Despite what we try to lead ourselves to believe, there are no real secrets to success in bodybuilding. However, if there is something real bodybuilders know that wannabe bodybuilders don’t it’s that the training and the dieting aren’t all that hard. The hard part is waking up every day, staring at yourself in the mirror, and believing that you have what it takes to be better than yesterday. Real bodybuilders know that magic formulas only exist in movies, and that the real elixir for success looks something like this: work hard every day, ignore criticism, learn from failure, achieve mastery over fear, watch dreams manifest.
At the 2014 New
York Metropolitan Bodybuilding Championships Mike Pence stepped onstage and gave the bodybuilding world a glimpse at what putting together a formula for success looks like on his way to capturing the overall title. Recently Mike and I caught up and had a chance to discuss exactly how he went from spectator to future star, and you can catch all of the details right here, in this RxMuscle exclusive interview.
Q.) Did you come from an athletic background prior to when you began competing in bodybuilding?
A.) Yes. I grew up my whole life involved with sports (Football and baseball) from pee-wee level all the way through high school.
Q.) When was it that you began weight training?
A.) After graduating high school I moved on to a business college and got my Associates Degree in Business Management, but I still had that competitive edge inside me. I was always training in local gyms, my parent’s home basement gym and my high school gym trying to get bigger for football during my high school years, and I didn’t want to just let it all go after high school. I kept training, kept working, and started to put on some solid size for my age.
Q.) You’re known for being incredibly strong in the gym, and we
’ve seen you showcase some of that strength at a 2013 Bros vs. Pros event. Did strength and size gains come easy early on? Or did they develop slowly over time?
A.) Anything and everything takes time. Most people don’t understand what, and how effective a proper diet can be for a person’s body. Not only will you have a clean look, but it also gives you the strength you need to make the appropriate gains. Your diet is like fuel for a car. A car won’t perform without fuel. Food is our fuel and a proper diet is a major factor in any type of sport. Along with a diet comes proper training and supplementation. The supplements I personally use all of GAT’s incredible line of products. GAT has some amazing products and they keep me amped during my workouts.
Q.) What was it that initially drew you to the stage and made you consider competing?
A.) Because of the progress I was making at such a young age, a few guys at a local gym told me to think about competing in a fitness show sometime. At the time I didn’t think anything of it because I just loved training, that is until I went to watch a local bodybuilding show. When watching the show, It was then when I said “I wanna look like that”, and never turned back! I was always intrigued with the human body and the way you were capable of making it look with the right diet and dedication. After watching that show I went home, bought some diet books, subscribed to some muscle magazines and went from there.
Q.) You recently put together an incredible package onstage which earned you the overall title at the New York Metropolitan Bodybuilding Championships; a show that is traditionally known as one of the top amateur events in the country. Did you have a sense after prejudging that you might be in the running for the overall?
A.) Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate them. Because of the caliber of this show, the friends that I brought with me to the show couldn’t get in because the tickets were all sold out weeks in advance. I was going to have them tape the prejudging so I could see how I looked along with the other competitors. When your on stage your facing front so you see what the other competitors look like. When I was back stage I kept my head down and just concentrated. My coach, who is one of Bodies by Gforce coaches, IFBB Pro Dan Hawtin, kept talking to me, kept me focused and we kept reviewing last minute things. He had my back the entire time at that show. When coming off from the prejudging he gave me the thumbs up, said that I looked good and that we had to continue to stay sharp for the finals. Being back stage is completely different than being under the lights on stage, so to answer your question, I didn’t know what to expect.
Q.) What were your immediate thoughts after you heard your name announced as the overall winner?
A.) All the competitors worked just as hard as I did to get to that point of being in the overall and it was an honor to compete next to each and every one of them. When I heard my name called I was so honored and happy. The caliber of that show and winning the overall made me speechless. I knew that I gave everything I had for this show. I never missed meals, cardio sessions, or workouts, but that’s what it takes to win.
Q.) You recently signed an exclusive deal to become a member of the GAT Street Team, putting you in an impressive stable of athletes that includes two-time New York Pro Champion Big Ramy. What’s been your experience thus far working with Team GAT, a company that’s built a reputation for standing strong behind their athletes and producing the highest quality supplements?
A.) GAT is an amazing supplement company. Their products are amazing! Everybody is so nice and supportive. I appreciate all that GAT has given me and look forward to a bright future with them!
Q.) When’s the next time fans can expect to see you onstage?
A.) I will be competing on May 31 at the NPC XCaliber in PA. Afterwards I'm taking some time to rest before my coach and I are going to start training for Nationals in 2015.
Q.) If someone would like to contact you for guest 
posing or sponsorship opportunities, what’s the best way for them to get in contact with you?
A.) Best way to reach me is through Email. [email protected].
IG: @mike_pence113
Facebook: Mike Pence
For many of us following the formula for success isn’t the hard part. The difficult part is accepting that there is no easy road. There is no magic supplement concoction, no magic diet, or mystical training routine that turns mortals into monsters. There is only back breaking, soul stretching, get down and dirty up to your elbows work that very few of us are willing to do; and even fewer are willing to accept as a possible explanation for why another succeeded where we have failed. Athletes like Mike have the unique ability to look in the mirror, step in the gym, and simply do the work. They don’t procrastinate or make excuses. They work hard every day, ignore criticism from mediocre minds incapable of conceiving their goals, learn from their failures, achieve mastery over fears that lesser men succumb to, and watching their dreams manifest as all of their hard work comes to fruition.
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