LEO PACHECO …GIANT!
At a height of 5’ 4” you may be forgiven for thinking I am losing my mind calling Leo Pacheco ‘giant’ however size is not always about inches (no innuendo intended here!). Someone can be a giant not based on how tall they are but what kind of person they are. I have known Leo for several years and not only does he LOOK like a Pro bodybuilder should look all year round but he is courteous and approachable and takes a genuine interest in his clients. Talking to him there is no doubt he is also passionate about the sport of bodybuilding. However, he is also realistic and grounded when it comes to his plans for the future as I discovered when I talked to him at ‘Complete Body and Spa’ Gym in New York just under a week before he hit the stage at the Europa Super Show in Dallas, Texas.
Last time I talked to you I recall you said that you were taking this year off as far as competition was concerned. What changed your mind?
“Well, I found out that they were going to get rid of the 202lb class and it was just gonna be 212lb next year so I felt that if I waited till next year my chances were going to be limited. At my size it would be very difficult to compete against those guys in the 212lb class. Also, I am 42 years old, I have to be realistic. I have spent the last six years focusing on and reaching my goals. I have competed in the Nationals year after year to finally reach the place where I am now. So basically I have been working for this one key moment in my life. “I am also a hard worker but now I need to focus on my future. I want to buy a house and have a family. Competing in the 202 as a Pro is one of my goals and although I am not making any money from competing, as a personal trainer every time I step on that stage my business increases. Right now my schedule is full and I am seeing six to eight people a day – so I am making a good living. On the other hand, the money I was saving I am now spending so that is why I don’t want to do it anymore because I want to build more for myself in my personal life.“So for me it is my first Pro show, but it is also my last.”
So what is your strategy for this, your first show as a Pro?
“I cannot go by size because they are going to kick my ass, but I can go by conditioning and symmetry. At first going into this show I was thinking ‘let me try. I will do my best’…but now I think I am going to have a chance. I am very optimistic and happy about the way I look. I am going to be 12-13 pounds heavier than last time with better condition….so we will see. If I qualify for the Olympia it will be the highlight of my career!”
You are pretty well known for the great conditioning you achieve, any secrets to this?
“That is one of my things, my condition. Although this year I was planning to go as heavy as I could and I got to 190...which is the heaviest I have ever been. Then I went to the NY Pro and I saw Marvin Ward - he is only 5 ft 2 and 155lbs and he took third place and it gave me a lot of inspiration …I mean he was up against guys who were 200lbs and he took third place and was in really good condition so it gave me hope, plus I have nothing to lose…I have absolutely nothing to lose.” As for ‘secrets’ I don’t really have any I just eat clean all the time. I am from Columbia… growing up I didn’t eat pizza, I didn’t eat burgers or fries. They were too expensive. In Columbia buying pizza is for rich people, poor people can’t afford it…which in a way I guess is good! For my family it was always home cooking…rice, beans, plantains, chicken. Of course, sometimes I get a taste for something like muffins or chocolate cake or a nice steak…but junk food doesn’t do anything for me to be honest with you. “In the morning I have a cup of oatmeal, egg white omelet, orange juice and coffee then I go to the gym. Then I will have a bagel with cream cheese and throughout the rest of the day I have things like steak with rice and beans, plantains, turkey breast, more rice, chicken. I love chicken legs, I can have five, six, seven of those with a baked potato. Basically that is the type of food I eat every day.’
That being said how easy/hard is it for you to diet for a show?
“The condition I am looking for you have to work really hard to obtain. I thought last year was my hardest preparation but this year has been really tough. I don’t know why but you always think it is going to be easier…but it never gets easier. Now I am eating about seven pounds of fish a day and 120 grams of carbs.”
Do you believe in carb loading?“It all depends how I look…but I stay with the same foods…yams and oatmeal or rice or whatever is working for me. Right now Korean Yams are working well and I am going to stay with that. I see people getting closer to the contest eating peanut butter and jelly…that’s how they get bloated. My thing is for the contest I always have a chocolate bar when I am pumping up and just tasting that chocolate you start feeling good!”
What is obvious to anyone looking at you is your symmetry. Is this genetic or did it take a lot of effort?
“It is something I do train specifically for. My family comes from Indians so we tend to have good legs, narrow shoulders, thick waist and no back. I have that kind of genetics so …I always had good legs but my thing was to improve my back and my shoulders…and I work my body equally. I train my back twice. I train my shoulders two or three times. I do shoulders one day and then when I do chest I do side laterals and some presses and when I do back I do rear delts. That has been working for me.“Some people say it’s overtraining but my body has been taking it well. I think you only over train when you don’t eat well and when you don’t rest…and that’s my thing…every time that I have a chance I have a nap. You over train when you under eat and you don’t sleep. Of course getting closer to the show you start feeling sluggish…but that is because you are eating so much less.”
You have a lot of clients here at ‘Complete Body’ . I am sure it’s not always easy to get people to do what you recommend. What would you say your biggest frustration as a personal trainer is?
“Sometimes with clients you give them a diet and they don’t follow it. They say ‘what’s going on, I don’t see any changes’ and they fail to realize how important the diet is.. Especially with female clients they think they are gonna get big . First of all, ‘you are clean, you are not taking anything, so you are not going to get that big, you are going to get leaner’… but they don’t get it. Sometimes it gets frustrating but that’s my business. That’s why I like to stay in shape to show them this is what I do this is what I do for a living and this is how I look, to make them feel confident in what they can achieve. I try to do my best with my clients. I mean these people pay a lot of money so you have to treat them well and they trust you so you have to be there for them.”
You mentioned that you were genetically blessed as far as legs are concerned…but as a trainer how do you help those who may not be so lucky?
“Well, for example, if you have a tall guy you have to design a program for him. I see tall guys doing full squats and when you are tall and do full squats most of the time it hits your hips and glutes and lower back so you have to modify that - you have to limit the range of motion and make sure that they press more with their heels. Also you need to see how the guy stands. It’s not about how they squat it’s about how they stand, how they position their feet. You have to see their whole structure because everybody’s different. You have to see how their body responds. That is why they call this bodybuilding…you have to build your body in different ways. Use different ranges of motion, different repetitions, and different angles. Also when it comes to reps, for legs less than twelve doesn’t work. For hamstrings fifteen and up…for quads twelve and up….but legs have to be high reps. Eight reps doesn’t work it does nothing. “That’s another thing…I train bodies I don’t train egos! I had this guy who was focused on the weight he kept asking me ‘Is this a good weight?’ Of course it’s a good weight...for you. If you want to train and load that thing for two or three reps forget it…I train BODIES. If you want to train your ego you have to go to somebody else. “Also, I think with time as you get older you get smarter. Years ago I had a back injury for eight or nine months and I couldn’t move. So I learned my lesson. It isn’t all about how much weight you can lift.”
Finally, as you turn your attention towards this weekend’s contest how are you feeling about what lies ahead?
“I am excited and I am happy. Right now I see how my body has changed and I see hope. I think I can do something good… and like I said before I have nothing to lose. The only thing is that I am going to be by myself I have nobody coming with me so I am going solo. I don’t have my girlfriend or anyone by my side. It’s ironic in a way because I am going to end in the same way that I began…on my own. Sometimes you review your life and I got to thinking holy shit…I am ending my career in the same way as I began…so it has gotta be good!”
Accueil 
