“When I was in school, especially in high school, I had a lot of learning issues, and I was always the hardest worker in my class. I know I put in the time to study and school never came easy to me. When you start at the gym, you see tangible improvements and you see fair recognition. In school, if you write an essay, it’s subjective. Your teacher responds to you with As, or Bs, or Cs, or Ds. I kept getting Cs and Ds, but I was putting in my best effort. When you go to the gym and you go into the squat rack and squat 100 pounds one day, and then the next week you do 115 pounds, that’s evidence of improvement. In school, I was trying to improve but I just kept being put down into lower and lower groups, or getting calls to my mother saying, ‘this school’s not right for your son.’ To be completely honest, that’s the main reason I got into lifting: to help my self-confidence and to help me change as a person. Rather than focusing on the negatives of my schooling and stuff, I focused on the positive of becoming a better athlete and becoming better in the gym.”

Category: People