Keone Pearson reflects on his entry into bodybuilding and the pressure felt by being dubbed a genetic phenom with a bright future.
Keone Pearson’s first competition was in 2017. Only three years later and he’s been dubbed a genetic phenom with big possibilities in his future. During his early years, Keone also had the distinction of being trained briefly by Flex Wheeler. He became an “it” competitor and all eyes were on every move he made. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Keone Pearson details how he handled the pressure of the expectations that came with being dubbed a genetic phenom.
Every once in a while, a bodybuilding competitor enters the industry with a bang. He’s immediately considered a promising talent. At this moment, a young athlete becomes a viral figure – even before a massive competition has been won. A spotlight is placed squarely into every move the athlete makes. Keone Pearson became one of those athletes when he started competing in 2017.
But what kind of mental toll does that put on a competitor? Promising young phenoms are not the same as returning champions. For example, Brandon Curry has a big spotlight put on him right now – but he also has the experience to back up the pressure. Athletes like Keone – especially when he first started – were new to the game. Yet still thousands of people expected him to change the game. Does that psych a competitor out? Does it hurt his ability to stay focused?
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Keone Pearson at the New York Pro 2019 (above).
Keone Pearson details what it was like to suddenly be a name in headlines across the web. It certainly made him nervous. It also threatened to distract his focus away from the most important thing – training his physique to perfection so he can live up to the hype.
Ultimately, he received some good advice from his coach at the time. He was told to simply avoid social media and the web. Don’t look at the comments or the posts. Just do what you need to do quick for your sponsors… then put your head down and get back to training.
This helped Keone block out the stress and anxiety and focus on competing. With each passing year and each competition under his belt, Keone becomes more experienced. Perhaps soon he will become no longer a promising young phenom and instead a proven champion.
So far his fondest moment has been winning the New York Pro. It’s his proudest accomplishment to stand tall on Steve Weinberger’s very own stage. Now poised to compete in the Men’s 212 division – perhaps he will make a new greater memory in the form of a major win. Only time will tell – but Keone hopes to prove himself worthy of the prodigy title bestowed upon him.
You can watch Keone Pearson’s comments about phenom pressure in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above!
