“I came to the United States with my father in 1999. That same week I started working with my uncle in Manhattan. Around that time I saw the first Flex magazine and I saw this guy with HUGE arms, and his triceps were amazing. I couldn’t get that out of my head and from that moment on I decided I wanted to look like that.” LEO PACHECO
Yes, I can’t deny it; it’s another story of one man with a dream in his heart pursuing it with
determination until it becomes a reality. However, when I first laid eyes on Leo Pacheco in New York’s new bodybuilding haven, ‘Complete Body & Spa’ (formerly 19st gym and Better Bodies) he gave me no clues that I was in the presence of a future Pro. Sure, he had an amazing physique but he wasn’t the type who strutted around the gym with a ‘look at me I am a bodybuilder’ sign on his back (c’mon we all know the type!). He was quiet, unassuming and just kept his head down and did his job – whether it was training himself or one of his many clients.
Then, one week he goes off to do the Nationals and comes back with his Pro Card! That was the moment I thought wow…this guy slid right under the radar and came out a winner. It was definitely time to give him respect, and where better to tell his story than right here on RX Muscle.
So without further ado, let’s swiftly flip the page from INTRODUCTION to STORY and find out a little more about this new addition to the Pro ranks…
So Leo, going back to the day when you picked up your first muscle magazine…what did you look like back then?
“I was probably 130lbs at the time and I am 5’ 4”. I didn’t speak any English and I didn’t read any English so it took me forever to read a magazine. Anyway, I started working out in the gym but it was difficult for me to gain muscle because I am a hard gainer, I don’t gain muscle easily …I had good legs but no back or shoulders. But over time I started learning about how to train each body part correctly and I learned about nutrition. I was lucky...I met a lot of good people who helped me along the way.”
Being a hard gainer, how did you adjust your diet back then?
“I started increasing my carbohydrates and eating more. I ate a lot of chicken and fish…so much chicken that I can’t eat it anymore! These days I eat turkey, fish and beef. I ate a lot of food back then…I never ate so much food in my life…but that is when I made the most improvements. My diet used to be high protein and low carbohydrate but now it’s high carbohydrate/high protein and I eat six or seven times a day.”
Which body part would you say was the weakest and can you give us an example of a workout you used to improve it?
“My back was the hardest for me to develop. I tried different positions with cables to see which one worked best and it is much better than it was before- although it could still use a lot of improvement.
This is one of my training routines that has helped me to improve my back development:
I do 3 To 4 working sets of 10-12 reps (2 warm up sets 15 reps)The last repetitions of the last couple of sets I go to complete failure.
BACK ROUTINE
1. CHIN UPS
2. SHOULDER WIDE PULL-DOWNS TO THE FRONT.
3. UNDER HAND BENT OVER BARBELL OR DUMBBELLS ROWS.
4. ONE ARM DUMBBELL ROWS OR CABLE ROWS.
5. CABLE PULLOVERS
7. DEAD LIFTS WITH BARBELL
8. STIFF DUMBBELLS DEAD LIFT - ONLY 2 SETS
Turning to your recent victory, how do you feel to finally be considered a professional in your sport?
“I feel like I am dreaming right now. I can’t believe it! This is my sixth Nationals and this is the dream of my life. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I put 100% in to my training…I mean you see me here every day and it feels great to be recognized within the sport that I love and rewarded for the work I put into it.”
Talking about training…yes I do see you at the gym every day, you must take a day off though right?
“I only take a day off when I feel my body can’t take any more. I also believe in doing cardio all year round. You have to do cardio as that is the only way you are going to get that striated defined look when you are on stage. Off season I do 20 – 30 mins every other day. “
What is the hardest part of contest prep for you?
“The hardest part is the beginning…the beginning of the diet, the beginning of the training….all the adjustments I have to make to my routine. That’s why I start earlier. My contest prep is usually three months long. I have learned that you have to graduate everything…diet and work…so it fits in.”
Talking of work…what do you do?
“I am a full time trainer and physical therapist. Last year I quit my job because I wanted to focus on winning the Nationals. This year was like a new beginning for me. Even the gym I train at is under new management (Complete Body & Spa). I am very happy here because everyone is really polite and I train all my clients here. It feels like my second home!”
Do you have any sponsorship deals?
“Right now I am sponsored by Muscletech…they have been sponsoring me for one year. They have been really generous with me and I am looking forward to continuing to work with them throughout the next year. I also had help when it came to my contest from the gym. It’s hard to get any kind of sponsorship in this sport so I am very lucky to have both their support and the gym’s support.”
On a personal level...how do you feel the sport has changed you?
“I think being in a sport like this has made me stronger mentally and also more aggressive 
when it comes to achieving my goals. I have always been persistent … and I am not a quitter but I would say I am a lot more confident now and I feel confident everywhere I go.”
What do you do to relax on the rare occasions when you are not at the gym?
“I have my kids and I like to be with them but to be honest with you this past year I have just been focused on this competition. Also, I am the one who provides everything at home so I have to maintain my clients even when I am dieting which doesn’t really leave me any free time That’s why I can’t identify with bodybuilders who shut themselves off before a contest saying that they are on low carbs and to work is too much stress. I can’t just stop work, I have to survive, and I have to pay the bills. It is also challenging at these times…you have to control yourself…you have to control your temper.”
So now that you have achieved the goal of getting your Pro card, what’s next?
“Right now I just want to enjoy my victory! It’s funny I was thinking on Monday(after the show) when I was coming to work at seven o clock in the morning and I got out of the train and I saw all the big buildings again, I was reminded that I was in New York, the United States. I actually felt tears coming to my eyes. It was like ‘this is big’. I mean, I don’t know…probably I am taking it to extremes but I couldn’t help but feel emotional over the whole thing…me a professional bodybuilder, in New York, living my dream!”
If you could pass on any advice to a young guy out there like yourself, picking up a muscle magazine and dreaming of being a pro bodybuilder one day what would it be?
“I would say ‘stay in school’! Keep doing the sport, keep training but don’t quit school because education is where you are going to make your money…not the sport. If you quit school you don’t get your degree, if you don’t get your degree you don’t get money and without money you cannot do bodybuilding. It was just the other day that people were asking me about money and I told them that I wasn’t in this sport for money. If I was trying to make money from this I would die…I spend more money than I make!”
And finally, what does the future hold for Leo Pacheco?
“I am still dreaming but I have reached one goal and now I have other goals. I want to buy a house for my family and I need to start working hard to make some money and get myself stable economically.
I am 41, so I am not a kid anymore and I need to think of my future .I don’t want to be seventy years old with no money and just pictures and trophies…and of course I will be getting ready to compete again in 2012!”
Leo can be contacted at [email protected]
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