He was just as focused when he was in the gym. I wasn’t with him every time he worked out, but it seemed like I was his favorite companion, together with Blue. For some reason, he thought that he lifted heavier when we were around. So, we got plenty of use that first year.

Josh did everything right to build lots of juicy muscle. He lifted heavy and rested only a short while between sets. No standing around the gym for him! He had more intensity than anybody else on the wrestling team. He always rotated his workouts, giving his muscles plenty of rest between lifting sessions. He was always trying to get one more rep, or lift just a couple pounds more than the last workout; but he never cheated on his lifts—his form was the best in the gym. Whether by hard work or magic, Josh GREW. That first year, he put on 15 pounds of solid muscle while keeping his low body fat percentage. You could see the growth most in his shoulders and neck. He had really worked them hard because they are so important in wrestling.

I remember once, near the end of his freshman year, we were in the gym together working delts and traps. It was close to the end of the workout. Josh had really pushed hard that day—dumbbell side raises, front raises, rear delt flyes, upright rows, shoulder press. He decided to finish up with some heavy shoulder shrugs. He was on his last set, and he was having trouble finishing up with the 60-pound dumbbells. I was fitting so tightly against his shoulders and neck, I was like a second skin. I had shrunk a little in the wash, and he had grown a LOT over the year. He was so pumped from the workout that his neck and shoulders were BULGING out around my collar, and he was having trouble breathing.

Before I could stop him, Josh put down the dumbbells, used his two strong hands to grab the front of the collar, and RIPPED a two-inch tear down the front of me. Let me tell you, it hurt! But I didn’t mind “taking one for the team.” Now that he could breathe deeply, Josh was able to squeeze out those last ten reps. When he finished the workout, he stood in front of the mirror at the gym, breathing heavy, looking huge. I had to admit, that little tear made him look even bigger. •