I have been very athletic and have always loved to play sports. I played college Basketball and Lacrosse. I started hitting the gym then. Since I graduated college in 2003 I lost the desire to stay in great physical shape. I got married, started working, did a ton of cycling and mountain biking for cardio and maybe played some basketball now and then. I stopped playing basketball because of all the ankle injuries and decided to do things where I had less of a chance of injury. So from 2003 to 2010 I didn't step foot inside a weight room unless I was doing a spin class because it was raining outside and I couldn't ride my bike. I was all about losing as much weight as possible so I could keep up on the mountain climbs with the other 130-150 lb. guys I was riding with. It wasn't until January 2011 that my bodybuilder cousin asked me if I wanted to go to Mr. Olympia with him to enter some competition. I got serious when I started training for the Mr. Olympia SuperPump Max Athlete Challenge Sept. 2011. I began a meal plan for 5 months where I wanted to gain weight. I gained about 25 lbs. of lean muscle going from 234 to 258 lbs. I changed up my diet about 2 month to Olympia and came into that at 243 lbs.
I love having a competition to get ready for. Incorporating exercise and selecting good foods is part of a lifestyle that I live by now. If I dont get a chance to workout, my day is done...shot...over. I also believe that our bodies are sacred which means that I want to take care of it as best I can through exercise and proper nutrition. Proper nutrition and exercise gives me a positive attitude everyday. The feeling that I can accomplish anything. What I eat and how hard I train are two of few things that I have complete control over. It's difficult to be the best at any one thing. But if you put your mind to it, you can be the best you by being fit and healthy which will make you feel great!