Competitive bodybuilding, especially at the elite level, demands years of sacrifice, unwavering dedication, and an unyielding commitment to pushing the body to its limits. Yet, for many athletes, the rewards are fleeting, the financial gains are minimal, and the physical toll is often devastating.
On July 29, 2024, Dr. Mike Israetel, Ph.D. in Sport Physiology, announced his decision to step away from competitive bodybuilding to focus on other business ventures.
A former Exercise and Sport Science professor at Lehman College, Israetel co-founded Renaissance Periodization (RP Strength). RP Strength offers science-based training, diet coaching, and comprehensive educational content. Israetel is the face of the company’s YouTube channel, which has amassed over 2.25 million subscribers.
Competing in bodybuilding costs me money and makes me no extra money; I literally pay to do it.
Israetel believes that the opportunity cost associated with competing in bodybuilding shows is considerably higher as contest preps limit his ability to travel and collaborate with other content creators, hindering potential exposure for his businesses.
Israetel believes prepping for bodybuilding shows detracts from his primary work and no longer aligns with his priorities. Instead, he wants to dedicate time to creating valuable content that assists others and adds to his business’s bottom line.
Prepping for bodybuilding shows also necessitates reducing Israetel’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training, a practice he finds deeply therapeutic and beneficial for his mental well-being.
If I’m on a ton of gear and I don’t have Jiu-Jitsu, I become unpleasant to be around.
Israetel acknowledges the detrimental side effects associated with long-term steroid use and plans to reduce his reliance on them. He cites a personal experience during his final show, the 2024 NPC Masters Universe, where he had to discontinue Halotestin, which blocks the activity of estrogen, abruptly five days into peak week due to alarming cortisol levels and the infamous ‘roid rage.’
Mike Israetel Bodybuilding Career
Here are Israetel contest standings as per NPC News Online:
2013 NPC Steve Stone New York Metropolitans — Fourth Place
2020 NPC Diamond Classic — First Place
2021 NPC Masters USA Championships — Second Place
2023 NPC Teen Collegiate & Masters National Championships — Fifth Place
2024 NPC Masters Universe — Seventh Place
Israetel did not rule out a future return to competition in a couple of years.
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Featured image: @drmikeisraetel on Instagram
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