Bodybuilding.com is the unofficial gathering spot for anyone looking to build muscle mass and shred fat.
It’s the online mecca of workout programs, health supplements, and elite gym gear.
And these days, Bodybuilding.com offers users one more feature — an affiliate program.
You should sign up for the Bodybuilding.com affiliate program if you have a large following & you’re in the fitness industry. You can earn up to 8% commission, get premade marketing materials, and make easy income. But you need to generate thousands in sales monthly to take home just $100 a month.
There’s no doubt that Bodybuilding.com is a legitimate resource for fitness enthusiasts.
But to find out what the Bodybuilding.com affiliate program is all about, the pros and cons of signing up, and whether you should sign-up, keep reading!
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Everything You Need to Know About Bodybuilding.com
Bodybuilding.com has been up and running for over two decades, first coming to fruition in 1999.
Since then, the fitness giant has become a phenomenon among fitness novices and pros alike.
The website now attracts more than one million users every day. To understand whether or not the Bodybuilding.com affiliate program is worth signing up for, you need to learn about what Bodybuilding.com is.
So in this section, we’ll be discussing the basics of this ever-growing fitness platform.
The Bodybuilding.com Store
The Bodybuilding.com online store drives tons of traffic each day, likely because it’s somewhat of a “one-stop-shop” for all of your health and fitness needs.
The online store boasts nearly every type of supplement you could imagine. You can buy products like creatine, pre-workout powders, and testosterone boosters to fuel your workouts and maximize muscle gains.
You can invest in fat burners to get that “shredded” look or even order multi-vitamins and joint supplements to improve your general health.
The Bodybuilding.com online store goes one step further by selling all types of workout gear to make at-home workouts a reality.
You can purchase anything from simple jump ropes and weightlifting belts to massive training stations and high-end treadmills.
Plus, the products sold are from some of the biggest names in the industry, like Dymatize and MuscleTech.
In essence: Bodybuilding.com has whatever your workout routine needs, whether you’re looking to gain weight, lose weight, build muscle mass, or shred body fat.
And to really generate interest, Bodybuilding.com always seems to be running 25%+ off sales.
Workout Plans, Recipes, & Articles
Millions of serious fitness enthusiasts rely on sites like Bodybuilding.com to take their workouts to the next level.
Bodybuilding.com offers a paid section of the site — BodyFit — that gives users access to thousands of workout plans and how-to exercise videos, all for less than $13 a month. This monthly subscription service gives you access to programs (like a 4-week intermediate Jacked at Home routine or Beginner Kettlebell Workouts) explicitly tailored to your fitness goals.
Many users find this BodyFit service to be a great source of fitness motivation.
Each day, the website also publishes informational articles to help users reach fitness goals and improve their health. You can read about topics like the best healthy recipes for packing on muscle mass, the perfect rep goals to achieve your ideal body composition, and the supplements that can catapult your success in the gym.
Even better, these articles are written by the trained and educated pros in the fitness world. You can be sure that the advice you’re getting is sound and scientifically proven.
Here’s an example of a video that you’d find on Bodybuilding.com, walking both novice and advanced lifters through workouts targeting their ideal fitness goals:
BodySpace
Bodybuilding.com released a brand new site feature within the last few years that has now reached millions of satisfied users — BodySpace.
This free section of the website helps users turn their fitness goals into their new reality. This useful tool will allow you to track your routine, how much weight you lift with each workout, and your body measurements.
With the help of nifty charts and a few calculations, you can see how much progress you’re making regarding your waist size and your 1RM on compound lifts like the bench press.
And if you’re a paid Bodybuilding.com user, you can choose a program designed by the weightlifting pros instead of creating your own!
The Bodybuilding.com Forums
Last but not least, you have the Bodybuilding.com forums. In the two decades since this website first started, there have been millions of threads and posts in the forums.
There, you can discuss all things fitness with novices, pros, and everyone in between. You can share your opinion and learn about things like workout motivation, sport-specific training, and hypertrophy.
You may even be able to make a few connections and find online friends with the same interest as you — getting fit.
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Bodybuilding.com Affiliate Program Details
The Bodybuilding.com affiliate program offers a decent amount of passive income potential, as the site garners more than one million visitors daily. But this referral program is a bit different from others in the affiliate program arena, so we’re going to go over each detail.
