I was the tall, skinny kid next door.  Everyone knows one, knew one, or was one.  That was me until about the age of 15.  Unknown to me at the time, that year would change my life forever.  At 15, I got a home gym for my birthday.  So, like every young boy, it was crucial for me to learn every exercise that I could do with the barbells, dumbbells, and bench.  As I mastered my home gym, I began to see my body change from a tall, lanky boy to a more lean and muscular young man.  I was so excited to see this change that I had to share my new-found passion with others, so I opened Charlie’s Gym.

Charlie’s Gym, my first fitness venture, was open to the neighborhood guys.  I even had my own sign and hours hanging on the basement door of our tiny Philadelphia row home.  I helped my buddies lift weights and get in shape.  It was personally fulfilling to realize that I was cultivating a new skill that helped people to feel better about their bodies.  I had discovered what I was created to do.

Learning how to lift weights and “bulk up” significantly improved my high school football game, which resulted in my making the varsity team the following year.  I then went on to become a successful collegiate sprint athlete and obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physical education and exercise science, respectively.  Click here for more on my educational background and experience.

Over 20 years after my initial discovery, I still enjoy doing what I was created to do--helping people to feel better about themselves and to be the best conditioned and most physically prepared athlete that they can be in the safest, most effective way possible.