The first picture is when I decided to commit to changing my body. I had played sports from the age of four, and had unlimited access to video games from the same age, hence the terrible posture and severely limited flexibility. I want to give a ton of credit to my step mother Sabrina for convincing me to do Beach Body: Insanity with her. It was the push I needed to start focusing on taking care of my body through exercise and healthy eating. Eventually I transitioned to doing Insanity on my own and basic weight training classes in high school.
When I started attending college at the University of Washington I completely stopped my workout routine as well as organized sports. After my first quarter of classes and unlimited access to the cafeteria, I noticed myself gaining fat specifically around the lower stomach in what I called my "pouch". I had never gained fat before and was determined not to let it continue. Shortly thereafter my dorm mate and I began to use the school gym and do basic dumbbell and machine exercises. I felt like I was making solid progress but the quarter got too hectic for my workout partner and he stopped coming with me. Since I wasn't limited by his schedule any more I started working out at the larger athletic facility on campus and began my first true weightlifting routine.
I started doing Strong-Lifts 5x5 program in the winter of 2014 with a height of six foot two, bodyweight of 145lbs and a 5x5 squat max of 135lbs. I was barely able to reach parallel on my squat depth and forget about touching my toes with straight legs. Mobility was not at the top of my priority list. I was lifting out of pure vanity. I was tired of being the shy, skinny kid and I was determined to make a change. Here's where I have a slightly different problem than most people. My metabolism is exceedingly fast and I struggled to add any weight or muscle to my frame given my new activity level. I was eating past the feeling of being full, drinking multiple gallons of whole milk per week, and eventually settled on taking creatine and eating a pint of ice cream per night to gain weight. Everything I was reading on the internet said to aim for a pound per week of weight gain when bulking up. So I did everything I could to maintain that rate of weight gain and ended up weighing 212lbs after my first 13 months of dedicated weight training. I didn't miss a workout or a meal in that entire time frame.
Gaining nearly 70lbs lead to some significant increases on my lifts. I could now squat 255lbs for 5x5, deadlift 275 for 1x5, and bench 185 for 5x5. Summer was coming up and I took my first crack at tracking my calorie and macronutrient intake. Resulting in losing 42lbs and settling in at 170lbs. Over those first 18 months of workouts I had gained about 25lbs of muscle. I was thrilled with my results and maintained the same consistency for the coming years. Along with the strength came improvements in athletic performance. Playing pickup basketball after my workouts became a staple in my routine and I went from barely touching the rim, to standing two footed two handed dunking. Only drawback was a grade 2 right ankle sprain resulting in a partial tear. I was unable to walk without limping for three months and unable to squat, deadlift, or play basketball for six months.
Being a stubborn college kid who absolutely could not "lose all his gains", I exclusively trained legs via the leg curl and leg extension machines since they didn't require use of my ankle. This decision would come back to bite me, and I still have imbalance in my hips and ankle to this day (a main focus of my current training). Once my ankle was able to withstand the load again, I began lifting just as heavy as I was six months earlier. I strained my left glute and lower back multiple times over the next few years, resulting in pain and missed workouts.
Throughout these setbacks, I maintained consistency with my workouts and went through multiple rounds of bulking and cutting. I tried every training split under the moon. Push pull legs, upper lower, a standard bodybuilding split, two-a-days, you name it. When I graduated and lost access to the student athletic facility, I turned to bodyweight calisthenics workouts at my local park. Pushups, pullups, dips, lunges and hanging leg lifts became my go to exercises for about a year. I trained outside in the rain, snow, and hail of a Seattle winter without missing a day.
Eventually I bought a gym membership and started lifting weights again. But this time, something was different. I consistently had low back and neck pain. Some of this could be contributed to my many hours of video games with a cheap chair and a folding table for a desk, as well as the air mattress I was using as a bed at the time, but the majority of the cause was never stretching. My hamstrings and hip flexors were so tight from sitting that even though my squat and deadlift form was solid (minus squat depth), I had significant back pain on a daily basis. The pain decreased when I bought a real mattress and desk setup but never truly went away.
At this time I had been volunteering in a research lab on UW campus to meet my graduate school application requirements and working closing shifts at a bar to pay the bills. I finally decided that severe lack of effort towards all of my applications might be a good sign that I was not invested in pursuing biology research as a career. I moved back home and after a few months, decided I wanted to give personal training a try before I settled down for a desk job. With the knowledge I had accrued from my own fitness journey I was able to get certified and find a personal training position at The Valley Athletic Club.
