20 Years of Fitness: From Golf Caddy to Gym Rat (With Injuries, PDFs, and Pull-Ups in Between)

Two decades ago, a kid barely tall enough to see over a golf bag faked his way into a caddy job because—shocker—he wanted money. That gig ended up kickstarting a 20-year fitness journey that involved sweat, soreness, a few YouTube disasters, and a love-hate relationship with pull-ups.

This is not some “I woke up shredded” tale. This is the real story of how one 13-year-old hustler became a full-on gym freak—with a few broken joints and protein farts along the way.

🏌️‍♂️ Caddy First, Fitness Later

At 13, I lied (sort of) about my age to start caddying at a local golf course. Age requirement? 14. Me? Almost 14. Good enough.

It wasn’t fitness I was chasing—it was tips. But carrying those golf bags for hours in the summer heat? That’ll accidentally get you in shape. The golf course became my first unofficial gym, minus the grunting dudes and creatine clouds.

🏋️‍♂️ Gym Life Begins: Where Confusion Meets Dumbbells

Fast forward a year: I’m in a gym, probably wearing cargo shorts and lifting weights I had no business touching. No plan, no coach, just pure vibes.

Enter: Bodybuilding.com. The holy grail of free workout programs back then. I lived for those 12-week PDF routines, obsessively switching workouts every 3–6 months because plateaus are evil and newbie gains don’t last forever.

📚 Learning from the Internet Before It Got Weird

This was before everyone and their dog was a fitness “coach” on Instagram. Back then, social media was actually useful. I followed celebrity trainers who aged like fine wine—not the 22-year-olds selling six-pack shortcuts.

YouTube? Great for diet tips. Useless for workouts. Most influencers pushed PDFs you had to download (which I did, religiously). Still better than the guy at your gym telling you curls are a full-body movement.

🧠 Mind Over Muscle: The Mental Game of Training

Years in, I finally stopped just “lifting heavy” and started thinking while training. Groundbreaking, I know.

I learned the hard way that the mind-muscle connection is legit. Visualizing a bicep curl during recovery actually helped my shoulder bounce back faster. Placebo or science? Don’t care. It worked.

🧪 I Tried Every Workout Style—Twice

Two-a-days. Push-pull-legs. German volume. The "I’ll just wing it" plan. I’ve done them all. And here’s the truth: Your body adapts fast, but it breaks even faster.

Recovery isn’t a luxury—it’s the whole damn game. Once you’ve hit year 10 in the gym, you don’t need more volume. You need more sleep, protein, and smarter programming.

🧗‍♂️ Pull-Ups Are King (And My Spine Agrees)

Out of every exercise in the gym, pull-ups reign supreme. Back, shoulders, arms, grip strength—you get all of it. And they fix your posture too, so you don’t look like a T-Rex hunched over a keyboard.

I built an entire back-day routine around these bad boys. If you’re not doing pull-ups, are you even trying?

💥 Injuries Happen—Adapt or Stay Broken

I’ve tweaked just about everything: shoulders, knees, wrists. Sometimes all in one year (yay aging!). But I didn’t quit. I learned to pivot.

Bad shoulder? More legs. Wrist pain? Welcome to goblet squats and cardio hell. If you're not willing to adjust, you'll either stall out—or end up paying someone to tape your joints for you.

🔁 20 Years Later: Still Lifting, Still Learning

Two decades into this, I’m not chasing PRs every week. I’m chasing consistency, function, and longevity. I train smarter, recover harder, and don’t let TikTok trainers trick me into balancing on a Bosu ball while deadlifting.

I’ve gone from a broke teenager chasing caddy tips to a grown adult who gets excited about foam rollers and mobility drills. That’s growth. Or maybe just sciatica.

👊 What You Should Take From This (Besides Pull-Up Envy)

• Start anywhere. Golf caddy? Gym newbie? Doesn’t matter.

• Be curious. PDFs, YouTube, celebrity trainers—learn from all of them.

• Recovery > Ego. Lift smart, not just heavy.

• Adapt or break. Injuries don’t mean the end. They mean you’re human.

• Stay consistent. 20 years > 20 weeks of bulking then ghosting the gym.

Want to stay fit for the next 20 years? Start today. And for the love of your joints, do your damn mobility work.