I started working out at a young age, probably around 7 at the latest. But it really lacked intensity. I did not really have a goal, a consistent workout pattern, nothing. When I was 14, my brother started working out almost everyday, and that gave me a bit of a push in the right direction. I began working out 3 days a week. It was only when I was almost 19 that I really began to get interested in bodybuilding. Part of what drove me was how my brother started going to the gym everyday. His workout partner would talk about it a lot, about how big he was going to get and that kind of thing. At one point, about a month after I had really started working out consistently everyday, my brothers workout partner asked me if I had been lifting. I said yes, and he scoffed and said "lifting what, mics?" Then he laughed. At that point I did not have a goal yet, and I was just trying to put on muscle. His comment is what pushed me really into researching bodybuilding with the diet, training, and that's when I began watching motivational videos of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I really liked the symmetry and definition that he had, especially while maintaining a lean waist, unlike a lot of modern professional bodybuilders. My goal only officially came together around November 2015.

I love bodybuilding for a number of reasons:

1. It keeps me away from things like drugs and alcohol (even steroids, because I am driven to become a natural bodybuilder).

2. It helps me to relieve stress; it is like therapy, only I don't have to sit down and talk about my feelings.

3. It makes what I do have a purpose. Before I had a goal, I had no workout intensity, and I would just eat whatever. Now that I have a goal, every workout that I do has a purpose, and everything I eat serves a purpose. So rather than slacking off, I am more likely to work out. Rather than running for junk food when I'm hungry, I go for protein.