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I first
began weight training when I was a freshman in high school and was
introduced to football in 1994. It really wasn't a great schedule but
was more of being introduced to the weight room and what exercises
worked each muscle. At that time I had no idea on what "supplements"
were and never took them. I did very little weightlifting during my
sophomore and junior years but when I moved to my mothers in Arizona my
weight training took a turn.
In 1996,
during the summer of my senior year, I was introduced to the football
team and man was I surprised! Coming from a small school in
Pennsylvania our biggest guy may have weighed 250 pounds and most of
that was fat. When I saw these guys at our summer practice I was
scared. I was competing for quarterback so I was able to talk to a lot
of guys off the bat and they started talking about Creatine and how it
helped their performance and growth in the gym. I began taking it and
started on a good full body workout schedule. Keep in mind I really did
not know that eating the right things also helped your body grow and
shape up.
Throughout
my senior year I gained a little weight and my strength improved a
little. I still was not into the whole working out thing as I was more
into partying. After graduating in 1997 I moved to Phoenix on my own
and started working and providing for myself. I was only 19 at the time
but when I would hit the clubs, I noticed that the "bigger" guys were
getting most of the attention and it made them look more mature. So I
started doing some research online and looking for different routines,
i.e., which supplements worked better and what were the best things to
eat.
During that
time my job was not paying the bills so I decided to enlist in the Navy
and get my college degree paid for while I was on active duty. I had to
stop working out for almost a year because of bootcamp and other school
commitments. In 1998, I entered bootcamp at a measly 145 pounds and
gained nothing due to the running that we did (go figure). After the
schooling I was given my first orders to Naval Air Station Lemoore,
California in January 1999. My life took a serious turn when arriving
at my duty station. I met this guy named Master Chief Charles Blanks,
(the brother of Billy Blanks, Tae Bo) and he was my mentor. This guy
was huge, bigger then Billy and I learned everything I know now from
him. He taught me the right foods to eat, what supplements to take and
what was the best all around workout. I was loving life, my body was
making better gains and I was getting stronger!
When I went
on my first 6 month deployment on the USS CONSTELLATION (aircraft
carrier) I was in heaven. Even though we worked 12 hours a day 7 days a
week (while out at sea) I felt like this was "the" best time to go for
it and get my body into superb shape. Food on the boat is nothing but
healthy so I really did not have to worry about what I ate, cause the
Navy is all about fitness. I consumed tons of protein during that six
months and most of it was eating egg whites every day. Anywhere from 6
to 10 a day. I honestly want to say this had a lot to do with my weight
gain, plus working out and getting the right amount of sleep. There was
nothing really else to do while at sea but work, workout, eat and then
sleep. What else are you going to do while out in the middle of the
ocean.
We got back
just before the new year, 2000 that is, and from 1998 to 1999 I went
from 145 to 180. I could not believe it. I took tons of whey, tons of
creatine, ate tons of rice, chicken, pasta, and of course those egg
whites. I was so impressed by all the hard work that I did in that time
knowing I had down it on my own. It made me feel really good about
myself. See, I look at it like this. I did not have the size back in
high school to continue playing sports like I wanted to, but when I am
in the gym I feel that competitive edge like I am play ball again. Not
that I am competing with anyone else in there, but just me. I love
seeing the hard work that "I" put in the gym and the results I get.
Now, I know that I do not have the best definition or the "biggest"
size, but I do not come from a family of bodybuilders or even "big" men
in my family. I am literally the biggest person in my family. My dad
weighs a buck fifty..150...everyone is really skinny, so when they see
me they just can't believe it. Now from 2000 to present I have gained
20 pounds and want to gain 20 more. By experimenting and taking advice,
I have learned that you have to try different supplements, different
exercises and in all different things at times to find what actually
works for you. I am still in that stage. I might feel that a
supplement is working for me during one cycle and then when I return to
the same supplement for the next cycle I see and feel nothing. I have
also learned that doing "heavy weight" does not always work. This is
the main thing I have learned.
I use to go
to Bally's in Phoenix and see these huge guys pushing all this weight
and that would intimidate me so in return I would put too much weight on
and make a fool of myself. I have learned that slow, controlled lifting
works. I am amazed that when I go to the gym to this day and I watch
and see how some people are doing an exercise and using too much weight
and doing it incorrectly. I want to say something but I think back on
how I learned. That is what I like about working out….you always have a
houseful of people that are into the same thing you are and the
camaraderie in the gym (well in most cases). Working out gives me self
accomplishment, self pride, and I am living a healthy lifestyle. I feel
like everyone in "my" gym is family and I can go to them for advice on
anything. It is kind of like a gang but in a good way. I would not
quit training and pushing myself for the world, it is to important to
me.
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