Here’s what you need to know about the Bodybuilding.com affiliate program!
How the Program Works
Bodybuilding.com offers its affiliates two sources of passive income: A percentage of sales made on the store and a flat rate for new BodyFit subscribers.
Let’s take a look at how the program works to begin.
- First, you’ll complete an application on the Bodybuilding.com website to prove that you’re a good fit for this program. You’ll have to provide information like your full name, how you plan to promote products and services, and your website’s details. Bodybuilding.com is much more likely to accept your application if you run a website or blog centered around the concepts of nutrition and fitness.
- Once you’re approved, you can begin sharing your unique affiliate link by whatever means necessary (within limitations, of course). Many affiliates choose to share the link on their blog, websites, and social media accounts. Though, you can use other methods like email.
- Bodybuilding.com also provides affiliates with premade banners, ads, and text links that you can share online or via email to encourage your followers to visit the site. These premade advertisements make marketing your link easier than ever.
- When your followers click your referral link, Bodybuilding.com will store a cookie on their computer or device. This will connect your affiliate link with their device for seven days, meaning you’ll make a commission on the first purchase they make within that week-long period.
- If they make a purchase, whether they spend money on BodyFit or the store, you’ll be credited with a commission on your account.
How You Get Paid
Exactly what your take-home is through the Bodybuilding.com affiliate program will vary. So here’s a quick glimpse into what you need to know about commissions.
- For all new Bodybuilding.com users you recruit, you’ll make an 8-9% commission on their total purchase.
- For all returning customers, you’ll make a 3% commission.
- For all users who follow your link from a coupon or discount site, you’ll earn a commission of just 2%.
- For all BodyFit users that you refer to, you’ll earn a flat rate of $9 (must be within one day of clicking your affiliate link).
Now, there are a few additional limitations put in place by the website.
For example, you’ll only get credit for encouraging a sale the first time a user purchases products or subscribes for BodyFit through your link. For all purchases that follow that initial one, your referrals must access the site through your link again.
Bodybuilding.com will transfer your commissions to your bank account once a month. The site will lock all payments every 30 days and then deposit your commission 15 days after that lock-in period ends. So it might be as much as 45 days before you see the money from the referrals you made.
Additionally, you’ll need to accumulate $50 or more to your affiliate account before you can cash in and have the money delivered to your bank. If you’ve yet to generate more than $50 in commission, this sum will carry over to the next month.
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The Pros of the Bodybuilding.com Affiliate Program
The Bodybuilding.com affiliate program offers plenty of opportunities to cash in on referrals and generate some passive income. And whether you’re just a fitness lover or a trained member of the fitness industry, this affiliate program may be the one for you!
So take a look at the pros of signing up for this program.
You Can Make Decent Income (Sometimes)
As a member of a commission-based affiliate program, your income will depend on what your referrals end up spending on the site and whether they’re a pre-existing Bodybuilding.com user.
New users who spend a decent chunk of change on the site are the most profitable to you, as they can get you a commission of 8% on their first visit.
In the table below, we’ll show you what your take-home will be when you recruit new Bodybuilding.com users on an 8% commission.
| Monthly Spending By Referrals Combined | Your Monthly Take-Home (8% Commission) | Your Annual Take-Home |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | $8 | $96 |
| $250 | $20 | $240 |
| $500 | $40 | $480 |
| $1,000 | $80 | $960 |
| $2,000 | $160 | $1,920 |
| $5,000 | $400 | $4,800 |
It’s hard to gauge precisely how much your take-home will be, as this 8% commission will only apply to the first purchase your referrals make.
However, if you run a nutrition or fitness website with a large following, then you’ll get a larger quantity of referrals at this rate.
Your profits may be exceptionally high if you write reviews for things like fitness gear and supplements on your site.
Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that the followers or subscribers for your fitness blog already buy fitness products from Bodybuilding.com.
That means you’ll be earning just a 3% commission on sales, which is far less significant.
The good news is that you’ll also profit whenever your referrals sign-up for BodyFit.
Based on a $9 flat commission for every new BodyFit user you recruit, here’s a look at what your take-home might be.
| New BodyFit Users Referred | Your Take-Home ($9) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $9 |
| 10 | $90 |
| 25 | $225 |
| 50 | $450 |
| 100 | $900 |
| 250 | $2,250 |
Though you’ll only draw a commission on new BodyFit subscribers on the initial sign-up, this additional commission can impact your total passive income.
