I started seriously training when I was 14 years old, with only a bench press in my basement. I was always a skinny kid and it would make me feel very self-conscious. I joined my first gym when I was 15, and had to have my parents drop me off and pick me up since I was too young to drive myself. I was super hungry and very motivated. After 12 years of intense training and dieting, I feel like I’m finally ready to get on stage and take my physique to the next level in bodybuilding. I’m currently in training for my first show coming up in May of next year. To say I’m more motivated than ever is an understatement, to say the least. I feel the hungriest I’ve ever been.
What training really taught me was the discipline and work ethic to achieve any task put in front of me, no matter how hard. If you put your mind to it, you can absolutely do it. It also taught me that the most important belief you can have in life is the belief in yourself. You can do it. So many get down and quit on themselves because they don’t believe in themselves that they can really achieve what they set out to. Bodybuilding taught me this.
To anyone that is just starting out in this endeavor, I do have some pieces of advice. The first being learn as much as you can! There are so many quality resources that are available these days (that even I didn’t have 12 years ago) that there’s really no reason to not soak up as much info as you can to best prepare yourself in terms of training, diet, and performance. The next bit of advice is TAKE IT SLOW. This is a LONG game. You won’t notice the progress every single day, but I promise you, it’s happening. You’ll look at yourself in a year and have no idea who you are looking at because your body has changed so much. But do not rush it. Take it slow, train right, eat right, and you will continually make progress!
