Back in the day, I (Brandon) was a fitness model and realized that what big companies were looking for was way different than what I previously had thought. The truth is that to get a fitness model body you don’t need to become huge or overly lean.
Companies are looking for real people who look athletic and healthy.
Become a professional fitness model
In this video, I discuss my experience in the modeling world and how to create the exact body fitness companies are looking for. You’ll learn why it’s all about getting lean and maintaining a bit of muscle mass along the way without getting huge.
When you think about how to get a professional fitness model body, a lot of people are super intimidated because they automatically imagine the athletes featured in bodybuilding magazines with veins popping out their forehead who look completely out of their minds.
In reality, most companies like Nike and Under Armour are looking for “average fit” people. No bulging biceps or bursting blood vessels required.
Aim for average to be a fitness model
“Average fit” people look like they might have played sports in college, but they aren’t massive football linebackers, or giants on the basketball court like Shaq.
Better examples of “average fit” are athletes with lean muscle mass and some definition, but they aren’t really ripped or swole. Maybe they play soccer or run track, or play positions like wide receiver for football or a point guard for basketball.
After graduating college, I went through quite a big weight loss transformation and trimmed my big college football physique down to a lean and muscular looking dude.
And what I want you to understand is that to get this physique you don’t have to kill yourself you just have to really focus on carving out the leanness that these companies are looking for.
You can’t see my head in this Nike ad because they put a helmet on me. But you could see my arms are lean. I’m not super jacked, I’m just a lean, average, muscular-looking guy.
Get a professional fitness model body
What were the tactics required to create this figure that was accepted and employed me as a professional fitness model?
More than anything, it was about carving out my physique specifically by getting the lean.
If you look at photos from my portfolio in the video like this one:
You’ll see that I had a decent amount of muscle mass.
If you’re smaller than this example, then yes, you are going to want to focus on gaining muscle. In fact we have a course, Swole Samurai, that helps you build this kind of lean muscle mass.
Swole Samurai – Muscle Building Workout Plan
In addition to any of our programs, if you’re training to bulk up to a fitness model body, you’re gonna want to do the following:
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Lift weights three times a week
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Consistently exercise your whole body
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Eat a calorie surplus
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Hit your protein macronutrients
While training to keep my body in fitness model shape, I weighed 200 pounds and consumed 200 grams of protein a day, and I ate a calorie surplus.
Regardless of your fitness goals, we have a Nutrition Calculator to help you determine which levels of macronutrients (fats, carbs, protein) you should be eating.
But what if you’re already yoked and have more muscle than I do?
If you’re kinda jacked and want to be employed as a professional fitness model, you’re going to want to just lean out again. Fortunately, because jumping rope is such a versatile fitness tool, we developed a separate program to help you trim down while maintaining your physique.
Shredded Ninja – Fat Loss Workout Plan
The key elements of a fitness model body
The success of our workout programming hinges on incorporating high intensity interval training (HIIT).
These routines, coupled with eating in a calorie deficit, are solely responsible for the Jump Rope Dude physique, and why members of JRD nation like Jonathan look like professional fitness models.
What makes our homeboy qualify as a fitness model body?
Companies are typically looking for three things in a potential model:
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Visible abs
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Sculpted shoulders
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Defined jaw
These elements reveal themselves when you reach those lower body percentages by consistently jumping rope 3-5 times a week and eating a calorie deficit.
If you’re just getting started with jumping rope, we have a free 4-week challenge complete with warmups, workouts, videos, and more.
Get our Free 4-Week Weight Loss Challenge
Don’t be scared by the comparison trap
I honestly never thought it was possible to become a professional fitness model because I was a pretty overweight dude, and didn’t myself to be a super attractive guy.
All it really took was to make it a reality was getting to a certain body fat percentage and just leaning out quite a bit. Once I carved out that body, all of sudden companies like Nike and Under Armour and Adidas were willing to work with me because I had that average-looking, college athlete physique.
What do you do after you have the body?
If you want to try to be a professional fitness model, here are some tactics I used to get employed in the first place.
1. Get a portfolio built
You don’t need to book a photo shoot with a professional photographer in a studio. It can just be one of your buddies with an iPhone. However, lighting is important so make sure you’re facing the light source at about a 45 degree angle. This will cast shadows in the right places to accent the definition of your physique without washing out your washboard abs.
2. Don’t worry about being “good” at modeling
I sucked at modeling. I was never “good” at it. The only thing I was good at was getting and staying lean.
3. Don’t worry about getting rejected
When I first got started I sent 3-5 photos out to all the modeling agencies in Oregon, and I didn’t hear back from any of them except for one. But that one was enough to get started and led to landing a paid gig with Nike and other fitness companies.
If you don’t get accepted the first time around, just keep submitting and continue to get in better shape.
4. Don’t put all your marbles in this basket
Understand that professional fitness modeling is only a career for a limited number of people. But if you want to make some money on the side it’s not that bad. Depending on what you’re doing, fitness models can make around $150/hr in the United States.
The ball is in your court
So, submit some photos and see what happens. If you don’t get rejected, don’t worry about it. Submit again and again and again and don’t worry about all the no’s you.
I originally submitted photos to about 11 agencies in the beginning. I got all no’s except for one yes, and that one opened up all the doors for me.
Now you have the information and the tactics available to you to become a professional fitness model if you want. The ball is in your court.