I first got started in weightlifting in 1979 at age 13, to try to put on weight to play freshman football. Being under 5'6" and being used as a tackling dummy for the varsity team, lifting to gain strength (and respect) was the only option.

To make a long story short, I ended up gaining a few pounds from about 105 to 135, and eventually was able to bench double my weight, and gain strength in all areas. By the time I graduated high school I weighed a whopping 150 pounds and bench pressed about 330 pounds.

I started bodybuilding by accident. It occurred this way... While in college (Rutgers) I changed my major from communications to Premed. Premed was very competitive and required endless amounts of studying to ensure that you had the higher grade.

I used lifting as a way to break up the huge amount of hours I needed to ensure good grades in the competitive Premed environment. Lifting prevented me from falling asleep with the book in my face, made me more alert, and gave me more energy... my first taste in the added benefits of lifting weights that many critical people tend to overlook.

The results of the quick focused workouts started to show, and people started to take notice. In 1986 I met Chris Confessore (broke legendary Super Heavyweight Anthony Clark's 738 pound bench press record) who suggested that I had good genetics and convinced me to train heavy with him and enter a local show. I won my weight class (lightweight) and was spotted by Mr. Ron Capadanno an icon in NJ bodybuilding. Ron owned one of the first NJ Golds Gyms.

I became one of Capadanno's regulars and Golds in Milltown NJ, eventually becoming a training partner with the legendary Riche Gapari (former Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia runner up, Iron Classic, Night of Champions winner) I also became more interested in the sport, becoming a NJ NPC judge working with IFBB judge and NJ NPC Chairman John Kemper (A former Mr. New Jersey 1974, NPC Junior USA winner in 1983 and NPC Masters Nationals winner in 1987).

I became the Men's Athlete rep. The following year I placed in the Suburban, took runner up as a Middleweight at the NJ Championships. In 1989 I was a runner up as a light heavyweight in the NPC Empire States, while slimming down to compete at the USA Championships as a middleweight. I am also a popular writer, public speaker, personal trainer and the CEO of the following health and fitness companies: Jeffbehar.com, mybesthealthportal.com, PersonalTrainingPro.com, LeanMusclesite.com, and MuscleMagFitness.com.

Links

• BodySpace