The Beginning

I had never really thought about bodybuilding until about 5 years ago. Truthfully, I never even knew anything about it. I was overweight growing up despite being active and playing sports but it really hadn't hit me until about 7 years ago. My wife and I were on vacation with her family in California and someone had taken a picture of us on the beach. It wasn't until I had seen that picture that I realized I was truly overweight. That is when it really struck me and that is how my journey all started.

At that time I was managing a restaurant in Milwaukee, eating out ALOT, and drinking several nights a week. My health was not a priority to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, I was working out 3 to 4 times a week and I thought I was in good shape. We sometimes tend to convince ourselves of these things and it takes that single moment to realize the truth. That picture was my moment of truth.

I began to study hard and diet (at least what I thought I knew about dieting) and it worked. I dropped almost 50 lbs in 90 days. It probably wasn’t the healthiest start but it was a start. I realized then that this is what I was destined to do. I needed to help others become healthy so that they could feel good about themselves and be happy in their own body.

Fast forward 3 years. I began working as a personal trainer in Appleton. I had returned to school and learned as much as I possibly could about the body and health. ( I feel like I am still learning everyday.) Even though I had invested 3 years to health and fitness I knew I wanted more for myself. Bodybuilding was what I was looking for!

Bodybuilding is transforming your body to perfection in your eyes and the eyes of the judges. (If there is such a thing). I fell in love with the idea and the challenge. I remember confiding to a friend that I was thinking about doing a bodybuilding show and I remember him telling me he didn’t think I could do it. That was enough for me to accept the challenge. I had never been to a bodybuilding show before and didn’t know much about how to prepare for it. All the information I had was from reading articles and watching YouTube videos. I took that and what knowledge I did have and developed a plan. This may not have been the best way to prep but we all have to start somewhere. I ended up doing okay in my first show. Most importantly, I learned a ton about the body and what it is capable of doing. I was hooked!

That brings us to today which is 3 days into my 2019 prep. I wanted to share my background in hopes of inspiring a few more people to follow along. It isn’t about becoming a bodybuilder. It is about knowing what you want to achieve with your body, developing a plan and executing that plan. My plan is to be better on stage than what I was a year and a half ago. I hope you join me in my journey.

Please leave any questions in the comments!