Australian bodybuilding icon Lee Priest disapproves of how easily amateurs earn their pro cards. Priest had toiled for years as an amateur before earning a pro card. However, he believes pro cards are being handed out like “f***ing popcorn” today. The 1985 Mr. Universe winner Lee Labrada earlier agreed with the Australian bodybuilding veteran.

Despite retiring from competitive bodybuilding decades ago, the 63-year-old is still in amazing shape. Labrada spoke about the current situation of too many bodybuilders turning pro during an interview with Muscle & Strength. In the interview, he explained how earning a pro card was quite difficult during his time and how that was a good thing.

Is modern bodybuilding focusing on quantity?

While speaking about his bodybuilding career, Labrada said that he hears amateurs constantly talk about turning pro. “That process used to take years and years… back when I was coming up through the amateur ranks,” said the former Mr. Universe. Bodybuilders today get multiple chances each year to turn pro through national and international level shows.

However, things were far tougher during the 80s as there were fewer bodybuilding shows. “They would literally pick a small handful. When I say a small handful… Probably less than five new pros every year. It was that difficult,” said Labrada. It’s safe to say that the veteran bodybuilder thinks the bar has been set low.

“I think that pro cards are given out too easily,” said Labrada. He added that, as a result, even promising amateur bodybuilders turn pro too early when they aren’t ready to compete professionally. Hence, most bodybuilders compete in the pro circuit and never even make it to the Olympia. However, according to Labrada, most bodybuilders during his time were Olympia-ready by the time they turned pros. This difficulty could very well be the reason why he did so well at the Mr. Olympia.

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An elite despite a disadvantage

Unlike modern bodybuilding competitions, there wasn’t a 212 division during the 8s0s. Instead, it was a massive open division. Bodybuilders under and over 200 lbs competed against one another. Naturally, it was challenging for bodybuilders under 200 lbs, like Labrada, who had to compete against those who weighed close to 230 lbs and were much taller.

Despite this massive disadvantage, the 5’6, 190 lbs bodybuilder finished in the top four at the Mr. Olympia for seven consecutive years. Lee Labrada said that on stage, he was always 30 to 50 lbs lighter than the bigger bodybuilders like eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Lee Haney.

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It might be impossible to prove that earning a pro card has become easier today. However, with the growth of bodybuilding across the globe, bodybuilders today have multiple chances to get things right today.