Today we’d like to introduce you to Dedrick Brooks Jr. Thanks for sharing your story with us Dedrick. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there. Diana… a small town in East Texas where I grew up, one intersection and you’ve passed through the town. Diana, Texas is vilified as a racist town; however, that did not impede my growth mentally, physically, or spiritually. When I was younger, I was not the fastest nor the strongest – but I had heart and was tough. I fought to keep abreast with my older cousins and peers in the neighborhood. I was very competitive whether it was a race down the street, arm wrestling, or a pick-up sporting game. Although, I was like the runt with limited talent compared to the rest of my relatives. I was eager to become better. Many times, I would do hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups daily. One of my elder cousins had a weight room in his back yard, and I yearned to get access to begin lifting. At the age of 9 or 10, he finally allowed me to begin my weight lifting journey. I would also seek information from “community legends” regarding how they achieved success. I was all ears to acquire knowledge on how to gain strength and build muscle. I immediately implemented the tactics they shared, such as, wearing ankle weights and pulling tires with weights in them. Often times, I overtrained which created a monster mentally. Absurdly, I later learned that the majority of the things I was advised to do was either harmful or obsolete…