It was spring 2009 and I had just moved 400 miles for a new job after becoming a victim of the 2008 recession. My new employer had free yearly health screenings that really opened my eyes to how disgustingly out of shape I was at 26 years of age. The news of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and 26% bodyfat hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to do something. My mission was to get healthy and get down to 10-15% bodyfat. In about two and a half years I dropped from 195 to 163 lbs to a ~16% bodyfat percentage. All my health indicators were excellent but I was too skinny for my 6' frame.

In 2012, I purchased a rack, bench, barbell, olympic weights, and some Ironmaster dumbbells and went to work. Over the last year I have found out what works for me, slowly dialing back the cardio and increasing the weight training frequency and intensity to a point where I have reduced cardio to under an hour a week. What is counterintuitive to some is that as I reduced cardio I increased my calorie intake and meal frequency to get my confused metabolism churning away to reduce bodyfat even further. The resulting changes from the weight training and diet are so addicting its almost scary. But everybody has their vices.

As a single man in a rural are of a "flyover" state, I've found a hobby that fills the void normally filled by endless hours on the freeway or the social temptations offered in a more urban area. The resulting physical and mental changes must be experienced to be understood. As people around me have seen the way I've changed, they too have pursued their own fitness endeavors. Nothing could be more fulfilling than influencing others to change their lives forever.