Information

Born in: 1985
Country of origin: United States
Occupation: self employed at Team atrain /IFBB pro
Competition weight: 90.7 kg/ 200 lbs
Off-season weight: 95.3kg/210 lbs
Height: 183 cm/ 6′

Interview

– How and when did you get started in health and fitness

I poured my heart into sports as a child. Soccer and basketball were my main focus, until a knee injury benched me. In high school, I moved to water sports and broke a 30-year school record in swimming. I had found my calling, and was so happy, at home in the water. This is where I learned discipline and hard work; arriving for practice at 6 a.m. really teaches you a lot about yourself. I had a drive to be the best, not because I was angry or hostile at those who out performed me, but because I mused, “If they can, why not me”. It was an awareness, which I refer to regularly. After college swimming/ water polo, I craved more. I became a member at Gold’s Gym, where I was fortunate enough to be mentored by a veteran weightlifter that showed me the ropes. I was instantly hooked and realized this was what I craved, a personal challenge.

– What mistakes you used to do when you began?

It wasn’t the lifting, it wasn’t the form. It was not realizing how much of a factor nutrition was. I can’t imagine how things would be if I had put nutrition first back then

– What is your diet like?

Flexible dieting, based around specific macros to reach my goals whether it be competition or off season lean bulk. I truly enjoy healthy, clean foods over more processed foods. From my earlier years, playing water polo, I was used to putting down 15k calories a day. For me, using a wide range of clean foods, allows me to have bigger portions

– What is your typical workout routine?

I train every muscle group once a week, heavy as I can all the time. I do this because it’s what I find fun. I’ve done dozens of different routines from hypertrophy, to push pulls but what I enjoy most is lifting heavy

– Which are your top 3 exercises and why?

Dead lifts- simply add a thickness to your body that I feel is very hard to obtain without performing heavy dead lifts. Overall taxing Movement for the entire body. Not many movements can be an entire workout in and of themselves but dead lifts can.
Squats- similar to dead lifts. They’re such a demanding movement for the entire body. Simply put, I’ve never seen somebody with a small upper body but huge legs. I see a huge upper body and small legs very often. Squats are the answer for great lower body.
Seated calf raises- nothing like walking around with a good set of cows. I feel that the soleus doesn’t get enough attention. There’s two layers to your calves, inner is the soleus. If your soleus is under developed, it’s hard to have 3 dimensional calves

– How do you keep motivated?

I know what I want the end product to be- what I want for my goal. It’s a matter of taking the steps to get there. Every day, making the choice that you want your goal more than you want to be lazy or to rest

– What is your favourite body part?

Calves

– What is your favorite healthy meal?

Chicken veggie egg white omelet with a side of hot cereal

– What is your favorite cheat meal?

M&M’s and Granola

– Do you do cardio? If so, what type of cardio?

Only HIIT ( high intensity interval training) anything from sprints to rowing and car pushes, anything to push 100%.

– What supplements do you use?

BCAAS, Fish oils, glucosamine, multi vitamin, no shakes, no stimulants.

– What is the best advice you have ever been given?

The moment you’re unwilling to help others, your career is over. I’ll never forget that.

– Other hobbies a part from fitness?

Travel, food and family. Fitness takes up so much time, especially competing, in any down time that I have, I try to incorporate family.

– Favorite fitness models, athletes or bodybuilders? Inspirations?

To list a few people wouldn’t be fair to everyone who inspires me. I draw inspiration from so many places. Busy moms, people in the gym, those around doing their best to achieve their dreams. When somebody mentions that they draw inspiration from me, THAT inspires me and makes me push for more.

– What are the most important tips you would give to our readers to achieve a Top Physique?

Put a plan down on paper and follow that plan good, bad or indifferent. The biggest mistake people make is stopping a couple weeks in if they don’t see results and switching to something else. Who cares if after 3 months that program didn’t work, atleast now you know that THAT program didn’t work and you gave it your best effort. When you fully dedicate 100% to a program, you’ll find that there are multiple ways to reach a certain goal.

– Any quotes that describes your way of thinking?

If somebody else can do it, why not me. Any challenge that I face, I apply this. I feel I can do anything that I set my mind to.