My brother and I came up with a friendly competition during Christmas to see who could lose more weight and get in better shape by May 2013. I've been hooked ever since.

The weight room will challenge you every day, and success comes in all different forms. I sort of fell in love with the process of improving myself, and the weight room is just one way to push myself to be better than I was yesterday. Pushing weight melts away the stress of daily life and work. In many ways, working out has helped me challenge myself in other areas of my life and taught me the perseverance and commitment required to improve.