As a child, I was athletic and liked playing soccer and running track. In high school, the athletic competition became much higher, so I hit the school gym to get bigger, stronger, and faster. That was the first time I hit the gym and fell in love with it. From then on, I stayed after school every day to lift.
I saw amazing results and wanted more, but because of school, sports, clubs, and work, I never had time to put in the effort needed to go to the next step. But that didn't stop me. I started educating myself about proper lifting techniques and researched my favorite bodybuilders, Serge Nubret and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When I graduated high school, I had lots of free time in the summer and started to pursue my goal. I was 18 years old, 160 pounds, and had 5 percent body fat. I mapped out a plan, lifted six times per week, and saw amazing results. When the fall semester of my freshman year in college started, I was 175 pounds. It motivated me to keep pushing until I reached my goal.
I love bodybuilding because I have 100 percent control over the way I look and the effort I put in. It's a great feeling to see your results and progress after hours of sweat and hardship in the gym. When I'm in the gym, nothing else matters. I fight to get better. It's a battle with myself to get better.
Watching clips and seeing pictures of Arnold and Serge motivate me to continue my fitness plan. They did big things because of their passion for bodybuilding. I see what achievement takes and want that for myself. I want to be successful and make a living doing what I love. I want to give back to my mom for raising me, putting me through school, and everything she helped me with.
I go to other bodybuilders for inspiration. I see what they do and try to be better than them. I make sure that I'm ahead of my peers and try to stand out.
I want to go as far as I can with fitness. I want to be a fitness model in magazines and on covers. I would also like to compete. To do that, I need to improve. In the meantime, I will be in the gym as often as possible to move closer to my goals.
Keep your eye on the ball. Don't give up on your goal. Keep at it and give it your all.
"Strength doesn't come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." —Arnold Schwarzenegger
Serge Nubret is my favorite bodybuilder. In my opinion, he had the greatest physique. It was incredible. He maintained it with an unorthodox training method. He never dieted or did cardio while training. He did lots of sets for every workout. He kept bodybuilding into his late 60s. That's truly motivational.
BodySpace helped immensely with training. I documented everything. It gave me an estimated date to reach my goal so I had something to work toward. I also saw my improvements, which motivated me to keep working toward my goal. It helped me gain good contacts with others who work toward the same goals and provided motivational tips. I'm really grateful to have found BodySpace. I would recommend it to anyone.