An old middle school teacher who was also my junior high track coach lectured me at one practice and proclaimed, “You’ll never do well physically, and you’re wasting your time.”  In the beginning of my freshman year, my new world history teacher decided to offer us freshmen to workout with him in his free time after school.  My friend, Jacob, forwarded me a new copy of the email and sought out if I wanted to train with him.  I decided to lift with him because hanging out with him every day after school seemed like a grand idea.  I began working out with them in our school’s weight room, and Jacob and I would usually be the only people who would come, but on occasion another guy or two would show up.  We were just little mediocre freshmen, barely benching 100 pounds at first, and I didn’t weigh much more than 115 pounds. 

I stopped making progress, and then swim season came around.  I had just stopped working out in my own time after swim started.  I finished the swim season better than I expected, and then it was time for track.  I started track, and I didn’t do as well as I had hoped because I wasn’t as fast as Usain Bolt. At the time, I didn’t really care because I remained at the scorching, tar-like track every day just to hang out with my friends and just run and get it over with.  I did make goals for myself, but I didn’t achieve them because I had lacked the effort it needed to achieve them, although I wasn’t too far off.  At this point I still wasn’t working out on my own and didn’t really take care of myself.  I was just a skinny freshman; I was skinner than a piece of paper. 

With that summer full of sunshine and dandelions, I still decided to play video games all day every day as if I were a pro and only hung out with friends two times besides on the internet.  I had started a job at a local family owned pizza shop in the beginning of that summer, and I started to add a little bit of weight finally.  I went from a thin 115 pounds to wider 140 pounds.  I didn’t workout, so I was a little pudgy at the time.  I began to look like a cow.  I started eating less because I felt unhealthy; my stomach was hanging out, and I looked like a dad.  I wasn’t strong and was even more out of shape, but I got back down to 127 pounds. 

School had started by this point, and I was only into the first month.  I was still only playing video games after I came home from school, but I was eating a little bit healthier and felt a little bit better.  Throughout September, I had tried to talk to a girl, and when she saw how skinny I was at the end of September, she stopped talking to me.  I thought we had clicked really well, and I was confused on why all of a sudden she had just left all of it in the dust.  It messed with the way I thought about myself and overall tore me apart, and this confused me for a good while. 

On October 1st, it hit me.  I needed to be a healthier weight to better myself and I decided to not let what other people think about the way I look or the way I live my life affect me if they’re negative about it.  I took a picture of myself as a reference for the future and as motivation.  I started by researching what is the most natural and healthiest workout I can begin with.  With my research, I had decided to start calisthenics, which are body weight workouts.  I maxed out in reps of pushups, sit-ups, squats and calf raises for reference and did twenty pushups, thirty-five sit-ups, and lost count for squats and calf raises.  I started doing twenty pushups every night and thirty-five sit-ups every night until swim had started and when swim had started, I started doing five sets of twenty pushups, and by that point I could do fifty sit-ups in a row, so I did two sets of fifty to help further my progress. 

During the frigid, snowy winter on February 1st, I decided to start the three hundred pushups a night for thirty days challenge.  The first three days were the hardest.  Often my parents would check on me because of the thumps of failure and the roars of my frustration.  I almost didn’t make it past day three because I gave up at fifty pushups, and I screamed in frustration, but I later told myself I need to do this to better myself and finished the other two hundred fifty at three o’clock in the morning because I wanted to be far from one hundred twenty-seven pounds. 

After day three, everything was easy.  I finished the thirty days and made some impressively quick results, although I had gained many calluses, tender muscles, and blisters.  After that I just did whatever felt good for a workout, and I had ordered a concrete-colored calisthenics power tower made of abrasive metal, which includes a pull-up bar, dip bars, perfect pushup bars, and calf raise stands.  I worked out on that in my garage for a while and had eaten healthier and consumed more and more to gain weight. 

I went to a party, and my friend Zac was there and proclaimed to me, “I’m joining the Army as a Cavalry Scout and I go to Army PT every Wednesday.  Are you still joining the military?  You should come to PT with me.”  I replied, “I think I want to join the Air Force, but I want to do special operations no matter what so I can use the workouts and discipline.”

School had started by this point, and I bought a membership at Iron Faith Gym.  After the membership, I started going to Army PT every Wednesday along with going to youth group.  I became unstoppable with my physical and mental results.  I took a picture on October 1, 2017, as a one year improvement comparison and it was truly motivating to see what I’ve done.   Throughout the process, I’ve noticed more and more people would want to talk to me and become closer with me.  The girl who broke my heart even hit me up asking for another chance as friends.  As much as I wanted to keep her out, I became friends with her and forgave her.  I do my best to make peace and friendship with everyone and have grown much spiritually throughout the process.  An anonymous friend messaged me on Snapchat exclaiming, “Bro, I want to be like you.  I’m tired of being skinny and I’m seeking you out for help.”  My friend Trace asked, “ Yo, what do you do for your workouts?  I’m losing my muscle tone and you’re jacked so SOS.”  I have had people ask for my workouts and others have asked me to be their workout buddy. 

On October 1 2016, I would have never expected to come this far, and I most certainly will not stop.  I decided almost two years ago to change myself for the better, as it would be required for my future job as an Army Ranger and Special Forces operator and to just feel better about myself and the world around me.  My recruiter, SGT Tanner explained to me, “If you want to be a Ranger, you’re going to be a Ranger.  You work for what you have and you’re not one to quit.  You have the correct mindset, and you just need to pursue it.  Go do it.”  I would recommend this to anyone and everyone and let the spirit guide the efforts and not let any negative outside figures intervene.