The Site Will Provide You With Marketing Materials
The problem with many affiliate programs is that you’re left to your own devices once you’re approved. Fortunately, the Bodybuilding.com referral program will provide you with everything you need to get the ball rolling and generate traffic.
In short: All affiliates are given access to the “Network,” which is Bodybuilding.com’s resource center for advertising and marketing affiliate links. With this feature, you have unlimited access to banners, articles, and text links that you can easily share via your website, social media platforms, or email marketing.
The Network makes it much easier to share your affiliate link — just copy and paste the ads onto your website or Facebook profile — but it also gives you a tried and true marketing method. You didn’t go to school for marketing and business, and you definitely don’t have time to do split testing for ads.
And thankfully, that’s not something you’ll ever have to worry about with this program, as everything has been created for you!
Note: Bodybuilding.com is so strict on its advertising guidelines that you’re not allowed to edit these ads before sharing or advertising your affiliate link. In fact, you have to use these ads when you’re advertising for the company.
It’s a Great Idea if You’re in the Fitness Industry
This Bodybuilding.com affiliation wouldn’t make sense for everybody out there. But it is a good call if you currently run a website, blog, company, or social media account related to fitness and nutrition topics. In fact, that’s who they’re looking for when they approve and deny applications for this program.
Bodybuilding.com is a well-known distributor of health supplements and fitness gear, so this is a resource that most of your consumers will probably already trust. They’re not ordering vitamins and whey protein from no-name brands, but rather prominent industry leaders like Cellucor, BSN, and Kaged Muscle.
Given your presence in the fitness industry, your ability to share your affiliate link goes way past just uploading the banner to your website and hoping that users click on it.
You can also share your link in more creative ways, such as:
- Writing product reviews (i.e., 9 Best Creatine Supplements for Serious Mass)
- Sneaking your link into blog posts (i.e., “Check out this protein powder by MuscleTech”)
- Sharing your link directly at the end of posts (i.e., “You should check out Bodybuilding.com, a site that offers great healthy supplements for shredding body fat”)
It’s all about being creative when you’re looking to make sales on a commission-based referral program.
After all, your followers and subscribers will probably get tired of regularly seeing your affiliate link without sharing anything else. Bodybuilding.com gives you the link and all the advertising materials you need, and it’s up to you how you use them!
There Are Other Minor Benefits
To be honest, this affiliate program is the perfect idea for anyone that enjoys working out, posting about fitness, and sharing health knowledge.
Aside from the three “pros” we already mentioned, here’s a list of the other benefits worth mentioning (albeit, not significant enough to warrant their own section):
- Monthly payments assuming you capture $50 in commission each month
- Income on all site purchases, including store purchases and BodyFit subscribers
- Seven days for your referrals to make a purchase
- Access to affiliate program whether you live in the U.S. or elsewhere
- Clear-cut guidelines for affiliates, making rule-breaking a non-issue
- Free sign-up and affiliate status!
- Just 72 hours until you hear back about your application’s status
Overall, this affiliate program has a ton of perks and is as straightforward as possible. Now, all there’s left to do is head over to the online application and fill it out.
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The Cons of the Bodybuilding.com Affiliate Program
The Bodybuilding.com affiliate program looks great on paper, but this referral program just isn’t for everybody.
Before you sign-up, you want to be sure that you’ve considered all of the downsides or “less than ideal” aspects of this referral program.
So let’s take a closer look at the cons this program has.
The Income Can Be Slow
Making up to 8% commission on all sales that you refer to Bodybuilding.com can be a great source of passive, simple income. The critical problem with this specific affiliate program is that your commissions will be irregular.
First, consider the fact that not all fitness or health products are “expensive.” That’s good news for your referrals and customers, as they can improve their health at a low cost.
But if the only sale you bring to Bodybuilding.com is a $7 lifting strap, that earns you 56¢. You’re going to have to generate a lot of new referrals or ensure they’re looking to stock their entire home gym to get a significant commission check.
Now to crunch the numbers, you’ll need to generate $1,250 in sales monthly to end each month with an extra $100 in your pocket — but that’s on the 8% commission for new customers. On a 3% commission rate for returning Bodybuilding.com users, you’ll need to convert $3,330 in monthly sales for that same $100.
