About Dennis

Me...
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What can I say about me? I'm a 41 year old who's let myself go while working the daily grind of a desk job, being a parent (now grandparent... yeah), and just plain lack of discipline. I've been married to Rachel for 22 years (save me...), and have four children (seriously, save me...), and two granddaughters (save me, but let me take them with me...).

I've always been a fitness buff. In my youth, I wanted to be a professional bodybuilder, an interest I got from my father (a non-competitive bodybuilding back in the day). While in Airborne training in the US Army, I broke my back in a freak accident. After nine months in a back brace and months of physical therapy, all while continuing to serve as an Active Duty soldier, I found myself getting back into the gym and lifting like never before in an effort to regain my strength.

My desire to be a bodybuilder, however, dwindled as I began to understand the amount of pharmaceuticals involved in the sport, which I was dead against, and the aesthetics of the physiques became lost in the sea of mass for the sake of mass. Not really what I wanted out of the sport. To me, it was about being the epitome of health and a display of what the human body was capable of.

I continued to workout for myself, always wanting to push and improve. When I left the service, the free gym was no longer available, and we had some difficult times getting on our feet in this new civilian life.  The urge and desire to workout was always there, gnawing at me. Eventually, I began to build up a home gym: Olympic set, simple bench, then a squat/bench/pulley cage, bars, dumbbells, etc. As I worked my way up the corporate ladder, my workouts were sporadic at best. I had one good success streak back in '96 where I lost 60 lbs and got myself in pretty good shape. But a job change, and the stresses that came with it, resulted in my gradual weight climb. The desire was there, but the consistency was not.

Before I knew it, 10 plus years had passed and I was pushing the scales at 380 lbs. I was diagnosed with Hypertension (high blood pressure) and put on medication. And my doctor informed me that I need to get the weight down. I began a workout plan, and attacked. But again, my discipline and motivation were lacking and I feel off the wagon.

Then I found something to keep me motivated. In my other life (away from this and the job), I am a writer and indie filmmaker. I had a script that my brother, and producing partner, were going to film. But, I wanted one of the roles in the film. However, I wasn't about to show up on screen at 380 lbs and steal every scene with my size. I told my brother that I would not take the part unless I lost weight and got in shape for the role. He agreed and I set off to finally get myself back.

That was in late 2008. By the time we began shooting in early 2009, I had lost 50 lbs and was able to run and jump and perform my own stunts. This only fueled my motivation. I've kept it up since then, with a few breaks along the way to rest. I have broken the 300 mark (in the downward direction), and after another break to work through a shoulder problem, I only 10 lb above that and back in the gym doing what needs to be done.

But, it is not easy. There is a lot of doubt and questioning, a lot of wanting results and wanting them now. Sometimes, I am able to fight this and stick to the plan. Other times, I find myself changing my routine too frequently, trying to fix some perceived error in the plan. But, mostly, I feel like I am on the right track.

I hope here to share what I am doing, how Rachel and I help each other (or get in each other's way), and discuss what works for me and what doesn't.

Aside from this podcast, you can follow my efforts in:



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