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About Russ
 
   

I have been involved in sports and physical activities ever since I was young. Whether it was playing football, soccer, and basketball, or just running around the neighborhood with the other kids. I have always loved being active.

In high school I played a tremendous amount of basketball. I played on the varsity team as a power forward and center, being I am 6’6. I made some pretty good accomplishments during my high school basketball days, being named team captain and making several All Star Teams.

I really enjoyed playing basketball, but when I went off to college at Auburn University in the fall of 1993 I decided that I wanted to pursue a new physical challenge. I joined the Auburn Karate Club as a freshman and instantly fell in love with the physical and mental challenges involved in the martial arts. I ended up practicing Shotokan Traditional Japanese Karate for the entire five years I was at Auburn, and obtained my black belt just prior to completing my Masters degree in Accounting in the summer of 1998. Practicing karate provided an excellent cardiovascular, muscle endurance, and flexibility workout. It also required mental toughness and focus.

I had lifted weights some in high school for basketball and began to lift weights more regularly during college. I liked the results I was getting from lifting weights and became very interested in learning as much as possible about training and diet and supplementation strategies that would allow me to get the best possible results.

After finishing my Masters Degree in Accounting I began working for KPMG LLP, one of the largest global public accounting firms, which is where I still currently work today as a Senior Associate, having passed the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam on my first attempt. Despite a very busy schedule with work, my interest in bodybuilding and the health and fitness lifestyle began to grow and grow. I started to read anything I could get my hands on to increase my knowledge of bodybuilding, proper nutrition, and supplementation, including bodybuilding and fitness magazines, books, and internet sites.

Working out, running, playing basketball, and learning more about bodybuilding, nutrition, and supplementation became my biggest and most enjoyable hobby. I was working out hard, trying to eat properly, and using supplements to help in my quest to improve my physical appearance and level of health. However, something was missing. My life lacked the competitive drive that challenged me to achieve new accomplishments, such as when I was working to be the best high school basketball player I could, or when I was working to obtain my black belt in Karate. I was so passionate about bodybuilding and being healthy, yet I knew that I had so much more potential than what I was currently accomplishing. I had thought about entering a bodybuilding contest or a body transformation contest in order to take my training to a new level, but never could get myself to commit to 12 weeks of total dedication to getting into the best shape of my life. I fell into the same trap that so many of us do. It was never a “good” time to start. Whether it was during the Christmas holidays or there was a big vacation with my buddies planned, there was always an excuse for not making the commitment to be my best, even though deep down inside I knew I wanted to.

Finally, in early 2002, I decided to enter the AST Sport Science World Championships. This 3 month contest was about who could make the most dramatic improvements to his/her physique during the contest period. I had discovered AST about a year earlier and was very impressed with their high quality supplements and the abundance of information on the AST website. If you are not familiar with AST, I HIGHLY recommend you check out their website www.ast-ss.com. There is an abundance of free information on training, diet, supplementation, and more included in an awesome question and answer format.

I was determined to apply intelligent and consistent weight training, cardiovascular training, diet and supplementation strategies in order to get the greatest possible results, get into the best shape of my life, and win the AST 2002 World Championships. I was focused and determined and put more effort and passion into this contest than probably anything else I had ever done in my life. I knew that I could make dramatic improvements to my body if I just did what I needed to day in and day out and maintained a burning desire to succeed.

Participating in this contest was truly a life changing experience and my hard work paid off as I was named the 18-30 Year Old Class Champion of the 2002 AST World Championships. Since winning the contest I have become inspired to take my level of fitness and knowledge of bodybuilding and nutrition to an even higher level. Participating in the contest taught me that there is always a higher level of achievement to obtain based on the standards you are willing to place upon yourself. I now feel that there are no boundaries as to what I can accomplish with my bodybuilding and health and fitness efforts.

As a result of my accomplishments during the AST World Championships, I have had the opportunity to appear in several bodybuilding magazines including Ironman, Men’s Fitness, High Performance Muscle, American Health and Fitness, and Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness. As well as striving to take my fitness level and knowledge to new levels, I want to share what I have learned through literally thousands of hours of reading, research, and personal trial and error, and help others in achieving their health and fitness goals. In November 2002, I became certified as a Certified Fitness Trainer under the ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association- www.fitnesseducation.com), one of the nationally recognized and most prestigious personal training organizations that exists. Bodybuilding, living the fitness lifestyle, and helping others reach their health and fitness goals is not my biggest hobby anymore, it is my biggest PASSION. I believe that my enthusiasm, passion, knowledge, experience, and genuine sincerity can help anyone who is trying to improve his or her physical appearance, current level of health and fitness, or understanding of intelligent nutrition and supplementation strategies.

I plan to enter my first bodybuilding contest during 2003 and exceed the level of conditioning and muscularity that I displayed for the AST World Championships. I feel that participating in a contest forces you to raise your level of commitment, to train with the utmost intensity and focus, and to stick to a nutritious diet plan. I plan to continue to expand my knowledge of training techniques, nutrition, cardio, supplementation, and the human body so that I can continue to make improvements to my own level of fitness, and so that I can become a valuable resource for others in their effort to become healthier people on the outside and the inside. I want to help others succeed through this website and through providing one on one personal training and nutritional consultation. At 28 years of age, I have finally figured out what I want to do with my life and I have never been so excited about all of the possibilities to come in the future!

I firmly believe that there are no boundaries as to what we are able to accomplish as long as there is a sound plan of attack, a burning desire to succeed, and a strong belief in ourselves and our abilities!

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