hello.

[Red19fire]

i'm chris, i'm 25 and a student at rutgers, hopefully graduating soon. i spent 4 years (2003-2007) in the marines, and fought in iraq (2005). when i got out i went to a different college, then transferred to rutgers.

over the years, my weight rollercoastered drastically. i emerged from parris island at a svelte 170, mostly muscle. after 6 or 7 months in iraq, i had basically starved myself down to 150 or so. upon coming back, i skipped exercise and drank and ate like a man possessed, shooting up to a lazy 210 by the time i got out. i discovered 300 & kettlebells, joined the ymca, and cut down to a muscular 190 in 2-3 months for a sprint triathlon. my post-tri celebration eating lasted for another year or two as school stress mounted, and now i'm here at 225, ready to start again, hopefully permanently.

I've been kicking around the idea of a CSCS certification, and purchased the textbook, but of course school gets in the way of everything, so hopefully i'll be able to grind that out this summer. I work at a fitness equipment store in new jersey, reps fitness. if anybody lives in the area, swing by and i'll give you ridiculous discounts on everything we have. i read fitness books and magazines voraciously, so i think i have an excellent grasp of exercise science, and probably should have majored in it instead of sport management. Currently i'm training my girlfriend to run in the same triathlon.

[Steve]

Hey Red19fire,

Welcome to the boards man!

First of all, I want to start by saying thank you for your service, and I"m glad to hear that you made it back from Iraq safe and sound. Thanks for joining us, sounds like you'll be able to provide quite a bit of insight on a few things.

Glad to have you.

-Steve

[HerrFaucher]

Hey Chris, Im a New Jersey-ite too, also pursuing a CSCS. Crazy.

Except Im 23 and went to Penn State for Info Systems, not rutgers. I had to escape NJ for a while.

Welcome