The Method Part 3

After my senior year, I was off to Kennesaw State University (KSU)  to go to college.  In high school I was kind of a nerd, taking extra science classes for my electives in school.  I was in the honors and AP math and science classes, but I am a horrible standardize test taker.   I scored very bad on the SAT's.  Even with a better than a 4.0 GPA, I was not accepted to a single college.  The only reason I was able to get into to KSU is because I submitted an appeal and had a series of interviews in which they realized that my grades were good enough for me to be successful at KSU.  At the time I had to register for classes, I found out that they wanted to me to register for all remedial classes.  This was not going to happen.  I asked the person in charge what I could do to get out of these easy classes and take the normal class.  She eventually listened to what I had to say, and asked me to come by her office the next day to register for my classes.   The next day, I met her at her office where she had me take a test on a computer, and the next thing I know she has placed me in the honors program at KSU.   From the start of college, I knew I was going to major in chemistry, this was my favorite subject in high school.  I also had a goal to graduate college in 3 years, which was wishful thinking, but I was close to achieving this goal before I decided to double major in Mathematics and Chemistry.    I received the Hope scholarship, along with another academic scholarship I won through Wells Fargo bank (I think it was South Trust Bank at the time).   I lived at home rent free, had school tuition free, but I needed to work to pay for extra food, gas, insurance, cell phone, gym membership , and supplements.  At  the end of high school, I was working at Publix, but wanted to do something different. I looked into being a personal trainer while I was in school.  I had a buddy that worked at Gold's Gym and made good money.

I took the weekend coarse through the international sports science association (ISSA) and became a certified trainer.   I was still lifting at Stack's Gym and I talked with Bobby, the owner, to get his advice on places to become a trainer.  Stacks is a family run gym.  I didn't think training at Stacks was an option because I was not family.  He said he has more clients than he could handle, and he could give me some clients and if he did he would get a small cut.  But if I brought in any of my own clients, I was fine to take it all.   All the trainers in the gym charged the same amount $35/hr .  If Bobby gave me a client, I would give him $5/hr.  This was way better than my buddy training at Golds Gym making $15/hr.   This was an ideal job as a college student.  As stated above, I was trying to finish in 3 yrs so I was taking 18 credit hrs a semester.  I could train a few clients a week  and make enough money to do everything I wanted.  I was officially a trainer, and I was kind of part of the family.  I might have been the only none family member at the time with keys to the gym.  Training had it ups and down.  A few clients I kept for 4+ yrs and other were in and out.   It was amazing that people would pay for a personal trainer and just not show up even when they paid upfront.   It was so much fun training the ones that wanted to make a change in their life.  I really do miss that part of training people. 

After high school and in the first couple of years of college, I was still  training for power lifting meets and Bobby was still telling what to do to get my gains. Even though Bobby had taught me so much, I think it is great having a coach write my program. It is easy to pick things I like to do over the things I  need to do.  In 2003 and 2004, I entered a few meets each year.   I did a quick search on-line and found this document with some results from a APF Irondawg open in November on 2003.   I won best lifter, but it said I didn't have my best performance.   I continued to compete until I turned 20 yrs old.   I placed 1st place in every meet except 1 meet I placed 2nd place in the GA state Power lifting championship.   My last meet was in January of 2004, just before turning 20 yrs old.   I put up my best number in the that meet.  I was in the 181# weight class weighing 178#.  I squatted 565# (Picture hangs in Stacks Gym on the wall of fame) ,Bench 355#, and deadlifted 455#.   I really enjoyed powerlifting, and the only reason I stopped competing was because school became more of a priority.  I realized that there was no money in the powerlifting, but my education was going to be what paid the bills long term.  

When I was 19 yrs old about 10 weeks after my last power lifting meet, a group of about 5 guys at stacks gym decided to all  compete in a Body building show.   It was Golds Gym Body Building Open in Gadston, AL.   This was only a slight deviation from my current training regimen.  I believe I started to increase rep scheme slightly and performed a few more super sets.   I  remember going to a 5 day a week split: Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, and Arms.   As a powerlifter, I still trained like a mix between a body builder and power lifter.   One of the hardest leg workouts I remember doing to get ready for this show was for 3 sets of  Leg Press at 1050# for 12 reps  super set with back squats at 375# for 8 reps.   This was a major pump and made me realize that I was still strong even carb depleted and much lighter body weight.   I started to cut weight about 10 week out from the show.  I weighed 178#  and started to cut carbs to cut some weight .  The first week of my cut, I went on vacation to the beach. I don't recommend doing it this way.  I am showing a picture from that beach trip to see what I looked like at the start of this cut.  I dropped to 153# in the 10 week period.  I had my stage routine to an Incubus song from one of their first albums.  There were about 8 teenage competitors in this show.   Therefore they didn't have a real weight class they just had a best in show teenage division.    I placed 3rd in the teenage division.  That is the only body building show I have ever done, and the dieting and water cut  was very difficult.  The picture where I am actually tan, is from the day of the show and is also on a poster with the other 5 guys hanging in Stack's Gym.  Below are some picture a few days before the show.    

By this point in my life, training was ingrained into my life.  I would waver slightly on my consistency, but would never be without a gym membership.    The barbell was part of who I was, and I would have a hard time living with out it.  Later in life, I would become much more serious about lifting, when I found Crossfit and my 1st son was born.  Crossfit changed a lot of my thinking on lifting, and brought me to do more research on different training regimens.   See my about me page  to read how I got into the Crossfit and beyond.   

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