I swam intensely throughout junior high and high school. I lifted a little bit, but like most guys in high school, my friends and I mainly did bench press, arms, and focused on the beach muscles.
I rowed for the University of Washington during my freshman year of college. While on the team, we had weight training workouts twice weekly, two and a half hours of rowing practice on water, and about an hour of rowing on indoor rowing machines (the Death Wheel as we called it).
As athletes we had great dining facilities. I ate at buffet-style dining halls most days of the week. I found myself looking forward to our weight training sessions more and more. As a relatively new lifter, I found my strength and size gains came quickly, especially while I ate like a horse with the rest of the UW rowing team.
I decided to quit rowing toward the end of my freshman year to focus more on my Aerospace Engineering major and have time to work in a research lab to help pay for school. After years of swimming and rowing, I was used to training four hours a day and found myself lacking a competitive outlet. I started lifting five days a week and continued to eat like an endurance athlete. The rest is history. I ended up gaining more than 50 pounds of lean body mass over the course of my four undergraduate college years. Before I graduated, I competed in and won my division at my first bodybuilding show.
I love bodybuilding because you reap what you sow. The harder you work, the more dedication you give to the sport, the better and faster you will see results. I love the mental and physical aspects of training, the dedication that is required in the weight room and the kitchen, and the hour-to-hour decisions each and every day. Following the natural bodybuilding lifestyle, whether you compete or not, is extremely healthy. You can literally add decades of quality years to your life by working out consistently, eating healthy, and getting adequate rest. You'll be able to postpone or even prevent the onset of countless diseases.
For me, it comes down to living and making the most of this wonderful life we have. Making healthy decisions with your diet, training consistently, and supplementing with the right nutrients creates a super-healthy, super-sexy body inside and out. You'll have more confidence because you look your best and you'll have more energy to do things that you love. It's much easier to follow your dreams and make the most of your life when you don't have to deal with nagging health concerns. When you're healthy, strong, and confident, you're putting yourself in the best possible position to be successful in life.
When he gets bored, Paul pulls down the sky.
You only get one life. The harder question to answer is figuring out what exactly you want to accomplish in life. Find out where your passions lie and what makes you happy. Once you figure that out, go after your dreams and goals with an impassioned willpower. Every day that you wake up, you have a decision to make. You can either work relentlessly towards what you love in order to achieve the life of your dreams, or you can sit on the sidelines and let life beat you down.
"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." - Bruce Lee
My goals have changed over the years, and they continue to change and evolve all the time. Initially, at six-foot-two, 150 pounds, I was tired of being a string-bean skinny kid. I wanted to be as big as naturally possible and win a natural bodybuilding pro card. I started out competing in bodybuilding, but now I compete in men's physique events too.
One goal that never fades is my desire to be as healthy as possible from the inside out so I can truly enjoy this amazing life to the fullest potential. My long-term goal right now is to become a top IFBB men's physique pro, building a physique with classical proportions and symmetry with an emphasis on the V-taper. However, more important than any personal physique goals I have is my desire to help educate as many people as possible from the competitive bodybuilders to the grandma next door.
(Note: Since submitting this article to Bodybuilding.com, I won a natural bodybuilding pro card in a smaller organization called the NGA. Like I said, my goals have now shifted towards making a name for myself in the IFBB as a men's physique competitor.)
Be patient. Anything worth having takes time. You won't gain 30 pounds of muscle in a week, but you can make very good gains when you consistently nail your training, nutrition, and get enough sleep. Consistency really is the key. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Have fun pushing yourself past your current limits, but also make smart and safe decisions in your training to minimize your risk of injuries. This means warming up correctly and not going for that last rep if it means compromising your technique. Learn to enjoy the bodybuilding lifestyle and accomplish mini-goals that you set for yourself.
Most importantly keep a healthy balance in your life. The bodybuilding lifestyle should really add to your quality of life by making you healthier, more confident, driven, and goal-oriented. It can be easy to get obsessive about the lifestyle and diet (especially when getting ready for a competition), to a point where it begins to detract from your overall quality of life. Try to maintain that happy balance in life and always keep the big picture in mind, including family, friends, relationships, your career, etc. Learn to integrate your fitness goals into your daily life while maintaining that balance and you'll enjoy a quality of life many people only dream of.
- Doug Miller: In my opinion, he's the top natural pro bodybuilder today.
- Layne Norton: His articles and video series helped transform me from someone who just wanted to get big, to a true and successful competitive bodybuilder that won at my first show (2008 NPC WA Ironman, Junior Men Division of 7 guys).
- Dorian Yates: I am a huge fan of athletes who simply outwork and crush their competition with impassioned willpower through hard work and unwavering dedication.
- Hidetada Yamagishi: Hide continues to take down larger competitors with his classic lines and symmetry, and has given me a ton of useful information over the years in terms of injury prevention and training advice.
- Tanji Johnson: Hands down the most amazing fitness competitor in the world.
- Greg Plitt: One of the top fitness models in the world, a former Captain and Army Ranger, basically an all-around badass who leads a great example of how anyone can dominate in life and follow their dreams.
"Love the life you live, live the life you love." - Bob Marley
Over the years I have taken advantage of the vast number of articles and videos on Bodybuilding.com. Some of my favorites articles were written by Layne Norton, Dr. Fred Hatfield (a.k.a. Dr. Squat), and Joe Klemziski. Video series like Layne's "Inside the Life of a Natural Pro Bodybuilder" and Kris Gethin's "Dorian Yates' Blood & Guts Hardcore Mass Trainer" series were both informative and fun to watch.
I'm a huge fan of BodySpace, which I've used over the years as a source of motivation and a tool to track my progress and bodybuilding journey.
I would like to thank my parents. Watching their extreme work ethic over the years definitely had a big influence on my drive in life. They have continued to support me over the years, even when they didn't understand why I wanted to compete as a bodybuilder. I love them for that.
I also appreciate my big sister Linda and my big bro John for supporting me in my fitness journey over the years. I'm thankful for great friends who have given me support, from childhood friends whom I've known forever like David Bai, to all the great friends and supporters I met in college, like Danny Cornutt, Tyler Pegg, and Preston Moore.
I was also blessed to have some amazing workout partners over the years, Not only Danny and Tyler, but also big Scott Kluth. Also, a shout out to Miki for always being there to do all my contest prep cardio alongside me; you are one crazy Italian dude, but I wouldn't have made it through all those 5 a.m. stadium stair sessions without you.