I've always been a skinny guy. I started training in my teens, but I was never serious. I slacked on my workouts. Even as an adult, I used my full-time job as an excuse to make the gym a small priority.
In February of 2009 I was in a motorcycle accident and broke my left knee. I had to undergo several major surgeries. At one point the doctor came into the room, approached my bed and said, "You have to be aware now that your life will never be the same. You won't be able to do things like run, jump, or train with weights."
As you can imagine, this was not easy to hear. Tears started rolling down my face.
After the operation, my self-esteem was at an all-time low. My whole perspective was negative. I started gaining weight. Then one day it hit me: I didn't want to live according to what someone said I could or couldn't do. I wanted to live life on my terms.
I started going to the gym, even on my crutches. I worked out carefully. Little by little, I felt better about myself and saw improvements in my physique.
I stumbled upon the Bodybuilding.com Transformation Challenge by accident. While scrolling around the site, which I did often, I saw the challenge and asked myself "Why not?" I registered and started training immediately, focusing on the final goal of building the best possible physique of my life.
Since that day, I've made my fitness a priority. I'm happier, healthier, and have a much brighter perspective on my life.