This is the story of money and muscles. We computed the career contest earnings of pro bodybuilders. Of course, contest checks are one of several ways the best bodybuilders make mint. Many have or had very lucrative, nutritional supplement and clothing sponsorships, for example. Still, it’s enlightening to see just how much these legends totaled for winning and nearly winning pro shows.
As with all sports, contest pay has increased dramatically over the past decade, even if the raise is mostly limited to open male competitors at the Olympia and Arnold Classic. How much so? Two-time and current Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford has competed in only six open pro shows, but he’s taken home $2,063,000 from those. In contrast, six-time Mr. O Dorian Yates made 38% as much ($740,000) from 17 pro shows in the ’90s, 15 of which he won. Yates, who missed this earnings honor roll, never made more than $110,000 for winning an Olympia.
Time marches on. And this list shook up dramatically with the Mr. Olympia top prize increasing 50% to $600,000 in 2024 and the Arnold Classic going up 67% to $500,000 last year and then 50% to $750,000 this year. So let’s follow the money. Let’s see who makes the list, and let’s count their cash. These are, currently, the top 15 bodybuilding contest earners of all time.
UPDATE: Last updated after the 2026 UK Arnold Classic.
1. PHIL HEATH
$2,985,000
2006-18, ’20
Let’s round it up to $3 mil. Seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath had the good fortune to see the Olympia top prize double during his reign from $200,000 in 2011 to $250,000 in 2012 and ’13 to $275,000 in 2014 and then all the way to its current $400,000 for his final three wins: 2015-17. As a result, he made $2,175,000 over those seven years only by winning bodybuilding’s biggest title. Add two 2nd places, two 3rds, and a 5th, and, in total, Heath collected $2,625,000 (a whopping 88% of his prize money) at the Mr. Olympia, over twice what anyone else has totalled there. Over his 14-year pro career, the Gift took home to Colorado, on average, $213,214 annually in contest prize money, the second most (Derek Lunsford passed him in 2025).
Opening photo: Phil Heath earning $400K by winning the 2015 Mr. Olympia. / Per Bernal
2. DEXTER JACKSON
$2,883,000
1999-2020
Dexter Jackson is bodybuilding’s iron man. Over a record 22-year career, he racked up such records as most pro victories (30)*, most pro contests (91)*, most American Arnold Classic wins (5), most Mr. Olympia entries (21), most Mr. Olympia top-6 finishes (16), and on and on. Though he minted nearly as much as Heath over his lengthy career, Jackson did it differently. With only one Mr. Olympia title (2008, which paid $155,000), $1,116,000 of the Blade’s prize money was earned on the Olympia stage: 39%. It was the five Arnold Classic victories (one of which came with a Hummer) and all those other shows he won or nearly won that helped him total nearly $3 mil. Dexter Jackson earned an average of $131,045 annually from prize money.
* Includes his two Masters Mr. Olympia wins.
3. DEREK LUNSFORD
$2,063,000
2017-25
Derek Lunsford didn’t make much money from contests his first six years as a professional. That’s because he was in the 212 division (for male bodybuilders weighing 212 pounds of less). Even winning the 212 Mr. Olympia in 2021 paid him only $50,000. But since he moved up to the open division in 2022, his paychecks have likewise moved up exponentially, including $400,000 for winning the 2023 Mr. Olympia, $500,000 (plus a $10,000 best poser prize) for winning the 2025 Arnold Classic, and $600,000 for winning the 2025 Mr. Olympia. He’s made $1,250,000 at the Mr. Olympia over just four years and a record $229,222 annually over his nine-year career. Taking home $1,200,000 in 2025 (bodybuilding’s first seven-figure annual tally), Lunsford rocketed from off this list to number 3 in one year!
