The Pittsburgh Championships 2011 & Big Jay Cutler

Every year I go to the Pittsburgh Championships in May. In fact, my girlfriend, Kari, and I actually met at the show two years ago, so its kind of a homecoming. We and reminisce about when we met, we watch the show, and just have a good time.

I've known Jay Cutler for about 15 years through some friends back in New England. Most of the time I have to remind him who I am and from where, so of course this weekend was no different. This guy meets so many people, I'm surprised he can remember his own name, let alone mine!

I got to chat with him while I was backstage before the big guest posing showdown, and as always, Jay was a complete gentleman. He was as down-to-earth as ever and always smiling and joking around. I want to wish him good luck on Sandow number five in September.

Big Jay and me.

 Kari and Me, We're adorable!

As I mentioned back in March, I'm filming a documentary of my journey to the Maryland Championships. There was a teaser posted a while ago on YouTube, Facebook, and some message boards. During my prep for the Maryland Championships, everyone will see what I go through and have a "fly on the wall" view of everything. The video, titled "Gym Life," is intended to send out a positive message to people about how bodybuilding can change a person's life for the better.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with a very close friend of mine, Kevin Levrone, IFBB Pro and Hall of Fame bodybuilder. Here's a short clip of Kevin talking about the positive influence of bodybuilding:

Overall, it was a great weekend with friends, competition, and bodybuilding, and as the season goes forward, we hope to be seeing some of you out there!