A little bit about who I am

Well I can’t say I’m a big fan of talking about myself but you need to know who I am and what I’m about, so here I go. I suppose it all started back when I was 15 and my testosterone levels really started picking up pace. I realized that if I wanted to get the girls and gain respect of the guys, I needed to build some muscles. So I picked up “Arnold Schwazeneggers Encylopedia of Modern Bodybuilding” and read that thing from front to back. As I gained this knowledge, I utilized it in the gym and started building the body I wanted. Slowly a passion started burning inside of me and bodybuilding became a large part of my life. This increased even more once I started taking the after school weight training program at J.L Crowe. I was the first one to get into the gym, and usually the last one to leave. Even my weight training teacher Mr. Reid would leave before me and make me lock everything up. Now since this was my teenage years, I wasn’t exactly a little angel. I was a chronic pot smoker, cigarette smoker and alcoholic. As the months and years passed, I started missing more of my weight training classes because I began getting involved in more serious drugs, and became a very heavy user. I eventually was down to 120lbs of skin and bones, and weight training was a rare occasion. It wasn’t until I saw one of my buddy’s life crumble around him that I realized I didn’t want that to happen to me, and I got off some of the heavy drugs. I still dabbled here and there until age 19, but I was becoming much more focussed in the gym. It wasn’t until I almost had a near death incident with alcohol that I decided I needed to stop using all substances. So I quit the liquor, stopped smoking weed, and stopped smoking cigarettes. Then before I knew it, it was time for me to begin the next phase of my life; college! I attended College of the Rockies in Cranbrook B.C, and completed the human kinetics program in April of 2010. I managed to get my CSEP-CPT while I was there, and had a few clients to train. Now I am out at the University of Lethbridge Alberta in the 2yr Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Kinesiology.

I wish I could say I’ve trained hundreds of clients, taught group programs and trained sports teams, but I have done none of that. I guess I imagined that the clients would just magically appear out of nowhere and I would be rolling in the money haha. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist and still carry some insecurity from when I was a drug addict. I’m the type of person that second guesses himself all the time. Even if someone tells me I did great or my program is amazing, I will still put myself down and feel it’s not good enough. I feel like over the years of college and such, I have lost some of my passion. Like when I get told I HAVE to write a paper on this and that, compared to me researching something out of pure passion and interest. I’m hoping that putting a blog out, as well as writing research articles will re-spark that intense passion and grab the right person’s attention.

In case you haven’t gathered yet, I am a very open person. I feel like there’s no point in holding anything back from people because then you aren’t showing your true self. This way either people will like me or not. I’d rather someone dislike me because of who I am, rather than dislike me because they find out I’m pretending to be a certain way. I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes down to it. Good food, good friends, a good woman by my side, and the gym. If I have those things then I’m completely satisfied.

To keep myself in shape I lift weights, and may occasionally do some cardio. I have slowly begun to get away from pure hypertrophy training (bodybuilding) because I want my muscles to have function in sports settings and to be as strong as they look. I currently have myself on a hybrid strength/hypertrophy program. This way I can look good and be strong as hell too. There’s nothing more satisfying than pulling a deadlift that is 3x my bodyweight. I don’t play in any specific sports but have dabbled in MMA training and Judo. My idea of playing sports would be getting a bunch of friends together to play a game of flag football. I’m more into solo sports like snowboarding, bodybuilding or track and field. My speciality as a personal trainer would be bodybuilding and powerlifting. So I can get you big, strong, and make sure you look good as well. 

If you have noticed, I haven’t mentioned my love for cardio, and that is because I HATE cardio. I know cardio is very important and I’m a personal trainer so I should do it, but I just don’t like it. My idea of cardio would be doing a 5x5 powerlifting program or strongman training. I just find running around a track or on a treadmill for 30mins or more to be SUPER BORING! Now that’s not to say that I don’t know how to design a cardio routine or train someone, it’s just not my passion. 

As for my eating style, I eat fairly clean the majority of the time, but after training for a bodybuilding competition I have learned to go easier on myself. You should still be able to enjoy the foods you love and not be in fear of straying from the scheduled eating plan. I’m not saying to go out every day and eat cheeseburgers, pizza, and pop, but I am saying that you need to treat yourself to one of those bad foods at least once a week. I love cooking and I’m damn good at it, so that is another reason why I’m not so strict on my eating habits either.

Well that is essentially me in a so many words. I most likely have revealed more of myself than is needed, but I’ve got past that point of caring anymore haha. If you wanna pick my brain apart about my views on anything, then feel free to do so. I’m always down for an in depth conversation about health and fitness, even if our views clash. I believe listening to other people’s views can give you a better understanding about things. If you’re ever in the Lethbridge area and need some personal training, or just wanna go crush some weights, lemme know!

When life gets you down, deadlift it back up – Brett Andrews (A.K.A Demon)