Finding clients on the workout floor was exceedingly difficult, and I considered giving up on my dream of being a personal trainer. The average member at The Valley wasn't a twenty two year old with minimal injuries looking to build muscle. It was difficult for me to relate to a 40+ year old, full time working parent with previous shoulder surgery and hip pain. Instead of giving up, I double down on a corrective exercise certification and began reading as much as possible about how to help others reach their goals. No one taught me how to be a trainer when I started, I took the initiative to educate myself about a topic I was passionate about, and use that knowledge to facilitate fitness transformations for my clients.
During my first year at The Valley I dislocated my wrist playing basketball and suffered severe whiplash from a traffic collision. I found ways to continue training around my injuries, so that I did not lose my progress. This time I was more careful and did not rush back into my previous weights. Working through the injuries slowly and building myself back up better than before.
After my first year of training I had a full time schedule of individuals who trusted me to help them reach their goals. I was proud of myself for achieving this and even more proud of the changes my clients were making to their bodies. I was fortunate enough to train people as young as seven and as old as ninety one from all different backgrounds and physical capacities during this time.
Bodybuilding became my main passion for exercising. I decided to train for a men's physique competition after I felt comfortable with my schedule and clients. Six years of dedication to quality training and eating lead me here. Most competitors hire a coach for the first competition. However, I wanted to prove to myself and to my clients that I was capable of making this transformation on my own. I began to document the entire process on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Sf-nDPZSaml8dWqg08p1Q) where you can see every detail about my training and diet protocol. Over the next nine months I got the flu, my house burned down, I was driving three hours both ways to see my long distance girlfriend on the weekends, and not once did I miss a workout or slack off on my diet. Not a single time. When I stepped up on that stage I wanted to say with one hundred percent confidence that I had done everything I possibly could to be my best.
Looking back on this time, my body was aesthetically pleasing but I was physically and mentally exhausted. I had pushed myself to the absolute limit every day for nine months straight with no days off. Physique competitions are looked at from the outside as if they are a healthy goal to work towards. When in reality, it's unhealthy to put your body through that amount of stress with the sole goal of physical appearance. I was irritable, neurotic, and I avoided anything that wasn't the gym or my perfectly weighed out meals. I learned from this experience that people shouldn't strive to look this way. Is it a powerful tool to know the capacity of your mind and body? Yes. But this was a lesson I needed only once.
Over the next nine months before the Covid lockdowns I was inconsistent with my routine, diet, and sleep. I was wandering. The pursuit of bodybuilding had culminated and I was unsure what my next goal should be. After a coworker left his position, my boss wanted me to become the next male Pilates instructor at The Valley. I had never taken a Pilates class before and I couldn't even touch my toes at the time. At first, I feared instructing thirty people who probably performed Pilates better than I could. This was the push I needed to improve my flexibility. I spent an hour a day every day for three weeks foam rolling and stretching. My mobility vastly improved and I was able to touch the floor with my legs straight for the first time in my life. I found my back pain significantly dissipating as well. I learned that tight hips and hamstrings were the main culprits.
Once we ended up going into lockdown, I no longer had access to gym equipment and I sat on the couch or at my desk for the entire first week. I was stiff, and my mental health was tanking. It was time to start a new routine. From then on, each morning I would run a three mile loop around my neighborhood, perform bodyweight exercises, and stretch. I finished this workout off with a fruit and veggie protein smoothie. My girlfriend and I bought cookbooks and began expanding our culinary capabilities as well. Running had never been a consistent part of my routine before, and barefoot shoes became my go to choice for improving foot and calf strength. I also redeveloped a joy for bodyweight training and began working on gymnastic rings exercises, handstands, and a resting deep squat. I had pursued looks for so long it was nice to change my main goal. I now desired to be mentally and physically healthy in all aspects of life moving forward.
After lockdown ended, my clients were weary of returning to a highly populated gym. With a stroke of luck, the opportunity to train at a local private studio called Fit Life presented itself. I was selected above many to take over the position. I started my own business, trained clients in person and online, and ran high intensity interval training classes as a contractor for the studio. I was in heaven. My schedule, my clients, my space... Everything was perfect. In the future this will be my ideal work environment.
When my girlfriend was accepted to study physical therapy in Seattle, an opportunity for us to move out of the city we had grown up in became reality. I am thankful for the time I spent at Fit Life and am excited to return to a studio/private space as my career progresses in Seattle. In the meantime, I have started working at The Olympic Athletic Club where I continue to train clients and run group classes. Currently, my main exercise goals are mobility and bodyweight focused. I am working towards a resting deep squat, a free standing hand stand pushup, and a controlled ring muscle up. Being in control of my movement is in direct correlation with my physical health. I have begun incorporating meditation and stillness into my practice as I continue to grow my knowledge of health.
Thank you for taking the time to read my journey and I look forward to joining you on yours.
