One of my other goals is to help destroy the fallacy that all men with muscles are inept individuals. I live a very enthusiastic and dynamic life, but have an equal balance of fun to break the monotony of work, school, and training. As you can clearly see, I try to excel in all aspects of my life as it allows me to develop into a multi-dimensional individual. All too often bodybuilders are exotic dancers or trainers. At first glance, many may believe this is what I do for a living. I am definitely a deviant from the norm. I graduated top of my class with my Electrical Engineering degree (emphasis in Control Systems and Digital Logic Design) at California State University, Long Beach. I was vice-president of engineering and was on the Dean’s and President’s list of the school. My finest accomplishment is being recognized on The National Dean’s List of the United States of America. I am currently employed at Raytheon Systems in El Segundo as a Principal Multi-Disciplined Engineer. I feel extremely fortunate to work beside individuals whose technical talent is unparalleled, and magnitudes above, any other's in the industry.  My surroundings are the catalyst to success, allowing my knowledge to grow daily, at an exponential rate. In addition, I finished my graduate degree in engineering at USC, with a 4.0 GPA. 

I train 5 to 6 days a week, resting when needed. I feel it is vital to have a structured, weekly plan although when I feel tired or my mind is not 100% into a workout, I won’t put myself in jeopardy of injury and will find something else to do that evening. There is no magic to my training so I won’t bore you with a typical routine that can be seen in any magazine dating back to the beginning of the press. Basically, I train a big muscle (chest, quads, back, etc.) and a small muscle (biceps, triceps, calves, etc.) beyond failure in one workout, once a week. What distinguishes me from the next is the passion and enthusiasm in which I train. There must be a certain level of tenacity and initiative deep in ones’ heart when they enter the gym in order for any gains to be achieved. I put on a walkman to deter people from talking to me during my time (half of the time it is not even on.) Don’t get me wrong, I am always eager to help people, I just want my hour and a half or so to handle my business. Any other time, I'd like to think my congeniality radiates. All too often many people join a gym to socialize or talk about their new cars. Once again, I benefit from being the outcast.

Since the mind is by far the superior ‘muscle’ in the body, succeeding in training it will allow your body to follow. In example, you must prioritize your responsibilities and teach yourself discipline and focus. Similarly, finding enough reason and rationale that you yourself will be content with to make sacrifices when needed is a strong attribute of a successful person. It is all too easy to join your friends at happy hour then it is to drive to the gym and leg press 1500 lbs on leg day. I personally enjoy staying in shape because this is something you can carry with you day in and day out. If you were the best golfer in the world, nobody would ever know unless you were on the golf course or you had a garrulous personality. In contrast, if you do your time in the gym, people will notice wherever you go. It is a fantastic feeling of well being, all day long. The characteristics mentioned above traverse beyond the realm of bodybuilding and can be carried over into your personal and professional life as well. Observe any successful individual, and you will notice an aura of motivation around them. Fitness of the mind...first.

I was born August 23, 1974 in Mt. View, California and resided in the Bay Area for 22 years. Driven by a competitive spirit at an early age, I played baseball for 13 years and football for 10 years. At Homestead High in Cupertino, California, I was the captain of both my football and baseball teams. In baseball, I batted lead off and played center field.  In football, I played cornerback.  I was fortunate to make All-League First-Team for both sports.

Following high school, I attended Foothill Community College where I continued with my football and baseball careers. However, I was introduced to boxing by a friend and decided to try my hand at the more individual sport. I immediately took to it and had every intention on turning professional, when I injured my back. The result of my doctor ordering me to the gym is how my bodybuilding career began. My body responded instantly and I immediately had a passion for improving my body composition. I decided to enter my first show (1994) as a teenager where I won the overall at the Monterey Bay Classic. The rest of my competitive highlight history is as follows:

Instead of focusing solely on physical improvement or exclusively on intellectual development, I personally feel striving for excellence in all facets of life will allow me to develop into a successful, well-rounded human being. "Life is a great big canvas…..throw all the paint possible at it."

I am a professional engineer, before I am a bodybuilder.  However, I will definitely be on stage again this year in 2009. My competitive plans for this year are:

    Orange County Classic - April 25th, 2009

    Contra Costa Classic - May 9th, 2009

    California State Championships - May 23rd, 2009

    Venice Beach Memorial Day Classic - May 25th, 2009

In my professional life, my immediate objective is to learn as much as possible and become a prolific engineer. Knowledge is something that nobody can ever take away from you. I also am a volunteer speaker visiting middle and high schools to convey to the younger generations the importance of an education. The goal is to spark the student's interest in math, science, and engineering, and to increase their awareness about careers in these fields.

To begin with, we all need to understand that every person who exists on the face of the Earth is comprised of a unique genetic composition. Unless there is a way to change your parents, what I am basically saying is that no matter what extremes we result to, we cannot all look like the Incredible Hulk. Setting attainable, realistic goals is the first step, along with convincing yourself that many sacrifices will have to be made along the way. Once again I am reverting back and emphasizing the importance of mental strength and preparation. "Train your mind, and your body will follow." Second, put together a training regimen that will push you to the max without discouraging yourself. Keep a mental photograph of an inspirational figure or picture that will force you to crank out 3 more reps as the lactic acid incinerates your muscles. Train beyond failure with a spotter. Unless you are running for office, keep the gossip to a minimum. Let your physique do the talking, not your mouth. Don’t fall into that class of people. Make your own class. Wear your walkman. Third, adapt to a wholesome and nutritious everyday diet that will nourish and nurture your body through your intense training. Depending upon how drastic of change you need to make from how you already eat, this may be the toughest battle. Nevertheless, your body will quickly acclimate to your new nutritional regime and the results will be undeniably worthwhile. Our bodies parallel that of a young child. It is plain and simple. We both need to eat healthy to grow. You wouldn’t feed your newborn a Big Mac would you? Fourth, get plenty of rest. The misconception many have is that we grow in the gym. This is an erroneous belief. Growth actually occurs while we are sleeping. We break down our body in the gym, and the reparation occurs during rest. Keep those late nights out to a minimum. Sacrifices. Sacrifices. Sacrifices.  Success to me, is hanging on when others have let go.

There is no 3-day class telling someone the exact food to eat. Once again, our body is one of a kind, and from a specific point of view, what works great for me, may only be mediocre for you, and vice versa. Use the trial-and-error technique and document your results. Account for what and how much you ate, what time you ate it, and most important, how you felt afterwards. If you talk to 10 different athletes, you will get 10 different answers. Keeping that in mind, there is a more general perspective. I will share some fundamental tips of training and diet that I employ which will lay a sound foundation for the beginning of our reconstruction. These are generalities which will work for everyone, however, specific personal modifications are encouraged.

These five universal steps apply to and will assist every person wanting to improve their body composition regardless of how unique we are.