Lee Priest has spent decades defying expectations.
In the 1990s and 2000s, when the Men’s Open division was dominated by towering giants, Priest carved out his own legacy. Standing shorter than many of his rivals, he still went toe-to-toe with the likes of eight-time Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Dexter Jackson — and never looked out of place.
Now 54, the Australian bodybuilding icon isn’t chasing Sandow trophies. He’s chasing something else entirely: Time.
Recently, Priest opened up about health, ageing and why he has his sights firmly set on reaching triple digits.
“I always said, I’m going to 100. Why do I want to get to 100? It’s just a number in my head,” he revealed in a conversation with Ben Pakulski on Muscle Intelligence. “My grandfather passed away from malpractice, and he was in his 80s and still training. He passed away last year at 99. My mom now, she’s 74 and still looks young. We got longevity.”
For Priest, it’s not just ambition — it’s family history. Longevity, he says, runs in his bloodline. Active into their later years. Still training. Still sharp.
But he’s also realistic about the road he’s travelled.
Like many bodybuilders of his era, performance-enhancing drugs were part of the culture. And while he doesn’t dwell on it, he acknowledges the possible consequences.
“A bit of steroid use… maybe I cut a bit of years off, who knows? It’s funny when you’re young, when you’re 20s, I don’t care when I die, I don’t give a shit, then you get to 30, I want to get to 40, I get 40, I want 50, I’m 50, now I want to get to 60 and to 70. It’s funny how it changes like that.”
It’s a striking shift in perspective from a man who built his name in one of the sport’s most extreme eras.
Priest never formally retired from bodybuilding. In fact, he renewed his IFBB Pro card in 2025, fuelling speculation about a possible return. But any comeback talk was short-lived.
Chest atrophy, he revealed, has ruled that out.
Instead of obsessing over stage condition or competitive prep, Priest’s focus has moved toward sustainability, health, and staying active without self-destruction.
And the way he trains now reflects those new targets.
“I still like training, it’s in my system. We all have those days, I don’t want to go to the gym, fuck it. I get up and go anyway. Even the days you don’t want to go, you go, and I don’t go crazy. Before it was like chest day. Now, I’m like I’m going to do chest, I get four sets into dumbbells, I’ll walk off and do biceps. Every day I’m doing a bit of something. If I get a good pump and don’t hurt myself, that’s a win,” he said.
There’s no rigid split. No all-or-nothing mentality. No ego lifting.
Just movement. Consistency. And knowing when to stop.
It’s a mindset increasingly common among veteran bodybuilders who’ve seen the toll the sport can take. The pursuit of size and conditioning once came at any cost. Now, many are recalibrating.
Bodybuilding coach Milos Sarcev, 62, recently drew attention with a shredded physique update that showed what’s possible when longevity becomes the priority. Staying lean. Staying mobile. Staying present.
Priest appears to be on a similar path. He still loves the gym, admitting it’s still “in [his] system.” But the goal isn’t dominance anymore — it’s durability.
From battling giants on the Olympia stage to planning life at 100 years old, Priest’s focus has shifted from building muscle to preserving years.
And in a sport often defined by extremes, that might be his most powerful transformation yet.
Featured image credit: Instagram/@leepriestofficial72/YouTube/@MI40MuscleIntelligence (screenshots)
