Horse

Picking up where I left off, It was November and I had just finished my second show of the year. I was ready to be done.  Believe it or not, I had actually been "dieting", or in a caloric deficit, for NINE out of the eleven months going into November.  More than eager to experience calories, I had eaten my way into "offseason" shape in about 2 weeks.  I was at work chewing on some pop tarts when Dan called me and told me he might have something big lined up.  He didn't say much but he said it involved Vitamin Shoppe.  About a week later, I was deep into eating a whole box of cereal when Dan texted me again and said he needed a morning pic for the editor.  I woke up the next day and managed to scrap up this miracle: (Strong hair/10)

On the 7th of November, Dan said he thought I was in, but would confirm later.  The next day he said it was on, and that I basically had two weeks.  I still didn't' have much of an idea WHAT we were shooting.  He also managed to casually slip in that I would be shooting with Jen Jewell….

Lets rewind all the way back to when I was in 5th grade, and had dreams of playing in the NBA.  Every day I looked at posters and pictures of Michael Jordan.  Growing up, my biggest dream was to play a game of horse with MJ.  Call me lil bow-wow because I wanted to be 'Like Mike'.  What basketball obsessed 10 year old boy didn't?  As you can imagine, that dream didn't necessarily pan out (I'm 5'7" on a good day).  When I got into fitness, on top of being my biggest crush, JJ was my MJ.  Her story completely changed the way I looked at fitness and life.  Without having real goals in the beginning of my journey, I used Jen and her story to live vicariously in an industry I desperately wanted to be a part of.  I was definitely a Jen Jewell fanboy and probably follow her on more social media platforms than she even knows she has.  To put things into perspective, I remember taking a screen-shot after she followed me on twitter.  Call me stage-5 but I was PUMPED!!

As I was getting more into 'working out', Jen was building a big name for herself in the fitness industry.  I was excited to attend the Arnold expo in early 2013 and meet her! My affiliate manager introduced me to Jen and we talked for a while before she had to get back to meeting thousands of her fans! My first impression of Jen still sticks with me today.  I'll probably never forget that in the 15 minutes we talked, she never said a single word about herself.  She even remembered I had an upcoming show that I was training for.  Simply put, I was star struck!  I didn't expect somebody in her position to be so selfless and kind.

Some time passed and I was a couple days out from my first show.  Jen sent me a message wishing me luck on stage and gave me some tips for the last couple days.  I was blown away that she even remembered I was competing.

Fast-forward only six months later to the text Dan casually slipped me informing me that I would be shooting with Jen.  I set my phone down on my desk and looked out my window through my 'teenage-girl breakup' tears, thinking of where I started, how far I had come, and how truly lucky I was.

I don't think I had ever been more excited to crash diet in my entire life!  Bring on the cold fish and Tupperware, I was bulletproof. The next week I got to travel to NYC for work.  Yes I brought my fish, yes I ate it cold, and yes it was worth it.  Thank god for Quest bars!  I got to meet up with Craig, Amanda, Rodney, the rest of the Cellucor NYC team, and some clients in the city.  I got to train at CRUNCH! Being a huge 'A Night At The Roxbury' Fan, this was a dream come true!  Adam showed me a great time and I had a great first experience in NYC!  

Vitamin Shoppe NYC

A short couple weeks passed, and I was on a plane to LA! Call sheet in hand, I still couldn't believe that my name was even listed next to Jen's.  Dan also failed to mention that the amazing Robert Reiff, king of fitness magazine covers, was the photographer.  My hotel was amazing and the view made me never want to leave.  The fridge was so small that I had to remove the booze to make room for my meals! I made it work.  I met up with my friend Cyrus when I landed and trained at the Mecca!  It was great seeing a familiar face.  The next day I met up with Cyrus and did some light cardio and relaxed until it was time to meet up with Jen to get our diva on.  We got our spray tans and stopped for some food.  In a nutshell (Pun Intended), we basically just bought some fresh chocolate almond butter from whole foods and tried not eating it all the night before.

How to fall in love with LA:

The morning of the shoot, we finally figured out WHAT we were shooting for.  We were shooting a cover in the morning, and a series of workouts throughout the day.  The cover was for Muscle And Performance Magazine: Supplement Guide 2014 Annual Edition - A Vitamin Shoppe Exclusive Magazine.  The workouts would be used for various articles inside the magazine.  We had makeup and hair with Nancy Jambazian first thing in the morning.  On top of her being a total sweetheart, she's worked with all the famous fitness icons and many hollywood celebrities.  I can't thank her enough for doing such an awesome job, and being a such a trooper through the long day.  Working with Robert was a true honor.  I have noting but respect for him and his amazing work.  It was a real pleasure and I hope to be back to Magic Light some day. We shot for about 12 long hours and had a blast.  It really was one of those days that you didn't want to end.

After the shoot, we went out for an amazing dinner and destroyed some well-earned desserts!

The last duck face selfie before the pretty face came off!

Jen dropped me off at my hotel and my flight left in the morning.  It was Vegas all over again.  I was sitting on my couch in a quiet house staring at the wall wondering what I did to deserve this.  I just shot for the cover of a magazine with the girl that inspired me to change my life.  If there's anyone in this industry that deserves unparalleled success, it's Jen.  Maybe I did in fact work with her on this project, but I will always be a Jen Jewell fanboy.  I will always look up to her, always have a crush on her, and always continue to find motivation through her every day.  

Yeah... I got to play my game of horse, and I will never ever forget it. 

A few weeks later, the new Cellucor.com website launched.  This was almost too much to handle.  I was so excited to see the images from the shoot we did back in April!  Seeing the website live brought literal tears to my eyes.  Less than two years ago, I was a 148lb skinny fat kit who put a box on his head and danced around his room in an attempt win some free C4.  It almost goes without saying, but it will never go unsaid - I cannot begin to thank everyone at Cellucor, especially Dan, for continuing to change my life every single day.

Here it is!!

You can get your own copy at any Vitamin Shoppe at any time in 2014!

As we start 2014, I can't help but to think of where my head was at one year ago today.  These pictures were taken exactly one year apart.  January 2, 2013 - January 2, 2014.  I learned a lot in 2013.  Most importantly I learned that no dream is too big, if you're willing to work for it.

Your dreams are closer than you think. Reach out and grab them.