I started working out back in 1984 after seeing Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV, I was definitely impressed with this guy and I wanted to look like he did. I ordered a pretty nice bench for the time period and never looked back. As time went on working out became a part of my life, I lived in the gym and when I couldn't afford to go to a health club I stayed home and hit it hard. I remember my first weight set a DP cement filled 110 lb set, I would go to flea markets and pick up extra weight, cement filled or Iron, it made no difference. I remember the night that I realized I needed a new bar, I had 250lb on this hollow DP bar and it was bowing bad, when I got done with my last set somehow the bar got a kink in it and well, let's just say I was purchasing a new bar from Omni Sports the next day. I loved working out my best workout buddy was my brother Steve, we would hit it for hours at a time, we were addicted to iron!!! I loved tricep day the best, I would do about 20 sets of pull-downs just to warm up, looking back it may not have been the best way to approach training but it was fun!!

There have been a few times when I would take a break from lifting for a bout six to nine months but the biggest heartbreak took place five years ago, I woke up one morning and I could not get out of bed, I had had some days of stiffness prior to that but I just thought that it was due to turning 40. I didn't do much that day except lay around and pop aspirin, after a few hours I thought that it was the flu and that I would be down a few days. The next morning I felt like I was paralyzed, I couldn't move again, but this time it was worse my hands and feet were swollen. I made a doctors appointment and went in to see what was wrong about a week later. The doctor stated that I had a severe and aggressive form of psoriatic arthritis, I was heart-broke, I watched my hands and feet deform right in front of my eyes. The last few years have been years of ups and downs, at one time my weight ballooned up to 314lbs, not a pretty sight!! I have had limited movement due to pain and deformation. There have been times in the past five years that my wife (of the time) had to put my shoes on me in the morning and take them off in the evening!! I was a wreck, I could barely move and I refused to take pharmaceutical drugs. I would do some adjusting to my diet and try to walk when I could, I gradually lost about 65lbs over the course of two years.

I thought that I would never be able to workout with weights again due to my hands. One day while out in my storage shed I saw my bench and dumbbells sitting there, I did nothing at the time except feel sorry for myself. A few weeks went by and I was online, somehow I happened onto Lee Hayward's website, I got the bug but thought that my hands would not be able to take the strain of holding the weight, plus my knees and elbows also made movements next to impossible!! I didn't care though, I was going to try it, even if I could only lift a five pounds at a time. So I got everything out of the storage shed but I had another problem, where do I set it up??? So after a few minutes I decided the walk in closet!! It worked, I had my dumbbells and bench ready to go. I brought my attachments in and went to work, I just played around at first and maybe hit it twice a week. I really needed some serious motivation to make a transformation. Until recently two times a week was not producing much of a result except for a little strength increase.

Well I got my motivation one day when looking for some protein powder!! The Bodybuilding.com Transformation Challenge. I can do this and even if I do not succeed, I am sure as Thunder going to give it a try!! Well I am back, at least making my way towards being back. I have had a phenomenal past ten days and I am building momentum!! I am so thankful to my CREATOR for this new opportunity to turn my life around and be back on top!!!

I love the rush and what it does for the body, mind and spirit!!! There is no better way to build character and set a discipline for yourself. People who workout on a regular basis are successful in life, I know because Bodybuilding helped me build a discipline in my life that brought about great successes!! I am so glad to be able to do this again!!! I will conquer this disease!!!!