo By giuseppe.moscato

If you are awarded an IFBB Pro card, it becomes an almost all-access pass in the realm of bodybuilding and fitness.

It encapsulates the ultimate in physicality, as well as a very specific set of financial obligations.

To provide you with a full scope and perspective of what it costs to attain and retain an IFBB Pro card, Fan Arch is going to go into detail about the fees that fall under four main areas: application, renewal, extra, and how much aspiring pros need to put down to have skin in the game.

Application Fee and Membership

Those who wish to join the IFBB Pro ranks would first pay a $200 fee to start their journey to getting an IFBB Pro card.

The active membership fee for the current calendar year required in order to maintain a valid IFBB Pro card also must be submitted in addition to the application fee.

Your IFBB Pro card and inclusion to compete in IFBB Pro contests are reserved only for active members.

With all the new IFBB Pro cards that have been awarded, you must remember that after you have received your card, there are mandatory steps that must be taken within a specified period of time for you to keep your active status.

Registration Timeline

Once an individual has earned their IFBB Pro card, they have one year to register with the IFBB Professional League, or until the end of the calendar year in which they earned the card.

This member then has one year to become an active member, or through the end of the subsequent calendar year.

As a result, competitors have up to two years from the date on which they obtain an IFBB Pro card to make their IFBB Pro debut.

Inactive Status

An athlete is inactive if membership is not renewed by December 31. An athlete in this status can remain inactive for a maximum of three years. But if there is no active member within three years, the athlete loses his or her IFBB Pro status.

Other Costs and Related Matters to Consider

The true cost of an IFBB Pro card goes beyond the application and membership fees.

Prospective candidates must also take into account the various costs of competition, coaching, nutritionists, special equipment, participation in distant competitions, and spending the night outside their own home.

Competition Registration Fees

Registration fees range by level: regional, national, etc. Regionally, entry fees are $125 per class, and nationally, they are $250 per class.

Coaching

Such high-level professional coaching might start at $200 to $500+ per month! Plan on spending at least $2,000+ for coaching.

Travel and Accommodation

Travel and accommodation expenses for events can range depending on the venue and the type of accommodation.

Most competitions have a host hotel that will provide a guest budget of $150 to $200 per night for a stay, and then you would also have to sneak in travel expenses as well.

Food, Supplements, and Equipment

While nutrition plans, supplements, and other equipment targeted towards optimal muscle growth and fat loss are extremely useful, they can also get pretty expensive.

All the above-mentioned details with a posing suit, heels, jewelry, tan, hair, and makeup

Athletes have to spend money on posing suits, heels, jewelry, tans, hair, and make-up for the competition day.

Women's suits typically cost between $150 and $700, heels range from $30 to $150, and spray tans will cost around $125 to $150.

Overall

The IFBB Pro card requires a hefty long-term financial commitment. Some of the expenses for athletes include competition registration costs, coaching bills, travel and hotels, nutritional requirements, customized clothing, shaving supplies, and more.

For anyone considering a run for IFBB Pro status, knowing the landscape of these financials is crucial so that they can be better informed about what it would take to make the overall level of investment to compete for the top of the physical culture world.

Ultimately, that final sum reflects far more than simply the $810 in application and yearly membership fees; it also considers a variety of other substantial, necessary costs that herd competitors closer and closer to pro status.