In highschool I swam and ran track. A couple times/week during track we would lift weights, though with little organization. When I moved on to college I continued my swimming career (though, with a nick-name like "Meat", I should have known I was too big for the sport). The swim team trained with weights three days/week on a specific, but run of the mill program. A shoulder injury ended my swimming career, but I continued to lift weights. The more I lifted, the stronger I became, so the more I wanted to lift. After graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical engineering I went to work for Life Fitness/Hammer Strength, designing equipment. While I don't design equipment any longer, it was at that job where I truly began to understand intense training principles and analyzed training methods in relation to the physics that dictate all matter. My training life has been an evolution of philosophies, ever-honing me as an athlete to draw the most out of my physical potential and forge my mental toughness and threshold for pain.

I've never wanted to be unable to accomplish something in "everyday life" because I was not physically capable. "Bodybuilding" has never been my interest, merely a bi-product. I challenge myself to be stronger than "the big guys" and faster/more athletic than "the little guys". My philosophy forces me to lift "with intent" as well as work my endurance and general athletic ability and movements. I have recently discovered cross-fit, both as a workout regimine and for potential contests to try and "walk the walk". The way I feel after a body-crushing circuit far surpases any "runner's high" I've felt or lifting testosterone rush.