There’s been a lot of talk in recent days from some of the biggest names in bodybuilding when it comes to the number of divisions in the sport and the number of pro cards being given out. And when I say, “big names,” I’m not exaggerating. When 8x Mr. Olympia Lee Haney is sounding off you know things are reaching a boiling point. Matt from Muscle Discord has also been actively making calls to arms in the hope that the Pros and the fans will react. This isn’t really a novel topic, rather, it’s one we’ve been hearing with the advent of each new division. I can still remember a time when all we had was bodybuilding and figure. That feels like an eternity ago. I still remember the backlash that Men’s Physique caused. The purists were up in arms. How could there be a physique-based division that didn’t look at legs? I still remember John Romano calling MPD “the lawn dart division.” Who would have thought MPD would be more popular than open bodybuilding at the local and regional level. For quite a few years, MPD kept bodybuilding alive. Now, Classic buries them both. And there was also a huge backlash when Bikini came out. I remember people thinking they were all ex-strippers or something. There were some really offensive judgments being cast, but that’s pretty much the trial by fire all the new divisions had to go through. The only exception being Classic, which if you ask the purists, that should be what bodybuilding is. In any event, the question of pro cards has always been raised at the launch of each new division.
Why? Because once you’re a pro, you’re a pro. There isn’t an IFBB Bikini Pro card or an IFBB Bodybuilding Pro Card. If you turn pro in Bikini and then want to do FBB or WPD, there’s nothing stopping you. This is what most of the old school people have up in arms because going pro in bodybuilding requires years of building. You must build a base, then add size, deeper and deeper cuts, etc. Most bodybuilders must invest anywhere from a handful of years to more than a decade. Then you look at guys like Ron Harris and Dave Palumbo, and despite years of being on the top of the national level, they retired without cards. Or look at Bob Cicherillo. He took a long time to go pro. Or look at Vinny Galante. These guys didn’t flinch. They worked and worked and worked and worked some more until they finally got that pro status. But what about someone who maybe did a couple of shows, has little to no muscle, and is suddenly an IFBB Pro? Does that water down the value of the pro card?
This is the age’s old debate that rages on. With ten divisions – and more on the way – the talk around the water cooler is getting louder. So, let’s dive into the action and look at it from a few different perspectives.
First of all, I feel it’s important to talk about muscularity. because I know that a lot of bodybuilders look down on men’s physique competitors or maybe bikini competitors but let’s not forget that each division calls for a certain look. The most muscular look is bodybuilding. And for a long time that has been considered to be the most difficult of all. I think that is an arguable point. I feel that Classic and Men’s Physique are difficult in their own right. Perhaps because some of them have weight limits, others do not reward overly muscular looks, but in the end it’s about variety. One of the things I have always applauded for each of the respective federations is that they give something for everyone. Not everyone wants to have a bodybuilder’s mass. Bodybuilding is what started at all. In terms of the IFBB there is simply no argument there. Bodybuilding will always be the flagship division at the Olympia and the Arnold Classic. And for those reasons it is why it pays the most at least in terms of contest winnings. That should not mean that the other divisions are lesser divisions. As I pointed out earlier in this article, Classic Physique has literally bested all of the male divisions at the local and regional level. If you look at the old school guys and you really listen to what they have to say, many of them like Arnold, would prefer that the Classic look be the look of the mainstream sport. In any event, look at Chris Bumstead; he was classic. And he was the most popular and may continue to be the most popular physique-based athlete in the world. Does Chris Bumstead deserve less recognition than an open bodybuilder? Absolutely not. But that is kind of where the argument goes once we start talking about which divisions deserve a pro card and deserve recognition more than others.
It’s a slippery slope because it is not the kind of argument that is going to really hold water. Bodybuilding alone is not what keeps physique-based sports at the forefront. If you go to any of the big expos around the world, you will see that what I’m saying here is factual. I also think that it is safe to say that bodybuilders have the longest road to the pro card. There are fewer opportunities to turn pro, and it requires a lot more in terms of drugs, training, and nutrition. Now of course we’re talking about the untested IFBB Pro League, which is the road to the Olympia. We’re not talking about other federations, especially not natural federations. Natural federations do not allow drugs and are all about food, training and natural supplementation. For those federations I don’t think this argument applies, but where it does apply is the IFBB. That is for all intents and purposes the most coveted pro card of all physique-based sports. And bodybuilders are starting to get a little annoyed to see newer divisions like Fit Model get the same card they earn.
One thing I can tell you is that the IFBBPL is never going to do away with divisions. I know that many people would like nothing more than that because they would like a return to the past. But the past belongs in the past. I don’t know if a pro card will ever open doors for anyone. I know that people like to romanticize the past and they like to say that once somebody earned a pro card suddenly everybody was waiting to sign them and wanting them to do guest posing appearances. But I think this is nothing but nostalgia. I think that what gets you on guest posing circuits, what gets you the sponsorships, what gets you the lines at the expos is you, yourself, and you. It’s what you make of it. This is why guys that never turned pro were able to land major contracts at the national level. Some of these guys never earned a pro card. Some of these guys never were top three at a national level show, but they were able to create enough interest as to who they were able to make money while battling to turn professional.
Right now, I would say that the major culprit is not the number of pro cards being issued or even the number of divisions available, rather, I would put the blame on social media influencers. Because nowadays you don’t need to compete. You look at guys like Sam Sulek and The Tren Twins and they’re competing because they want to but not because they have to. Competing never did anything for Chris Bumstead – at least not after he was mega famous. He did it because he wanted to. Does anyone honestly think he did it for the prize money? He could make that with his own brands in maybe a few days. I’m not kidding. When you have millions and millions of followers, and you really have influence over them, and you own your own companies, you don’t need to do a bullshit bodybuilding show. With all due respect to the big bodybuilding shows, what I’m saying is as real as it gets.
Right now, I think a lot of people are looking to point fingers because they’re trying to figure out why they’re not making the kind of money they want. That unfortunately falls on their shoulders. A pro card never meant anything more than a piece of cardboard. And I know that some of the old school guys would argue with me till they’re blue in the face but I would argue right back. It’s always been about marketing. Whether there was social media or it was the magazines or it was before the magazines, bodybuilders have always had to be hustlers. They have always had to be able to look at opportunities and sometimes make them up out of thin air. That is the nature of the beast. Bodybuilding was always a niche sport. And it’s still one.
Don’t get it twisted my friends. Don’t believe the alternate reality presented by social media. Or the alternate reality of expos. Sure, you can walk up and down an expo and feel like you’re part of the biggest sport in the world, but once you leave that convention center, you come to the stark realization that you’re still very much part of an underground world. Bodybuilding can’t hold a candle to hockey, basketball, football, or baseball. Bodybuilding continues to be very much a subculture. But it is growing. I’ll give you that. That said, you can’t throw shade at these new divisions but then want to reap the benefits from the growth they provided. It’s those new divisions kept bodybuilding relevant. Had it been bodybuilding alone all these years, I doubt it would have survived.
What say you? Do you agree with me or not?
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. This topic is extremely divisive, but very interesting to tackle. I hope you will copy and paste a link to this story on all your social media feeds. I guarantee you it will generate lively conversation. You might even have to tell some of your friends to tone it down a little bit because whenever this topic comes up – people lose their freaking minds.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
