Pierce first entered bodybuilding contests in his early 20s, but soon realized that – without using steroids like some of the other competitors – he’d gone as far as he could go.
“I gave up on it. I looked around and told myself I can’t compete with these monsters,” he said.
He settled for keeping in shape and owning his own health club, New Image Fitness in Bonita Springs, Fla. But with the rise in natural bodybuilding competitions, he decided to try again.
Four years ago, Pierce gave himself an ultimatum to train as hard as he could for three years.
“I’ve got good genetics and I’ve been training hard all these years. I told myself if I bomb, I’ll never compete again,” he said.
He quietly entered last year’s MuscleMania competition in Las Vegas on the day of the show. Far from bombing, Pierce walked away with the Mr. America title.