I began training at 17 years old with a Pro Bodybuilder by the name of John Brown, 2 Time Mr. Universe and 3 Time Mr. World from the NABBA WABBA Federations in Europe. He was 10 years older than me and hungry like the Wolf! For whatever reason at the time I didn't understand, he saw something in me I didn't see in the way of me being a potential future Bodybuilding Star!

From day one he was relentless in kicking my tail all over the gym and back! In a matter of 5 months I was placing 2^nd in my first ever bodybuilding contest and a week later I was winning my first bodybuilding contest while receiving additional honors like Best Poser, Most Muscular and Over All Titles in the process of winning the Middleweight Class!

At 17 years old I would come to the gym like I was going to teach Big John a lesson, and he would consistently kick my butt day in and day out, week after week, month after month until I was fed up!

“This guy was old (compared to me)  who cares if he is bigger, he is not going to make me throw up and quit all the time, like I had become used to”, I thought to myself, I am young hungry LION and I will bite back!

Needless to say, this was wishful thinking on my part by comparison to Big John's daily hunger as a Professional Bodybuilder paying his bills with every work out. Regardless, I had committed my mind to the fact that I had youth on my side and I will survive these damn workouts! I began to bite back, slowly but surely I would last the training sessions, fight for the extra reps, get all my meals in and on time and prove to the Lion King that I was for real!
Big John beating me up everyday in the gym was a lesson being taught the hard way. “Tough Love” is what he called it.

As a person, he loved me like a little brother, as an athlete he wanted to show me that things in this business do not get handed to you and the success does not rub off. It is a jungle out here and on the gym floor it is Kill or be KILLED!

I died many a death on the gym floor, the arena where champions are made and words like “Potential and Genetics”  are meaningless.

In the gym while training, you can either be a Predator or be the Prey.

The Lion Rules the Jungle and to be the King you have to at some point, challenge the KING!

By that I mean, the challenges are laid down simply by fighting back! Training harder, doing more, stepping up where others would step down!

John would always say in his arrogance, “It is good to be KING!”

I never forgot that motto when training, it would take me to the next level when I trained with others. I would treat our training sessions as if my partners were trying to take something from me. Steal my Glory in some fashion. It would be a Heavyweight Title fight to the finish, a Dog eat Dog mentality that would take me to the next level. I would beat up on my training partners the way Big John would beat up on me, so that these other would be Lion Kings could share my pain.

There would be nothing more satisfying than actually making my training partner sick or get him to quit before the training session was over.

I would experience the Glory Big John felt every time I had quit and the satisfaction of knowing that where I was headed, not everyone could go. I wanted to be KING!

The Lion rules the Jungle and there can be only One at the end of the day.

To say I am the hardest working guy in the business would be too boisterous of a claim to make however, to say that I rise and raise to every challenge thrown my way would be accurate. I love a challenge in the gym, one reason I like training with younger guys, which Big John passed on to me,  is that these young hungry Lions have no idea what the next level of training is, so they come Strong to the gym only to realize later the gym ain't no play ground. It is a Killing Field!

When these young hungry lions realize they are in the Dead Zone, they have two choices, “Fight back or die.”

This is the motto of the King of the Jungle.

Not literally but the reality of this motto is one of Success or Failure, you have a choice to make.

When you chose Success, you fight back, you push and punish.

When you choose Failure, you quit and Die.

There is hardly room for a second chance because you have already been put to death by quitting. Who wants to go to war with someone who wouldn't be willing to put everything on the line in the name of Victory?
The Lion King steps over these victims to pursue Bigger Game!

Sure you may live to fight another day, but inside it is a slow death knowing on the drive home from the gym you just quit on your partner, you failed to reach your objective of finishing the work. The subconscious mind plays serious games on you when you know inside you cheated your body and impeded your progress by failing to rise to the occasion.

The Lion King loves bragging rights and no one had a bigger mouth than Big John!

When someone went down for the count while training with Big John not only would he constantly remind you of that failure but he would tell everyone else about it to re-enforce the fact that He was KING!

The Lion King never dies because he will find a way to finish the race.

 It is a big game to him every time out to survive! The gym is no place for the weak. When you step into the jungle to train with the Pro's you subject yourself to the punishment we have to put ourselves through daily and on any given day, the would be Lion Kings out there can come with their “A” game and inflict certain death to pretenders to the throne.

Don't get it twisted, it is a fight when someone steps up and wants a piece of the champ.

I have taken many beatings along the way to success, all of which I have used as learning experiences. However, I make sure to inflict as much punishment as I can to ensure that whosoever wants to find out what life is like out on the Serengeti  need only come into the gym where the “Big Dawgs” roam wild looking for the next challenge.

Those of you who are just looking for a good workout need not apply.

Those of you wanting to take training to the edge of the earth and stare death in the face are the ones who will one day rule the world according to the “Law of the Jungle!”

The Lion King may get old and slow down once his thirst has been quenched however, it doesn't take much to wake the sleeping giant once he gets his hunger back and we all know we have to eat to survive.

The Lion King is always HUNGRY!

Stay Hungry!