2010 YMCA Seattle Summer Classic: Here I Come!

A few years ago I weighed over 360 pounds. My friend David and I began counting calories, and I began working out regularly at my local YMCA. In less than a year, I got down to somewhere around 230 pounds, drawing the attention of some of the staff trainers, one of them named Mark. He was impressed by how quickly I was losing the weight, and that I was doing it naturally through diet and exercise. Key to my fat loss was making weight training a priority, and I quickly became a fan of lifting heavy. Unbeknownst to me, that, too, had impressed Mark.

Fast forward to November or December of 2009. I had put back on a lot of the weight, upwards of 275--still way under the 360+ I had once weighed, but disappointing nevertheless. I began working out regularly again, and one day Mark approached me at the YMCA and asked if I'd ever considered powerlifting competitively. I said that I was open to it, but didn't think I'd be very competitive. He encouraged me to give it a shot as a way of motivating myself to start losing fat again. He noted that I had a build that lends itself well to powerlifting--short and squat.

Eventually I agreed, and began being trained by Mark with the goal of competing in the 2010 YMCA Seattle Summer Classic. I'm upwards of 290 now, but my clothes are fitting more loosely and am seeing greater definition, so if I'm putting on fat I'm putting on more muscle. Still, I aim to get down to 275 or less so I don't have to compete in the Unlimited weight class (over 275). I'll blog here about my journey to this and future competitions. Mark thinks I might be able to compete at Nationals in 2011. Keep me in your prayers!