I started lifting weights in High School in the 10th grade. I remember barely being able to lift 135 pounds when first started. By the 11th grade I was lifting 225 pounds. I lifted on and off (mostly off) until 1998 when I decided to enter the EAS Body for Life 12 week Physique Transformation Contest. After that I continued to lift seriously but not really paying attention to diet. It wasn't until I entered the 2002 AST World Championships Physique Transformation Contest and saw the changes I was able to make to my physique that I really started to think about competing. I was able to go from 186 pounds (March 1, 2002) to 170 pounds (May 23, 2002) in twelve weeks. I saw a flyer in the gym about a bodybuilding Seminar in June 2002. It was being held by Matt Shepley the founder of The OCB. He was also promoting his first show (the 2002 INBF Presidential Cup Bodybuilding & First Lady Figure Championships). I was very hesitant to do it. I didn’t think I could stand in front of hundreds of people in those tiny posing trunks. Well, my wife (Donna) and friend Susan Brunson convinced me that I could do it (compete in bodybuilding). The rest as they say is history.

I love the whole life style of bodybuilding. Anybody can lift weights but being a true bodybuilder is not an easy thing. That’s why you see so many people in the gym but how many of those people do you notice looking the same month to month and year to year. To be a true bodybuilder it takes a 24/7 effort. I love the idea of setting goals and the feeling of pride after I achieve them. I love the way complete strangers outside of the gym come up to me and ask for advice on diet and weight training. That says to me that I’m doing something right when my achievements are noticeable in street clothes.