Several people have a habit of romanticizing the past, but the overall 3x Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford, recently opined that those who do it in the case of bodybuilding are completely wrong in one way.

Lunsford pushed back on the widely spread claims that earning a Pro card is much easier today compared to what many call the The Golden Era of bodybuilding (roughly 1960s - 1980s). He argued that modern bodybuilding has become more competitive than ever.

In his latest YouTube video, the 2025 Mr. Olympia (Open) winner said, "You know, there's some people out there that says, 'Oh, it's it's so easy to get your pro card now. There's so many so many pro cards given out every year.' Well, you know what? Even though there might be more pro cards giving out, the competition's so much harder."

Lunsford didn't refute that there are more shows and more opportunities today, but he also highlighted that this also means more athletes are competing than ever before. Bodybuilding has achieved a global reach now, coaching and training methods are more advanced, and physiques are more evolved.

So, according to him, the statement “anyone can get a pro card now” is misleading, as the standard of competition is higher and the expectations are higher.

The claim that pro cards are earned easily today was recently made by another bodybuilding legend, Rich Gaspari. In his interview with Muscle & Strength, while discussing his early career, Gaspari highlighted the fact that in the 80s, pro cards were earned after a lot of effort.

He said, "And back then, it's not like today, where they give out a lot of, you know, pro cards. Back then, you had to win the nationals, and then when you won the nationals, you had to win Mr. Universe. So, you only had if you didn't win Mr. Universe, you had to go back into the nationals to compete again. So I went that year, won the nationals, and won Mr. Universe."

However, besides expressing his thoughts on the pro card matter and training like a beast, Lunsford also gave fans a little sneak peek into what 2026 holds for him.

What's 2026 going to be like for Derek Lunsford?

The biggest milestone for him this year is definitely becoming a dad again. He shared that his second child is expected to arrive within the next week.

The 32-year-old also revealed that he has a lot of national and international events lined up this year, starting with the 2026 Arnold Classic next month.

Although he won't be participating this year, he didn't reveal what exactly he would be doing at the event. He will also be a guest posing at the Pittsburgh Pro in May. But his main focus lies on Mr. Olympia 2026.

Are you expecting him to take the Open title in this year's contest as well?

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Souvik Roy