About a month ago, I got a bug. A bug to continue a journey I honestly started a long time ago, but never saw to completion. A journey that has been put on hold too many times to count. A bug that has, over time, reminded me over and over and over that I have a dream waiting to be unleashed. What is that bug? That journey? To do just this – to share my fitness journey with more people than just those I work out with and live with. To share the knowledge and experience I’ve obtained over the years and through my certification so that others may learn that it is possible to realize gains and make progress at ANY age. Seems easy enough; seems exciting enough. So why the constant back seat designation?
I have been a participant in a fitness geared lifestyle for a long time, and it didn’t start off with fanfare or an amazing origin story that will go down in legend. It honestly started out because I was bored at school. In my junior year of college at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I had a brutal 3 hour gap between classes one semester. Over time, I got bored at that time and was looking for something to do on campus to pass the time. I’m not entirely sure on what the thought process was that led me to go to the gym, but eventually I made it there. Taking a quick tour, I saw the equipment, the people pressing large amounts of weight, the people playing racquetball, the people on the treadmill, and I thought, “wow, this looks like fun!” And so it began. I can remember the first time I tried to do a bench press with nothing more than 95 pounds, and I just about became a viral video of a person dumping the weight off of both sides of the barbell in comedic fashion because I could hardly press the weight. Eventually, however, I trained myself in the different exercises and it then became a contest in how much weight could I move? After seeing the physical results come in over time, I couldn’t help but think of how good I looked…how good it all made me feel. It was at that point, I was hooked, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Fast forward about 18 years, and a lot has happened. Friends have come and gone. I’ve gotten married. I’ve had kids. Moved twice. Faced countless challenges. The one thing that I’ve stuck to? Fitness. So I’ve seen a lot; tried a lot; failed a lot, but also have succeeded a lot. So, back to the original question: why the constant back seat designation? Over the years, individual personal trainers, online fitness geared websites, and social media influencers have flooded the market and the internet. That makes the proposition of jumping into this pond a bit…intimidating, despite my experience and drive. What’s changed? Not quite sure, but I have a guess as to what it is. I have always respected, supported, and looked up to my wife for doing a complete about-face with her career and being true to herself. She was in a line of work she just did not like; she was not fulfilled in any capacity by her career. So she took a stand, took charge, and turned everything around. She went from being a forensic scientist to being a fashion design graduate who now teaches sewing at art centers, schools, and also privately (check out @jenniferbournehanna on Instagram). I look up to what she did, and as I was watching her do a craft project in our dining room while taking video to post on social media to promote herself, I said, “wow….It’s doable. Anything is possible, and she has proven that. Time to get down to business.”
So here I am, on a journey to help others, and on a journey for myself. Whether or not you decide to join me is just that – your decision. Like I said, there are plenty of fitness driven websites, companies, and influencers out there to choose from, but if you choose to join me, I hope that you enjoy what I bring to the table and learn a thing or two from my experiences and knowledge. Exercises, nutrition, diets, supplements, industry news, frequently debated topics, you name it, I either will have the experience, knowledge, or the drive to do the research in order to cover it with a unique perspective.
And away…we….go….
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perpetual Hypertrophy 