I’m often asked why I’m so passionate about my goal of creating the highest quality and most effective supplements on the market.
My passion comes from a lifetime of study, experience, and experimentation. I accomplished my goal by learning everything I could about how the body performs and how supplements can enhance that performance.
I’ve realized my dream. I love what I’ve built and I want you to be a part of it.
My Body Building Career
While attending college at the State University of New York College at Brockport I joined the swimming team. I was a skinny 140 pounds.
Over the Winter break of 1991 I set up a bench and a set of Weider Weights in a spare bedroom. All I did was lift and eat. I gained nearly 40 pounds. My strength improved and I was making progress. Still, I was watching my friends get bigger and I wanted the same results.
I finally saved up enough money to join Samsons Powerhouse Gym in Rochester, New York. It was there where I learned to love bodybuilding and training. I was lifting alongside Bob Chicherillo, Danny Pailla, and lots of other top-level amateur bodybuilders who worked out there every day.
Soon I was ready for the big stage. I competed in the 1993 and 1995 New York State Bodybuilding Championships, winning the Novice Heavyweight title in 1995. Then I went on to take 5th in the heavyweight division at the 1997 Border States competition in California.
My Start as a Master Chemist
After graduating from SUNY Brockport in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science with a concentration in chemistry, I set my sights on being a master chemist. Wanting to leave New York for the West Coast, I bought a San Diego newspaper and began my job search.
When I came across a job listed as “Chemists Needed at Nutritional Company” I called and asked them to hold the job open until I could get there for an interview. To my surprise they agreed. So I sold everything I owned and used the $400 I raised to drive across the country for the interview. My early display of dedication earned me the job.
Over the next two years I learned the basics of supplement manufacturing. I had also formulated hundreds of products. Soon, I was looking for more. In 1997 I formed a consulting company and started making prototype formulas in my kitchen with a high-speed blender. That was the beginning. Today, my manufacturing and distribution company makes many of the most cutting-edge liquid supplements on the market.
My Real Learning Begins
After turning 40 and having not competed in bodybuilding since 1997, I was borderline obese. I was determined to take control of my body and my life. Over the next two years I transformed myself and took my body fat down from 25% to 4%. With my new body and renewed confidence I won the Light Heavyweight class at the 2012 NPC Mile High Natural Body Show competition in Colorado.
Shortly after my win in Colorado I suffered a severe rupture in my L4-L5, and L5-S1 disks. During my recovery I read as much as I could about my condition. That’s when I read a book that would change my life. It was Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Dr. Stuart McGill. I was doing it all wrong. I had the wrong motor patterns.
After four months of decompression and rehab I started training again but I had no balance or strength. Without a proper functioning nervous system the rest just does not work properly. So I started reading about the nervous system and muscle recruitment. I learned that I needed explosive exercises to improve my full-body neuromuscular response.
Knowledge is power. After discovering CrossFit Fortius I was transformed from someone who just believed in bodybuilding into someone who believes in training and using everything I can to get fit. I earned my USAW Olympic Weight Lifting certification and a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer Certification, and by early 2014 I’ll be a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
My Training Philosophy
So here is the training philosophy I’ve developed based on what I’ve learned throughout my career.
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Bodybuilding movements that isolate specific muscles do cause significant hypertrophy, but they don’t lead to long-term overall mobility and health. I’m sure you’ve seen the bodybuilder who can lift enormous weight but struggles to bend down and tie their shoes.
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The body is not engineered for us to “train a muscle.” The body is engineered for us to train “movement.” That’s why I believe that a training session should begin with full-body movements. The session can then progress to stationary strength training that incorporates multiple joints before moving on to isolation, or “bodybuilding” movements.
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You are holding yourself back if you aren’t open to assimilate a variety of training methods. Try spinning, Bikram Yoga, Jujitsu, swimming, a track workout, Olympic lifting, or CrossFit. Keep doing the things that work for you and put aside what doesn’t. At least give them a try. Challenge yourself.
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And finally: Learn, Learn, Learn. Broaden your horizons. Seek out new skills and certifications in areas that interest you. Because I believe in continuous learning, I’m sharing lots of helpful information and resources right here on the Pharmagenx website.
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