Background

In 1990, I started out as a fitness trainer in a health club, not realizing the complexity of recommending safe, effective exercise because I had no formal training. The more I trained people, the more uncomfortable I became because I wondered if there was a better way. Regular workouts were becoming more important to me, so I began competing as a natural bodybuilder. The more I worked out and more people I trained, the more I wanted to further my education. In 1992, I started school at Oregon State University and continued to compete as a natural bodybuilder. While I won a couple competitions (1993 Collegiate Mr. Oregon, 1995 Ironman Natural), I was relentless in my pursuit to improve my mind and body. After graduating from OSU in 1995 with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, I enrolled in the graduate program at the University of Oregon and started competing nationally as a natural bodybuilder, finishing 4th at the 1996 Team Universe Championship in New York City. After graduating in 1997 from U of O with a Master's degree in Exercise Science, I still lacked the credibility to work with people who had injury and/or disease. In 1999, The Medical College of Pennsylvania, Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) accepted me for Physical Therapy School, so I "retired" from competitive bodybuilding after 8 grueling years. Physical therapy school was a very humbling experience, where I learned that many of my preconceived notions about exercise were wrong and so I started writing a textbook ("The Advanced Training Specialist") for physical therapists. In 2001, I graduated with a Master's degree in physical therapy and returned to Portland to start a clinic where I wanted to give new meaning to the term "physical therapy" using safe, effective exercise. In September 2002, I opened c.h. Physical Therapy in the Pearl district and also had my own weekly radio show "Smart Fitness" on KOTK. I also started teaching educational courses to physical therapists, and am still amazed at how desperately needed exercise education is in the PT profession and at large. In 2004, I began working towards having my own TV show on OPB, opening additional clinics. In 2008, I started a health segment on the local NBC news affiliate (KGW channel 8) and in 2010, a weekly column in the Oregonian newspaper. More to come!