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• What is in your mental arsenal? What kinds of thoughts or questions do you ask yourself that has helped you to succeed in your quest toward health and wellness?

I ask myself constantly if I am happy looking like I do, and then asking myself why I continue down this path of self-distruction if I don't enjoy looking like this.

• What/Who is your secret weapon in this battle? Yeah, I know it won't be a secret then...but go ahead and tell us anyway. Maybe it is a coach, a friend, a relative, significant other. How about a training program, a collection of training programs, or just the matter of sticking with any program...

My secret weapons in this battle are the NROL, my blog, and a picture that my girlfriend put on the fridge of us and our friends in Mexico. She put it up just because, but everytime I see it it is a reminder of how bad I have gotten and keeps me focused.

• What/who is your nemesis, your arch-enemy? We all have our enemies be it thoughts of inferiority (ourselves), inability to perform this or that exercise (our circumstances), or it could be something as simple as not knowing how to perform an exercise (our knowledge) because you think you might look like an idiot. Note: The guy curling in the squat rack is not as knowledgeable as he looks. Let us know what you're up against. My hallucination is that we all fight many of the same battles...

Well, everything you mentioned there is a nemesis of mine. I have major self-confidence issues and I am always second guessing myself. I avoid doing many activities and going out with friends. I am always worried that I am not performing exercises properly and that I am going to injure myself. My biggest nemesis is my self-conciousness. There have been so many times when I have simply bailed on my workout before getting through the doors because I see a lot of people at the weights and I am too embarrased/nervous to workout with my lighter weights or poor form. I am always afraid people are judging me and even though I shouldn't care, often times it is enough to make me skip my workout for the day.