My first bodybuilding show nearly killed me. I hired an old-school, local gym guru who treated me just as he had everyone else - like a 200-pound male mesomorph on steroids. The trouble was, I was a borderline hypoglycemic, drugfree, 120-pound female ectomorph. The result was that the night of the show, I was so depleted and dehydrated that I nearly died.

This wasn't what I'd expected from bodybuilding. