I had always been active as a child, but never really considered myself an athlete. I was an involved martial artist for 12 years and a distance runner up until my senior year of high school, and briefly started weight training the summer before I entered college. Up until then, I didnât have much of an opportunity to put on muscle mass because too much weight would slow me down as a distance runner â even though I had always wanted to put on muscle. During the first week of my freshman year of college, I finally had an opportunity to pursue weight training. I told myself I would workout at the gym every day for 30 straight days. I last 35 days before my first rest day â and after that, I was hooked. I started at 135 lbs. at 5â10ââ (17 years old) and now weigh 165 lbs. (22 years old, Nov. 2014).
The gradual increase in strength, visual feedback I saw in the mirror, and uplifting comments by my peers helped to initially propel me forward; eventually however, my intrinsic motivation to continue lifting has played the biggest role in my progress. I love seeing how others have been inspired my journey - the underlying message of pushing yourself and going outside your comfort zone are two huge drivers of why I love training so much.