I grew up in a very large, active, family. My father was a coach and a Athletic director who always had us involved in sports. He would take my siblings and I to the track and make us run. In the summer we would play outside from sun up to sun down. I would only be allowed to watch TV or hang out with friends if I did pushups before. This really set a good foundation that I would rely in sports and in bodybuilding. I still remember being in middle school touching weights for the first time. It was instant electricity that I felt in my body as I used my muscles to move the weight. Even at a young age I had a good mind-muscle connection (from all the pushups) and bench 205lb in the 6th grade. In High school I continued to lift, for me it wasn't just for sports like it was for the other Athletes. I truly loved the weight room and what it was doing to my body. It also transferred to the playing field as I became a All State running back and earned a college scholarship to play football. Through my collegiate years I continued to get stronger and putting on size. While other football players only cared about doing "football lifts" I was also concered with shaping my muscles. I bought Arnolds Bodybuilding Encyclopedia and became very interested in bodybuilding. After getting done with football I decided to start training more like a bodybuilder. Football gave me a good foundation with strong legs and back.

Working out has changed my life by getting me get through my toughest times. After collage My wife and I moved back to our home town. She had gotten a Job as a RN while I had planned on finishing my degree online. Our marriage soon became strained as she was the "bread winner" while I was lost. I was done with football and for the first time in my life had no identity. My dream of playing in the NFL was gone and I didn't know who I was without the football player title. On top of it all I didn't get my degree and had no real intent of ever doing so. I was depressed and lacked motivation, soon my wife told me she wanted a divorce. It was this all-time low that forced me to look at my life. I hated what I saw and Vowed to change it. The only thing I had was my love for weights and I decided (as I was moving back into my parents house) to do a bodybuilding show. It gave me something to look forward to and work at every day. It took my mind off of the divorce by making me focus on the weight. I had never stopped lifting after I was done with football, but my diet was awful. I started reading up on diets on bodybuilding.com and started to cook my meals for the first time in my life. I watch tons of videos and read tons of the articles bb.com has to offer. I started a bodyspace where I was excited to see others transforming their bodies like I was. I also contacted and got help from a local bodybuilder who set up a routine that I followed for 8 weeks. At the end of those eight weeks I stepped on stage and won my class. I was new man! Going through a contest prep and winning my first competition gave me confidence that I could handle anything. I was happy to be alone, finding my own way in life. From there I enter two other bodybuilding shows. I earned my pro card in one and got second in the other. I also did a fit comp at the Bodybuilding.com fitness expo in Boise. I ended up winning and in doing so realized I wanted to become a fitness model.
While living at my parents, preparing for the contests my father saw how I transformed my body through exercise and clean eating. He began to eat like I did and lost 60lb in 4 months. He says that I saved his life and he continues to live a healthy lifestyle. After the contests I decided to move back to southern Utah and finish My degree. It wasn't easy but I knew I had to. I was a biology/psychology integrated studies major with a very tough semester ahead of me. I found that my new love for health and the body made learning Bio and Psych so much more interesting and I ended up with some of the best grades of my life. While finishing school I continued to bodybuilding and entered the Muscle & Fitness male model search at the Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas. This was a amazing event with tons of competitors. I had trained harder than ever and ended up taking 1st out of 80. It also launch my fitness modeling career as one of the prizes for winning was appearing in Muscle & Fitness. After finishing my degree I moved back home and continued to train. I had entered the annual bodyspace spokesmodel search that bodybuilding.com puts on. My hopes of making it to the final 5 came true and I went to LA where I competed and won! It was truly the best moment of my life. To become a spokesmodel of the site that helped change my life is a dream come true.
I love work outing out because it's prepares one for the challenges in life. Everyday I go to the gym and put myself through hell, I know that mentally I am to handle anything life throws at me because of what I put my self through in the gym. The hours of training and dieting have strengthen not only my body by my mind a swell. No one can describe in words what it's like to be completely exhausted from a intense workout, it's this feeling of accomplishment when I'm done that no one can take from me.