4. HADI CHOOPAN
$2,017,000
2017-2026
Hadi Choopan, the 2022 Mr. Olympia, has benefited the most from the recent increase in prize money at the Olympia and the Arnold. In the six most recent Mr. Olympias—the only six he’s entered—the Iranian champ has been, in order: 3rd ($100K), 4th ($55K), 3rd ($100K), 1st ($400K), 2nd ($150K), 2nd ($250K) and 2nd ($250K). Tack on another $300K and $130K for winning the 2024 Arnold Classic and Arnold Classic UK, and $150K for his third at the A.C. in 2026 and that accounts for almost all of his prize earnings. It certainly was a fruitful biz decision for him to move from the 212 division to the open class in 2019. Over his 10-year career, Hadi Choopan has so far averaged $201,700 annually from bodybuilding contests.
5. JAY CUTLER
$1,958,000
1999-2011, ’13
In the rivalry between Cutler and Coleman, Jay Cutler wins when it comes to his bank account. (He’s one of the most financially successful pro bodybuilders off stages, as well. Rich Gaspari, Lee Labrada, and Chris Bumstead are three others who’ve leveraged their names into multi-million-dollar businesses.) His four Mr. Olympia victories (2006-07, 2009-10) came after Coleman’s eight, when the prize money was in a growth spurt. For Coleman’s first six he made $110,000 each, while Jay Cutler made $200,000 each for his final two. Additionally, Cutler won three Arnold Classics when the prize money was $100,000 plus a Hummer H2 and a pricey watch (we’ve estimated the resale value of both together at $70,000). The six Olympia seconds added up, too, as the popular Jay Cutler was one of the top two bodybuilders in the world for over a decade. He made $1,250,000 (64%) of his contest earnings on the Olympia stage. On average, Jay Cutler made $139,857 annually from bodybuilding competitions.
6. BRANDON CURRY
$1,553,500
2010-2026
Despite his lengthy 17-year career, Brandon Curry collected the vast majority of his prize earnings—just over one million—in a three-year span: 2019 Arnold Classic 1st ($130K), 2019 Mr. Olympia 1st ($400K), 2020 Mr. O 2nd ($150K), 2021 Mr. O 2nd ($150K), 2022 Arnold Classic 1st ($200K). Curry has made $890,000 at the Mr. Olympia. His baller years were preceded by some lean years (in three, he made $0 from contests). So, over his whole pro career through 2026, Curry’s average annual prize earnings is currently $91,382.
7. RONNIE COLEMAN
$1,527,000
1992-2007
Ronnie Coleman may be the GOAT of bodybuilding, but he peaked too early to be paid accordingly. During his record-tying eight years atop the bodybuilding world (1998-2005) he never pocketed more than $155,000 for winning the Mr. Olympia, and that only came in his final year on top. Usually, it was $110,000 annually. Over his 15 Olympia appearances, Coleman collected a total of $1,097,000 (72% of his contest earnings). He also won the Arnold Classic in 2001, back when the title came with $100K and a new Hummer H2—sneakily, a better, total payday than the Mr. Olympia then. (Coleman kept the Hummer and drove it for years.) Over his 16-year career, Ronnie Coleman averaged $95,438 annually from flexing in professional contests.
8. SAMSON DAUDA
$1,483,500
2018-25
Samson Dauda raced onto this list this year after collecting his $600,000 for winning the 2024 Mr. Olympia. That and the $300,000 he received for winning the 2023 Arnold Classic make up the bulk of his winnings. He pocketed only $13,000 while entering 10 shows his first three years as a professional, but the tide has certainly turned now. The $785,000 Dauda earned in four pro contests in 2024 was the most ever made by a bodybuilder in a single year—a record surpassed by Lunsford the next year. Over his eight-year career through 2025, Samson Dauda has averaged $185,438 annually in contest earnings.
9. CHINEDU “ANDREW JACKED” OBIEKA
$1,479,000
2022-26
No one better illustrates the big money that is shaking up bodybuilding contest earnings better than Andrew Jacked. In his first five years in the IFBB Pro League, he earned $469,000. This was very good: $93,800 annually, which is in line with others on this list. But he was nowhere near this list. Then by winning the 2026 Arnold Classic and collecting its record $750,000 top prize (plus the $10,000 best poser award) and the $250,000 Arnold Classic grand prize the same month, the Nigerian leapfrogged into the top 10. In a single month, he made 68% of his career total earnings.
