Many bodybuilders' careers begin in the weight room for high school sports. Many of today's top professional bodybuilders were state-level stars in football or wrestling. They soon discovered they had a knack for putting on muscular weight through weight training, and left their original sports to focus full-time on the sport of bodybuilding.

Likewise, many recreational bodybuilders also participate in intra-mural or adult sports leagues for health and enjoyment purposes. This is great, as it keeps things fresh, they are able to maintain a strength advantage in their sport of choice, and they receive all the health benefits from both sports. A problem does arise, however, when an athlete tries to excel in either sport at the higher level.

Bodybuilding is a 24/7 commitment. It requires one to be very selfish not only in terms of diet, nutrition, and supplementation, but also in terms of recovery time. The body's resources spent running up and down the basketball court after a workout will detract from muscle growth. The protein and glycogen your body would love to us for muscle growth and recovery will be spend on running, jumping, and playing the sport you choose. And the great deal of food which bodybuilders consume will make one a bit sluggish and slow on most sports fields. The goal of bodybuilding is simple- to build the body. Other sports tend to break down the body in the quest for achievement on the field or court.

If athletes wish to perform at the highest level in either sport, a choice will have to be made. The athlete can choose to be a top bodybuilder, or a star in another sport. Not both. At the professional level, bodybuilding does rank as one of the least-paid sports; most athletes would jump on a semi-pro football or basketball contract in a moment given the choice. Yet for those with terrific bodybuilding genetics, the sport can be very lucrative as well. The important thing is that the two-sport athlete knows that at some point, in order to be the best in one area, he'll have to walk away from the other.