It sounds like you were very concentrated in school, that you were quite determined.

I don't actually know what I was. I'm one of those people ... I got bronchitis several times, almost seasonally, so I'd always have to miss a week of school at a time. But I always managed to ace tests, so I can't say I was determined. I was actually lazy. Things just came easily to me and I always did enough to stay out of trouble. But sports? I was very determined.

The other thing I liked about wrestling is that I could see the results. I saw my body being transformed, and that was when I got into lifting. My dad got my brother and I training when we were little toddlers — doing workouts, pushups, pull-ups, whatever. But later he got us memberships in the YMCA, and that's when I first started using Nautilus machines.

How old were you?

I was in Middle School. I went into the weight room and started doing some curls and I was like 'is that a vein?' I kind of liked that. So I really got into it, buying equipment and turning our basement into a gym: I got a treadmill, a stairmaster ... and that's when I got really big. But then I got hurt.

How big were you?

I was 160 lbs at 18 and I had even less body fat than I do now. I mean, it was kind of disgusting — I had these intense veins and striation.

Did you ever feel small in school?

I think height is more about self-esteem. Even today I don't notice my height. When I take a step back and I'm hanging out with my friends, they're all 6' 1", 6' 2". They are a lot taller than me. I just come up to their shoulders. But when a conversation's going on and we're just hanging out, I don't notice that, and I don't think they notice it either. To tell you the truth, height never bothered me that much. There have been occasions, but I'm comfortable.

Did you keep on with all of the sports right through high school?

I was heavy into football and baseball in elementary. When I reached Middle School I got more into soccer and wrestling. When I hit high school I gave up soccer so I could concentrate entirely on wrestling. Overall I excelled at all the sports, but I was always most comfortable wrestling.

So you were a fighter?

Well, when I joined the Varsity wrestling team in the eighth grade it was all the same older guys I'd had to beat up back in elementary school to protect some friends. It was kind of funny actually because there we all were together, forced to get along on one team — crammed four to a room sometimes for away matches. (laughs)