RYAN POORMAN 
I have always been involved with fitness and sports since I was kid. I played basketball, baseball, football, and ran. Basketball was always my primary sport and my Dad had me playing competitively since the age of 5. I used running and lifting throughout high school to get me conditioned for these sports. My parents were both marathon runners and I began running in races at the age of seven.
After high school, I continued running and lifting. Not always religiously. I joined the U.S. Navy, lived in Italy for two years, but struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout most of my late teens and all throughout my 20's. When I finally got sober in my early 30's, I used running and lifting as an outlet and was the foundation of my sobriety. I've channeled my energy into growing and evolving as person as much as possible. My body was one major thing I wanted to improve, get in shape, and grow. In the beginning I was constantly running and lifting. Almost daily, doing both. I got incredibly cut up and was proud of what I accomplished, but wasn’t getting my body much bigger. In the last few years I’ve focused more on strictly lifting, eating more, and gaining more strength and size.
My life is completely different now than it was compared to a decade ago. Instead of in the bar or at the club, I’m at the gym. It’s become a healthy addiction. It’s given me a purpose and a passion in life. I think I’ll always have to use fitness until I die. I don’t feel completely at peace unless I’m mentally, physically, and spiritually fit.
