Why did I create the Rusty Iron Bodybuilding Page? Aren't there hundreds of bodybuilding pages on the World Wide Web, many of which are sponsored by bodybuilders much better than myself?

Perspective. That's why. This page was not created from the perspective of a muscular youth who entered bodybuilding in his teens and rose in the ranks of competitive bodybuilding through local, regional, national and international competitions. It was created from the perspective of a sedentary, overweight male, approaching his 40th birthday, who decided that he wanted a better body. This is the story of that personal quest.

I did not enter into bodybuilding with any clear advantage. I am not what is known as a "natural athlete." At best, my potential for physical development could be described as "genetically average." And my decision to begin bodybuilding at a comparatively advanced age left me with a considerable handicap. But despite these barriers, I found that the right combination of training, nutrition and dedication would yield impressive results.

Keep in mind that bodybuilding is my hobby; it is not a compulsion that rules my life. My family and my job come first, and I set aside time for community service. Dedication does not equal obsession. At my age, many men develop a keen interest in golf. I chose bodybuilding. While they are trying to improve their backswings, I am trying to increase my lean body mass.

It began in the summer of 1995. I was moderately overweight and was engaging in no physical exercise whatsoever. After some painful gastrointestinal problems, I decided that I needed better control over my diet; I also decided that it might be a good idea to lose some weight. So, in July, 1995, I began a strict low-fat diet.

By November, 1995, shortly before my 39th birthday, I had lost 35 pounds. I then decided that I should begin shaping my body. At that time, my goals were modest: I wanted only to look "in shape." Having lifted weights "off-and-on" since my teens (much more "off" than "on"), I decided to return to the YMCA gym where I had maintained a membership for many years, rarely using it. At first, my lifts were pathetic, but they quickly increased to a level consistent with what they had been in the past. And then I wanted more.

Around that same time, I found misc.fitness.weights amongst the Usenet newsgroups. I already had a year or so of experience with the Internet and the Usenet newsgroups, but I was looking for something that would give me better insight into my newfound quest for greater strength and a better body. And misc.fitness.weights was exactly what I was looking for. Despite the crudeness, profanity and bickering that is a defining characteristic of that newsgroup, it has been the starting point for the vast majority of what I have learned about bodybuilding.

Since then, I have maintained my practice of heavy resistance training and controlled nutrition on a very regular basis. Generally, I lift three times per week, and during most of the year, I control my diet within well-defined parameters. Although I am not ready for competitive bodybuilding (not even in my "advanced" age group), the difference in my physical appearance is rather amazing. And I am now physically stronger than I have ever been before, even more so than when I played rugby and participated in the martial arts during my college years.