My OperaIn the beginning
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 3:24:13 PM
As a chubby eighth grader, I decided to jog. I would ride my bike down to the track and waddle around a couple times. Fast forward to the beginning of High school. As a freshman, I ran the mile in 7.16. I was proud of myself. Having the genes to gain weight easily, it was hard to play sports.
My best sport was swimming. At 3 years old, swimming came easier to me than most 7 year-olds. The deep-end was never intimidating. Freestyle was easy. So I competed in swimming from the age of seven until the end of High School.
At 15, being an athlete seemed to be very important. I was on the Varsity swim team all four years in high school. My biggest mistake was lifting weights. I could bench press 245 my freshman year. Everybody was impressed so I kept doing it. My senior year, my swim team times were the same as in my freshman year. The times were great for a freshman and crappy for a senior.
Fast forward to 2004, I was working with a personal trainer. My bench press was up to 415. I was squatting 405 for sets of 20. My deadlift was my weakest exercise and I could still get 315 for sets of 8. I weighed 300 pounds and I was on a path to being in awesome shape. Then I met my wife.
Suddenly working out was way down the priority list. Skip to August, 2005, we found out we were having a baby. In May, when Evan was born, I weighed 360. I never exercised, I never even thought about it.
My best sport was swimming. At 3 years old, swimming came easier to me than most 7 year-olds. The deep-end was never intimidating. Freestyle was easy. So I competed in swimming from the age of seven until the end of High School.
At 15, being an athlete seemed to be very important. I was on the Varsity swim team all four years in high school. My biggest mistake was lifting weights. I could bench press 245 my freshman year. Everybody was impressed so I kept doing it. My senior year, my swim team times were the same as in my freshman year. The times were great for a freshman and crappy for a senior.
Fast forward to 2004, I was working with a personal trainer. My bench press was up to 415. I was squatting 405 for sets of 20. My deadlift was my weakest exercise and I could still get 315 for sets of 8. I weighed 300 pounds and I was on a path to being in awesome shape. Then I met my wife.
Suddenly working out was way down the priority list. Skip to August, 2005, we found out we were having a baby. In May, when Evan was born, I weighed 360. I never exercised, I never even thought about it.
