How Do Strongman Make Money?
Many amateur athletes dream is to go pro and make a lot of money as a strongman. We see that some strongman stars such as Eddie Hall, Brian Shaw and Hafthor Bjornsson seem to be having a good quality of life.
However, being a professional strongman may not be as glorious as it seems. There are multiple ways to make ends meet as a strongman but as many strongman athletes stated, the sport does not guarantee huge financial return. But, if you want to make a living from the strongman sport, these are the most common ways strongman athletes make ends meet.
Building Online Presence
Many athletes from different sports document their growth on social media. Top athletes have huge social media presence and can make money from these platforms. We see strongman athletes like Eddie Hall and the Stoltman brothers making YouTube videos or featuring in other creators’ content! For example, the Stoltman brothers collaborated with Yes Theory and their video got 8 million views by 2023. Other athletes also have Instagram accounts which allow them to post sponsored posts and get more attention. Tiktok and Twitter are the other two platforms where we see strongman athletes try to establish themselves online.
Building your own brand will benefit you in the long run as you plan to venture into other sports. We see that with Larry Wheels going from powerlifting to strongman, and Thor going from strongman to boxing and powerlifting. Popularizing strongman can benefit everyone in the community as more resources get pulled into the sport as well!
Popular platforms:
- YouTube
- Tiktok
How to make money through social media:
- Sponsored posts or videos
- Featuring or collaborating with influencers
- Making videos and getting views
- Getting monthly sponsorship from brands such as SBD and Rogue
Prize Money
Top tier strongman competitions can bring in a lot of cash money for their athletes. In the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic, we saw Martins Licis won 80k USD after being placed 1st in the competition. In most strongman competitions, top 3 athletes receive cash prizes and sponsorship deals. This is not just in big international events like Arnold or World’s Strongest Man. Regional and national competitions usually provide monetary incentives to their winners. However, as noted that these competitions only award the top 3 athletes, people who do not end up in the top 3 will end up losing money as entrance fees can be hefty depending on the competition.
Cost for competition:
- Entrance fee
- Transportation and accommodation
Personal Training
Personal training is one of the most common ways for athletes to earn money. For Big Loz, he mentioned that he hosted training workshops for people who are interested in strongman. Personal training is also less risky than starting your own gym as you only need to have clients and rent places to teach.
There are different forms of personal training as strongman athletes usually need help with writing their program, reviewing their technique and having guidance into competition preparation. Sometimes, you may even find clients that prefer online coaching over face-to-face training sessions which may expand the client pool.
Starting Your Own Gym
For Hafthor Bjornsson, he decided to start his own gym in Iceland. Thor’s Power Gym has over 155k followers on Instagram and has a huge social media presence as he hosts events such as his own powerlifting challenge in 2018!
Another US strongman national athlete called Ben Eisenmenger also owns his own gym. However, the cost of running a gym is really high. Rent, utilities and equipment can deter a lot of people from starting their own gym as it is a huge financial investment. For the big strongman stars, such investment may be less stressful as they established their reputation and garnered a lot of support.
Day Jobs
Many strongman athletes hold a day job while training to compete. In Big Loz’s video, he mentioned that most strongman athletes cannot rely on the sport to earn a living. As strongman athletes need a lot of food, nutrition, equipment and a good gym to stay competitive in the sport, many of them choose to keep a day job in order to afford their sport. Amateur strongman athletes often have to find money elsewhere and build themselves up to attract other opportunities in the future.
Final Thoughts
Top Strongman athletes seem to have it all-together. We see Eddie Hall and Thor being presented opportunities in boxing and other sports. Thor even got on Game of Thrones which gave him more fame as an actor as well. However, these strongman stars’ lives are not representative of the other athletes as Big Loz mentioned that most strongman athletes have to keep a day job to afford such a lifestyle.
It is important to acknowledge that the sport is gaining popularity and there may be a brighter future for those who are starting to compete or want to go pro. Social media is another great platform for athletes to get recognition and be able to make money from endorsements!
