About Me The past tells much about the contemporary person. With this in mind, I'm happy to reveal some of the of the places and experiences that have shaped the man I've become. I was born in a small town in Missouri, but for all intents and purposes, have lived in Omaha, Nebraska, for my entire life. With the approval of our family physician, I started school at a fairly young age. I went to a Catholic grade school from first through eighth grade as the "young one". Looking back, being younger than my peers was a benefit for me in the long run as it forced me to be held to a higher standard academically and physically from an early age. An issue I confronted during this time was being a shy and overweight ugly duckling.  I didn't have many friends, but a very small group of us formed very strong friendships and shared the common denominator of being "outcasts" from the popular groups.  At the age of 13,  I managed to stumble upon an inanimate object that would form the person I am now, in every sense of the phrase.  This object is affectionately known as a "dumbell".  I still remember the day I asked my dad (who had always made physical fitness a large part of his evening routine)  to show me how to properly workout.  From that day on, I was hooked and haven't looked back since.  Over the years, this "healthy obsession" has served me well, instilling in me a deep appreciation of the benefits of hard work and perseverence - particularly in my athletic endeavors. Sports became the focal point of my high school years.  Going into my freshman year of high school, I had two years of football and track under my belt and had already set my sights on eventually playing college football so I knew I would have to kick my intensity up a notch.  I breathed, ate, drank and slept working out.  My hard work in high school culminated with a state championship title in football and placement in the 100m dash at the state track meet my senior year. I went on to become a scholarship athlete in both football and track my freshman year in college, but soon found myself affected by a guilty desire many athletes are hesitant to admit - competitive bodybuilding. I became so enthralled with the quest of physical perfection that my speed and strength training became secondary in my quest for more muscle.  I entered my first bodybuilding contest at the age of 18 (between my senior year of high school and freshman year in college) and have been competing ever since - now with six competitions under my belt. This brings me to who I am, and what I do now.  With regard to my livelihood, I am a self proclaimed jack of all trades.  I am a certified personal trainer; I restore and sell vintage collector cars as well as newer high performance machines; and I work as a fitness and figure model.  Shortly, I will begin still another new career in real estate after having completed all the required courses and tests.  Ultimately, however, I intend to become a professional firefighter, my true lifelong career ambition.  I am already a certified EMT-b; I have worked in a volunteer fire department : and I've completed college courses as a fire protection technology major. Workout and nutrition routines will be appearing and expanding regularly - both in my Blogs and in the "Fitness" section of this  website. . . as well as in my upcoming lifestyle, workout and nutrition DVD "Competitive Muscle". I hope you'll subscribe to the site and keep track of my life, my several careers and my physical progress. Write to me, if you like. (My email can be found on the site's "Contact" page.) I'll read it all and try to answer when I can.