\n<\/p>\n
Mike CookFor the Las Cruces Bulletin<\/p>\n
Joseph Vasquez is very unusual in the world of professional bodybuilding: He won his very first competition, taking first place in all three events.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old Las Cruces native won the debut and novice events and was the overall open winner in the 2025 Albuquerque Open bodybuilding competition. He also earned his Organization of Competition Bodies Pro Card, meaning he has achieved professional status in all-natural (drug-tested) bodybuilding competitions.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cIt was a little surreal,\u201d said Vasquez, who competed against other bodybuilders ranging in age from late teens to mid-50s and coming from New Mexico and surrounding states. \u201cI felt incredible,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was (also) a great sigh of relief for me. I spent a year training for it \u2013 a lot of hours, a lot of hungry nights.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez, who moved back to Las Cruces more than three years ago, is now in training for his next competition in San Antonio, Texas in December. He began bodybuilding a couple of years ago at the suggestion of a coworker.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to see how far I could push myself,\u201d he said. \u201cI love it. It\u2019s awesome. It gives me another purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez works out three to three and a-half hours a day, five days a week at Crunch Gym in Las Cruces, and sometimes four to four and a-half hours in a single workout if he gets on the treadmill to burn calories in addition to working out on exercise machines and using free weights.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoseph stands out from other people at the gym because bodybuilding does take a level of commitment that most people aren\u2019t willing to put in,\u201d said Jackson D. Sosin, a certified personal trainer at Crunch.<\/p>\n
Vasquez works from home for a technology company and that gives him the freedom to spend so much time at the gym.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just very fortunate I have a lot of flexibility in my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vasquez doesn\u2019t have a workout partner. Once he puts in his ear buds (he usually listens to hip hop\/rap or EDM \u2013 something up tempo, especially if he\u2019s feeling tired), \u201cI tend to be in my own little world,\u201d Vasquez said. \u201cIt\u2019s just me. That\u2019s how I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he also likes talking to people at the gym and answering their questions.<\/p>\n
Going to Crunch \u201cgets me out of my apartment,\u201d Vasquez said. \u201cIt\u2019s my social hour. Helping someone get in a little better shape and feel better about themselves makes me happy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
It also gives Vasquez a chance to use the degree in kinesiology (the study of human movement, performance and function) he earned from Adams State University in 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people when pursuing bodybuilding can become very selfish and narcissistic,\u201d Sosin said. \u201cNot Joseph. He\u2019s been nothing but positive, helpful and nice to the people around him. That\u2019s why he\u2019s an amazing role model for other guys at the gym or those that would want to aspire to natural bodybuilding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following a strict diet is another important aspect of Vasquez\u2019s bodybuilding regimen. It includes a lot of rice, broccoli, ground turkey and very lean ground beef.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stick to the basics, what\u2019s quick and easy for me,\u201d Vasquez said.<\/p>\n
He \u201cmakes big batches\u201d of food a couple of times a week and then portions them out for each meal, he said.<\/p>\n
Vasquez kept a long list of the foods he craved while in training for the Albuquerque competition, including fast food like Taco Bell and Whataburger. Writing them down, he said, \u201chelped me forget about them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy for a person to go to the gym and get a good workout,\u201d Sosin said, \u201cbut most people aren\u2019t paying attention to what they\u2019re eating, drinking and doing outside the gym. That\u2019s where bodybuilding and Joseph\u2019s level of commitment really stand out. He put in the work to deserve his title.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez, who is the youngest of three children, said his brother, Josh, two years older, is \u201cmy biggest supporter.\u201d The two played soccer together growing up, at Mayfield High School (Joseph is a 2014 graduate) and in a soccer club.<\/p>\n
Vasquez has a professional trainer in Albuquerque and connects with her every week to help maintain his physique as he prepares for the December competition.<\/p>\n
That classic physique \u2013 the lean, sculpted, highly symmetrical look \u2013 is what judges are looking for in bodybuilding competitions. Wearing only Speedos, Vasquez must hold each pose in a competition for up to 20 minutes without moving, and barely breathing. Mandatory poses called out by the judges include front and back double bicep, right- and left-side chest, abs and thighs. Vasquez added two poses of his choice, a three-quarter back double bicep and a side triceps.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a lot out of you,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took two months to build the stamina to hold each pose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vasquez said he likes the routine of working at home and working out at Crunch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a creature of habit,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m either in my apartment or at the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0And even with the occasional setback \u2013 he missed a bodybuilding competition in Denver because of a calf injury \u2013 \u201ctwo steps forward and one step back is still one step forward,\u201d Vasquez said. \u201cI just take it in stride. I\u2019m always competitive. I have a lot of fun doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n