I’m probably the only City Gym Boy who spends the majority of his year in a college quad surrounded by the green hills of northwestern Massachusetts. I’m also probably the only Williams College student with a tribal tattoo of a wolf on his shoulder—a representation of my love and respect for animals. I also have another tattoo on my chest. It reads, “I can be anything I want to be, as long as I am The Best.”
It’s a philosophy that my dad instilled in me at a very young age: Always give your all and be the best that you can be in anything that you put your mind to. That’s exactly what I plan to do. I think I fit well in my roles of being both a Williams student and a City Gym Boy. Achieving a degree in psychology is one of my most recent personal goals, and I plan to achieve it.
There are about 2,000 students here at Williams, and there’s nothing but miles of green countryside in every direction. You could argue that Williams (located in Williamstown, Massachusetts) is in the middle of nowhere, but that’s one of the great things I like about being here: that there are so few distractions. I love the contrast with New York. Williamstown is a small town with a great community, and I love it up here. Of course, I love Harlem, too, which is where I grew up and first met Charles.
It was one day during Harlem Week, the festival in mid-August where the whole neighborhood hits the streets to network, showcase products and talents, and support our community.
That day, I happened to be wearing a tank top. I’d come a long way from that skinny, scrawny kid who was ashamed to take his shirt off. Whether I was at the beach or in the park, I was always self-conscious. I come from a household where fitness was always a priority and both of my parents have always been in great shape. My mom was a trophy-winning bodybuilder and continues her career as a personal trainer. My dad is an ex-Marine who continues to stay in shape through running, weight training and basketball.
As a son of two highly active parents, I’ve always been active myself: Football, basketball, salsa dancing and capoeira (the Brazilian art form that combines dance and martial arts) are some of the ways I like to keep my body moving. I even picked up hockey after I took a job at the skating rink at Chelsea Piers in New York a few years ago.
But the summer after I graduated from eighth grade at The Cathedral School, I went up to Rochester to help my uncle who was doing construction and renovation, and everything changed. When I wasn’t painting or up on a roof, there wasn’t really much to do. My uncle had a home gym, so I began to work out when I wasn’t working for him. I figured it would help me as a freshman trying out for the football team at Fieldston.
But soon I began to really enjoy the routine. I was immediately addicted. I hadn’t really noticed how much of a difference the summer workouts had made to my physique until I came home to the city later that summer and everyone commented on my transformation. My mom said, “Whoa, what happened to you?” My friends saw me and were inspired to start working out themselves.
This all did a lot for my self-esteem. I started feeling more comfortable speaking to people and asserting myself. When you’re in great shape, and people notice, all sorts of things happen: Your posture is better. Your attitude is better. Your confidence is better. Walking into a room with strangers, you feel confident about yourself. In fact, the confidence and self-esteem I developed through changing my body probably had a lot to do with me getting into one of the most prestigious colleges in the country.
ON THAT DAY during Harlem Week, I was proud of the way I looked. When I first met Charles, he explained the idea behind the group. I remembered seeing him and the other City Gym Boys earlier that day walking proudly through the streets, stopping to take pictures and promote their calendar. I knew that I had a CGB body, but it was hidden beneath my tank top. It wasn’t until, encouraged by Charles, I decided to join in on one of the pictures and flash my abs that I realized my own City Gym Boy potential.
That sparked the beginning of my City Gym Boy career, and I’ve been on board ever since. I knew there was something unique about the City Gym Boys. I was joining not just an organization but a brotherhood—guys of all different cultures and backgrounds, who shared a passion for motivating and inspiring others to take ownership of their physique.
Just as cool was the fact that I’d found a guy with whom I could work out with any time, day or night. Sometimes, a workout at 11:00 p.m. is the best workout you can have. It’s the perfect way to end a day. No matter what happened during the day, good or bad, you can put it all behind you. And I always do.
Granted, there are a lot of ways to unwind from a stressful day—like drugs or alcohol. But for me, that’s never going to be an option. I don’t drink or smoke—never have, never will. But a late-night workout at the gym with Charles by my side sets me up for a great next day. Exercise is almost like a vacation, an escape. Something about working out frees your mind; you’re exerting all of this mental and physical force into this amazing workout, and if it’s the last thing you do during the day, it almost guarantees that tomorrow’s going to go well. Sure, I might be sore, fatigued or tired the next day. But it’s great for my studies, because it keeps my head clear and it helps with time management.
With my commitment to working out consistently, excelling in my studies and being an active member of the Williams community, I don’t have time to procrastinate and push things off until later. I feel like I get my work done best when there’s pressure on me. For me, there’s no time to dillydally.
And no, I’ve never done steroids and never will. I was never tempted. In middle school and high school we had health classes, and the dangers of drugs, particularly steroids, were always the main focus. I never wanted to abuse my body in any way. I’m going to focus on my work ethic and achieve my goals the way they were meant to be achieved—the clean, natural way.