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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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