I was never genetically gifted.
I was a chubby kid and was predisposed to being on the skinny side as I got older.
I am also considered vertically-challenged for a male.
I am not naturally athletic.
I was relentlessly bullied during my school years and was often reluctant to fight back.
I guess you could say I was a dweeb.
But I refused to stay that way.
During my mid-teens I set off on a journey to get myself into shape – despite the odds seemingly stacked against me.
All I had was a single old piece of exercise equipment that my father gave me and my imagination.
And over the years, I used what I had to transform my body.
It wasn’t a smooth road, there have been some embarrassing fails and minor injuries.
And self-doubt was never far away.
But I persevered and can proudly say that I have built my body mostly on my own.
Yes, I did consult various articles, magazines and videos and people I knew that worked out also provided valuable advice.
But I did not have to splurge money on gym memberships, personal training sessions and overly-fancy equipment to transform myself.
And I continued to eat like a ‘normal’ person would. No special diets required.
I guess you can say I’m just a regular guy with plenty of determination and guile and perhaps a hint of madness.
But you know what they say?
If you want it bad enough, you’ll stop at nothing to get it.
And to quote the late former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Ken Norton, “What the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.”
I am a self-made man, baby. And this is my story……..