Difference in a pro and somebody who steps on the Olympia stage?

[Lene28]

After reading Big A's truth thread it got me thinking. Dante is always preaching low dosages and post pictures of guys he's trained but are any of the guys he trains doing the Olympia or are they just pros? Is it a big difference between just being a pro and qualifying for the Olympia?

 

[collinb]

Well the olympia is comprised of only the top pros. Thats like asking if professional boxers are as good and on the same level as the World champion contendors. They are moving up, but they arent at the level yet. If they were, theyd be at the olympia themselves.

 

[Elvia1023]

Well the olympia is comprised of only the top pros. Thats like asking if professional boxers are as good and on the same level as the World champion contendors. They are moving up, but they arent at the level yet. If they were, theyd be at the olympia themselves.

I would say all these guys are on the same sort of doses. Sure there would be a huge variance between different people but in regards to an average it would be about the same. So just cos you are a top 10 pro it doesn't mean you are taking more than say a top 50 pro... thats were genetics comes into play.

Sure when your an amateur you will up your dose (or should) when turning pro and competing against much higher calibre competitors. Although I wouldn't think the difference would be huge... meaning most top amateurs are pretty much taking huge doses... but sure like anyone it goes up and up the more you improve (generally speaking).

I haven't got a clue about Dante's guys but I imagine they take just as much as everyone else they compete against (huge amounts). Again there will be huge variances and some on fairly low and some on ridiculous amounts. I read a thing about being low offseason with some gh and that makes sense and I am sure it is common. But make no mistake in contest prep the doses go higher and higher and anyone successful is aking huge amounts. I should add many who don't even compete and look ok are taking just as much... again genetics.

 

[Lene28]

I should have been more specific; how many active pros are there and how many compete at the Olympia? Are we talking 1000 pros but only 15 or so compete at the Olympia?

 

[zee-man]

I would say its two fold, genetics and coaches.

Genetics should be obvious, but lets not forget the guys who work behind the scenes. If most pros take the same stuff (or have access to it at least), eat the same stuff, and do the same exercises, what's left? The devil is in the details as they say and tweaking those details is where a coach comes in.

 

[chris250]

To me its the difference in the look of the muscles and the overall shape of each person. Some guys just have a certain look, that they belong on the Mr.Olympia stage, other guys never will come close to the that look. The genetics are differnt, the shape of the muscle's, the overall body shape is differnt. Drugs play difference, but I think that is more to do with overall muscle size, not the shape or look of the muscles.

 

[collinb]

I dont think his idea was about the amount of gear pros are taking compared to olympians. He is wondering the number of pros out there compared to the number of people who compete at the olympia.

Looked aorund and couldnt find a set number for the number of professional male bodybuilders there are right now, but here is a list off wiki.

List of male professional bodybuilders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are well over a few thousand I believe throughout the world. Not really sure havent kept up much with it, but you see guys continually gaining their pro cards. With the thousands there are, there are only 24 people competing for the olympia this year. So there is a big step between just being a pro and being in the olympia. Although many pros are pretty close to getting there/if not should be there in alot of peoples minds.

 

[intenceman]

The guys who make the Olympia tend to have the better genetics.

 

[steel1970]

Don't the pros hafta qualify for the Olympia? I believe they had to in the past. If that is the case, then there just aren't that many guys who feel they have a shot I would guess....if there were, there'd be a need for more qualifying shows throughout the year.....

Of course I'm just speculating here, as like I said, I'm not even sure if they hafta qualify.....

 

[ajdos]

The guys who make the Olympia tend to have the better genetics.

One in one hundred million genetics, pros have good genetics, these guys have the best of the best.

 

[collinb]

Don't the pros hafta qualify for the Olympia? I believe they had to in the past. If that is the case, then there just aren't that many guys who feel they have a shot I would guess....if there were, there'd be a need for more qualifying shows throughout the year.....

Of course I'm just speculating here, as like I said, I'm not even sure if they hafta qualify.....

Im pretty sure you have to win Mr. Universe to qualify for the O

 

[Lene28]

I dont think his idea was about the amount of gear pros are taking compared to olympians. He is wondering the number of pros out there compared to the number of people who compete at the olympia.

Looked aorund and couldnt find a set number for the number of professional male bodybuilders there are right now, but here is a list off wiki.

List of male professional bodybuilders - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are well over a few thousand I believe throughout the world. Not really sure havent kept up much with it, but you see guys continually gaining their pro cards. With the thousands there are, there are only 24 people competing for the olympia this year. So there is a big step between just being a pro and being in the olympia. Although many pros are pretty close to getting there/if not should be there in alot of peoples minds.

This answered the original question. My question stemed from what do the pros take. I think when some people see those threads they immediately think Top 10 Olympia guys not just any pro. I know that's what I think when I see those threads..

 

[MightyJohn]

O/T but the main difference is how well they marketed themselves and what sponsor they have backing them...many AWESOME pros never make it to the Olympia stage

 

[ajdos]

They do have extreme genetics but they also have extreme work ethics to be top contenders and they have time and finances to really make it all work to compete at the very highest level.

 

[E.J.]

This isn't 100% accurate. But it's close. Olympia qualifications starts with the previous years Olympia. I think the top 2-3 are invited back. Then the winner and runner up to that years pro shows like the Arnold classic etc. It goes something like that.

 

[Shelby]

1. Top 5 from the previous year's Olympia are qualified
2. 1st place from any pro show that year are qualified
3. Points are earned for 2nd thru 5th place at pro shows that year - the top 5 point totals are also qualified

I don't know the exact figures... but definitely less than 5% of currently competing pros end up qualifying for the Olympia.

 

[Creed428]

1. Top 5 from the previous year's Olympia are qualified
2. 1st place from any pro show that year are qualified

^ these two also cut back the number because if any of the top 5 in olympia compete in a smaller show (the arnold for example) that year its very likely they will win the show so no new qualifier from that show, also guys that win more than one pro show in a year like Shawn Rhoden did this year

 

[E.J.]

Shelby, thanks for clarifying.

 

[Cito33189]

O/T but the main difference is how well they marketed themselves and what sponsor they have backing them...many AWESOME pros never make it to the Olympia stage

^ I feel like this is a more accurate assumption

Jason Huh comes to mind. Man is a freak of nature. He did not make it to the O

 

[desibaba]

There are lots of IFBB pros (especially from the Middle east and europe) that dont even look as good as the guys competing in the NPC here in the US. For some reason they manage to get pro cards there.