10. MAMDOUH “BIG RAMY” ELSSBIAY
$1,470,500
2013-18, ’20-’22
Big Ramy earned over half his prize money tally in two contests when he won the 2020 and 2021 Mr. Olympias and pocked $400K for each. He made $1,163,000 (79%) of his total on the Olympia stage. He only competed in one American Arnold Classic (3rd in 2020), but he did win the 2015 Arnold Classic Brazil and 2017 Arnold Classic Europe. On average, Ramy made $163,389 annually in prize money.
11. KAI GREENE
$1,241,000
2005-14, ’16
Kai Greene started slow, finishing near the bottom of his first pro contests and failing to make a dollar in prize money his first two years. But he finished strong by placing second behind Heath in his final three Mr. Olympias and winning three Arnold Classics (including the big one in Columbus, Ohio) in his final pro year. All told, Greene won three of the high-paying American Arnold Classics. He totalled $573,000 (46% of his contest earnings) on the Olympia stage. Over his 11 year career, Kai Greene averaged $112,818 annually.
12. WILLIAM BONAC
$1,150,000
2012-2022, ’24-25
You might be surprised by the final member of the million-dollar club, because, like the more celebrated Greene, he’s never won a Mr. Olympia title. However, William Bonac has been second (2019) and third (2017) in the Mr. Olympia, won the Arnold Classic twice (2018, 2020), and been second in the Arnold Classic two other times (2019, 2022). Five of those were six-figure paydays, and the sixth was $75K. It’s been at the Arnold where he’s really cleaned up. Remarkably, in only four appearances, Bonac made $525,000 (47% of his total) at the American Arnold Classic, never placing lower than runner-up. In contrast, he’s won $442,000 (40% of his total) at the Mr. Olympia in eight appearances. Over his 13-year career, Bonac has so far averaged $88,462 annually.
13. VICTOR MARTINEZ
$982,000
2001-07, ’09-’11, ’13-’17, ’19-’20
Victor Martinez flexed in 17 pro seasons over a 20-year span. Like his fellow New Yorker, Kai Greene, Martinez started slow, failing to take home a buck in his first two years. But five years later, in 2007, he was the world’s second-best bodybuilder, winning the Arnold Classic and finishing behind only Cutler in the Mr. Olympia (which many believe he should’ve won). He made $332,000 of his contest earnings at the Olympia: 34%. It was his five top-four Arnold finishes that really boosted his bottom line. Still, when viewed over his two-decade career, that line is rather ordinary. The Dominican Dominator made $57,764 annually from pro shows, which is the lowest tally on our list.
14. BRANCH WARREN
$979,000
2004-16
Branch Warren made most of his nearly a million over a four-year stretch (2009-12) when he was second and third in the Mr. Olympia and won two consecutive Arnold Classics. And, like Martinez, who barely edged him here in a photo finish, Texan Warren collected most of his loot at the Arnold each March. He finished in the money (top six) in the Arnold Classic a whopping nine times for a total payday of $540,000 (55% of his total). In contrast he took home $317,000 from the Olympia, which is merely 32% of his prize earnings—the lowest percentage on this list. It proves there are multiple ways to manage a successful bodybuilding career. Over his 13 pro years, Branch Warren averaged $75,308 annually.
15. KEVIN LEVRONE
$950,000
1992-2003, ’16, ’18
Despite collecting most of his prize money over two decades ago, when payouts were significantly lower than today, Kevin Levrone nearly totalled a million. He did this by racking up a lot of pro wins (20), including the Arnold Classic twice (1994, 1996), and a gaggle of high Olympia placings: four seconds (1992, 1995, 2000, 2002), three thirds (1994, 1996, 2001), and three fourths (1997, 1998, 1999). All in all, it really added up. Levrone made $445,000 (47%) of his prize earnings at the Olympia, and he averaged $67,857 annually over 14 professional years.
PRO BODYBUILDER CAREER EARNINGS: 4 MORE NOTABLES
Dennis Wolf: $827,000 (11 years)
Nick Walker: $757,000 (7 years)
Dorian Yates: $740,000 (8 years)
Flex Wheeler: $691,000 (10 years)
