Welcome to the Pounders' Club!

Hello, and welcome to the Pounders Club--a blog designed to provide insightful tips about weight training, personal fitness,  and eating and lifestyle habits for the busy college male. In order for you to trust in this blog, and the information it holds, I first need to explain a brief of history about my personal fitness journey.

First off, my name is John, and I am in my second semester of my junior year at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. My journalist responsibilities keep my very busy, but I still have found time for a healthy lifestyle. I have been truly dedicated to weight lifting and fitness for almost eight months now, and I'm really seeing and feeling the results of a healthy lifestyle. I wasn't always so dedicated to personal fitness, however. When I first arrived at college as a freshman I was a pretty slim kid, weighing in at only 170 pounds at a height of 6'1. 

Freshman Year-1st Semester
Weight- 170 

 Being a typical freshman male, I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle--eating greasy food at the dining halls, partying excessively, over-sleeping, and never going to the gym. Within one semester I had gained 30 pounds, and was pushing 200 pounds, by far the most I will ever weigh in my life. 

Freshman Year-2nd Semester
Weight- 195-200

This trend would continue until about mid-way through my sophomore year, when I started to feel really uncomfortable about my body in ways I hadn't experienced before. I started running on the treadmill all the time, clocking somewhere between five to seven miles every day, but I was still undedicated to total fitness and I ate really unhealthy like my freshman year. Needless to say I wasn't maximizing my fitness potential or seeing the results I desired.

Sophomore Year
Weight- 185-190

I knew I was ready to make a big change, and so at the beginning of my junior year (with some encouragement from my roommate) I began to lift weights using his planned-out program. I also began to cut out my unhealthy eating habits--eating smaller portions, not skipping meals, and eliminating processed-fast foods and sodas. It was really difficult at first, I didn't have much weight lifting prowess, and I was slightly intimidated by not being as strong as other people in the gym. I lifted hard for about four months before I really started to see results, and in the next two months I would lose over 15 pounds.

Junior Year
Weight- 175

In the last two months I have gained about five pounds, but it is five pounds of lean muscle mass, much different than the weight I had gained in my previous college years. I have made tremendous progress in sculpting my upper and lower body, as well as huge gains in muscle mass, strength, and endurance. 

Junior Year- Today
Weight- 178-180

My fitness journey is just hitting it's stride, and that is why I have created this blog to help share the tips and tricks I have learned for producing real, natural results. If you follows these tips, there are no excuses for why you can't make time to work-out everyday and cook delicious meals that are high in nutritional value. We are all busy as college students, and so it is my goal to help you maximize the little time you have to lift, run, and cook so that you get the best results. It's cliche, but if I could do it, I know you can. Whether you want to just tone-up and lose a few pounds, or start your journey into body-building, this blog has real tips from a real college guy just like you. 

The first article "How to Begin Your Journey" will be released soon. It will focus on how to start you personal fitness journey and how to integrate fitness into your busy college schedule. 

In order to see real results you must know that personal fitness is not an activity, it is a lifestyle!