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WEST JORDAN — After 26-year-old Luis Pena lost 80 pounds and started competing in men's physique events, his father decided he wanted in on the action.
Luis Pena helped his father, 48-year-old Virgil Pena, go from 220 pounds and 24 percent body fat to 180 pounds and 6 percent body fat in a matter of months. Now, the close father-son duo will be competing together in men's physique for the first time at the NPC Utah Cup in Murray on Saturday.
"(My father) has been my go-to guy since I was younger, pushing me to be the best and motivating me to be the best I could be at a sport or in life," Luis Pena said. "Now, it's actually flipped around. I'm helping him succeed at a new goal in his life even at his age. It has been a cool experience."
The younger Pena started his own fitness journey in 2014 when he started training with a friend. He played baseball in college and while growing up, but slowly got out of shape.
"I started working full time and making really good money, and I lost track of my health and my fitness," he said. "I got to be 240 pounds. After that, I realized that health was a big thing for me and I needed to change my lifestyle completely."
After getting in shape, he became a certified trainer and friends convinced him to start competing in men's physique. According to the NPC, during men's physique competitions "judges will be looking for fit contestants who display proper shape and symmetry combined with muscularity and overall condition. This is not a bodybuilding contest, so extreme muscularity should be marked down."
Luis Pena said he placed in the top 5 for his division in Utah competitions in 2015. Virgil Pena, who played professional baseball in Venezuela, was a huge fan and they started training together after his son's last competition in October. The father-son duo goes to the gym together almost every day, with Luis Pena offering tips for a healthier diet and helping cook.
"Now he looks better than me, which is really awesome," he laughed.
On Saturday Virgil Pena will be competing in the master's class for men's physique competitors who are over 43, while Luis Pena will be competing in a lower age group. However, they will still be able to help each other.
"I wanted to share that moment with him," Luis Pena said. "I wanted to share the stage with him."
After the Utah Cup, Luis Pena will continue preparations for his first national competition in Las Vegas at the end of March. The physique competitor said he wanted others to know they can do the same thing as his family.
"If you really want to change that lifestyle — your body, your lifestyle, your self-esteem and your confidence — you can do it," Luis Pena said. "I've done it. I've seen plenty of people do it. I've seen my clients do it and now my father, who is almost 50 years old. Age has no limit."
