When I was a freshman in high school I was around 5â3â and 105lbs. My main hobby was skateboarding, in fact, I was sponsored by a local skate shop (180 Skate Shop). Oddly enough however, most of my friends were football players and track athletes from my school. Towards the end of my freshman year my friends all started going to the local Goldâs Gym. After a while I began to feel left out, so I started going with them. They were much stronger and knowledgeable than me. I looked like a little kid just following the big kids around. Although I had no idea what I was doing, I loved everything about the gym from the very start! From the struggle and burn, to the possibility that I could one day be at least average size compared to the other guys. At the time I was very insecure about height, so I was determined to increase the one possible physiological aspect about myself, my muscles. After 3 years of lifting I gained around 35 pounds, some of which was due to my change in height from 5â3â to my current 5â7â stature. I then began lifting with a respected older guy from the gym, Bob. Every day after school I would head to Goldâs and lift with Bob. He taught me the ins and outs of true weightlifting. During this time my physique went from your average high school kid to my desired muscular and defined look. It was at this point that the idea of me competing in bodybuilding emerged. It was in January of my senior year of high school that I officially entered my very first show. It was the OCB Eastern Regional in Baltimore Maryland. I entered the menâs physique class, as I thought this would be a better fit for a person of my age (17 y/o). Deep down though, I knew I really wanted to body build. A week before the show I emailed the promoter and asked if I could switch or add the menâs junior class. He allowed it! I placed 2nd in both classes, and from the point on I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.
As a kid I was never much of a team player. I hated the fact that you could put everything you have into something and lose because someone else part of the whole failed to meet their ends. Thatâs where bodybuilding really grasps my attention and sparks my passion. Itâs the thought that at the end of the day, whether I won or lost, I did everything I could have possibly done to prepare myself for that competition. I love the respect I get from everyone I know. People constantly saying things like âI donât know how you do it manâ, and to think they say that without even having the slightest idea of what actually goes into it. Ultimately I love constantly having a goal to work towards. So many people live without a passion or a drive to accomplish something in their lives, and well, I am blessed enough to have found a hobby in which the accomplishments are endless.