My Journey
From shy introvert to finding my passion for fitness and nutrition
My journey began in 2012 while I was a shy introverted young man. I wasn’t sure of the path I wanted to take in life and I also felt very uncomfortable in my own skin. I was a depressed kid that wanted more out of life and also my physical appearance. I always grew up smaller and shorter so I was picked on by other kids, pushed around in team sports, and felt a lack of confidence in my dating life.
I found the barbell in 2012 when I wanted to lift to be strong and feel more confident. I remember being young, looking on the classified ads for a weight set and finding a whole squat rack, barbell, 300lbs in weights, an EZ bar, a cable attachment, and a few other things. I immediately showed my mom and step-dad and told them this is what I wanted for my birthday. They granted my wish and we drove out 45 minutes away to pick this up. At the time, it costed $260! Amazing price for the value.
I began reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and I followed that routine to a T. I also decided I was going to drink 1 gallon of milk a day to ensure I was getting enough calories in as well as eating 6 meals a day in between. This was the start of my fitness journey.
I became largely into powerlifting and was able to produce a 285lb paused bench, 455lb squat, and a 475lb deadlift. I did this through Starting Strength and a 531 program I found online! I felt stronger than ever but also more crappy than ever! The food was taking a toll on me. I was planning on competing before eventually hurting my back doing a mundane cleaning task at home…
Fast forward, I had a few friends that were into bodybuilding so I thought I would lift with them and see how it went. I fell in love with bodybuilding and began my journey towards that! I grew an exponential amount more muscle, was leaner than I had ever been, and felt better! In 2016, I began contemplating getting a coach and got my first ever coach, Mike Manfre. He led me to my first Men’s Physique show where I placed 3rd in my class respectively, only to get on stage again 2 months later after losing a bet and taking 2nd in my class respectively!
This led me to getting into Nursing school where my fitness….wellllll….for lack of a better word, suffered. I let myself go and I tend to be a stress ‘non-eater’, rather than a stress eater. I lost a lot of muscle mass. Once I recognized the path I was on, I self corrected and really began to see why I loved living this lifestyle.
I felt better than ever, looked as good as ever, and would continually nerd out on the science of this all. I began my first certification and got into coaching! Since then, I have spent more money on coaching than I have on cars in my life!
I now have worked with hundreds of people and continue to help a variety of people from every walk of life.
I would also love to work with you too! Shoot me a message and lets help you to your goals!
