This week's episode of "The Menace Podcast" featured a guest who described Dennis James as "last year's Olympia breakthrough star". 2020 New York Pro Champion Iain Valliere joined in, who finished 7th on the biggest stage of 2020 in Orlando, FL. Their conversation shed a lot of light on the Canadian superstar, including some insight into his athletic background before he got into bodybuilding.
“From the age of 8, 9, 10 and up to high school, I was an athlete. So I was a sprinter, I ran 100, 200 meters, I did the long jump, so I was always someone who was very interested in the individuality of my work and the results that resulted from it. I am not dependent on the success of others. It was exactly what I put in. "
He also played soccer, and that was what led him to weight training. The results of the training led him to his current career.
“I was just starting to get into that groove of enjoying feeling stronger and getting more muscular, and I could see how playing soccer and everything was affecting it. Then it went away from football and into the gym, and then I ended up in bodybuilding shows and the rest is history, right? "
In 2010 he appeared on stage for the first time and has never looked back. He would earn his pro card at the 2014 Amateur Olympics in Acapulco, Mexico. It would be four years before he won his first victory, the “Big Man Revolution” competition in Spain. This was the first time he was on the Olympic stage. After failing to qualify in 2019, his 2020 New York Pro win was his ticket to last year's Olympics, where he secured his spot as one of the sport's elite athletes.
“The pressure has certainly increased, but it's also a great feeling of reassurance for me. It is one of those things that all bodybuilders are sure to have experienced. When you see yourself at the gym and you see certain progress photos, you know it is there. You know what it's capable of, and then you take the stage and I think, “This is not what I saw before the show.” I performed in New York and thought, “This is better, but I always have still “I know I have so much more in it, you know.” I think the Olympics was the first time in my career that I was 100% happy with my appearance and I could say, “OK, that's real me and what I'm capable of. & # 39; "
The next time you'll see Valliere on stage is the Toronto Pro 2021. Until then, you can discuss a variety of topics with him in this hour-long interview with James, including who he has in mind for future competitions, his experiences in the social media, his work with brother-in-law, Chris Bumstead, and more. Watch the entire program and every episode of TMP on the M&F YouTube channel and on Spotify.