That’s simple if you’re the owner of a popular fitness website or have millions of Instagram followers. But otherwise, your commission probably won’t even make a dent in your rent.
Then, there’s the fact that there’s a minimum balance ($50.00) you need to secure to earn your payout. If you’re only making $10 in commission each month on sales, it’ll take you nearly half a year to see your first Bodybuilding.com bank deposit.
So while it’s easy to advertise, it’s your job to have the people to refer in the first place.
There’s No Consistent Income
The most useful feature of many affiliate programs is that they involve subscription services (like Pabbly and AWeber). When you refer a new paying customer to the service, you’ll earn a 30% commission on the monthly rate that your new customers are paying. This guarantees a monthly commission check that only grows as you make referrals.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Bodybuilding.com.
The definite downside is that Bodybuilding.com does have a monthly subscription service — BodyFit — but you’re only entitled to $9 on the initial sign-up fee.
Assuming your referrals stick to that program for a year at $12.99 a month, your commission rate is less than 6% in total. This rate is nowhere close to other subscription rates by well-known affiliate programs.
Plus, you’re only entitled to that measly $9 if your subscribers invest in BodyFit within one day of following your link, not the seven days for the store.
You’ll also have to be putting in consistent effort daily, weekly, or monthly to see recurring sales from month to month. So you can’t just share the link a few times, get five new subscribers, and then have a little passive income until you decide to market your link more.
You’ll have to constantly share your link, either through blog posts, reviews, or social media content.
Yes, the fact that Bodybuilding.com gives you access to the Network for free marketing materials is very convenient. But to make real income, you’ll need to go far past posting the banner on your site.
The Fine Print Is a Little Confusing
One of the most important parts of being a member of an affiliate program is being sure that you follow the company’s rules to a T. Even the smallest missteps can negate any commission you’ve made thus far and ban you from being an affiliate with the service ever again.
The Terms & Conditions for Bodybuilding.com is lengthy and, often, hard to decipher.
For example, here are some rules you’ll have to abide by:
- You can only market your link via advertising materials that have been approved or created by Bodybuilding.com.
- You need to be 18 or older.
- You cannot share information about the specific price of products.
- You can’t use paid search ads (like Google Ads or Bing Ads) to use keywords related to Bodybuilding.com.
- You can’t post your affiliate link to any Bodybuilding.com website or social media platform to generate revenue.
- You can’t use your own affiliate link to buy products from the store.
Many of these rules and guidelines seem like common sense, but they make your ability to market your affiliate link a little more complicated.
For example, you might not even realize that you’re breaking the rules until after you end up in hot water with the site.
Some Brands Cannot Be Advertised
It shouldn’t be surprising that Bodybuilding.com limits what you can profit off of on its website.
In fact, as you’re filling out your affiliate program application, you’ll see an entire list of 200+ SKU product codes that are “off-limits” and won’t yield a commission.
Now, you can probably guess why these items aren’t up for grabs in terms of commission.
Most of the items you can’t market on your social media platforms or website for commission are expensive. A majority of them seem to be fancy exercise band sets that cost between $100 and $200.
Now, if you were allowed to claim a commission on just one sale of a product this expensive, you’d make between $3 and $16 on a single sale.
This also makes things a little complicated if you’re looking to share the links to specific products from Bodybuilding.com on your website, you’ll have to do your research for each product to be sure that it’s not on this “restricted” list and that you’d actually make money if one of your followers purchased it.
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The Final Verdict
The Bodybuilding.com affiliate program can be lucrative, so long as you already have millions of online followers and your subscribers are into fitness.
Otherwise, you’re only generating between 3% and 9% on sales (depending on if your referrals are returning customers). You’re getting just $9 in your pocket from a recruit to the BodyFit service.
It’s free to join, and you have nothing to lose by signing up and sharing the easy-to-use pre-made marketing materials on your website, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll make commissions worth writing home about. You’d have to generate $3,000+ in sales each month to take home just $100 in commissions.
A great alternative to their affiliate program would be the Amazon Affiliate program, as you could still promote it to people in the fitness industry but could yield more of a commission.
Better yet. Do Both.
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Sources
- Bodybuilding.com: Home Page
- BodySpace: Home Page
- BodyFit: The Ultimate Fitness Solution
- Bodybuilding.com: Affiliate Program
- Bodybuilding.com: Affiliate Terms & Conditions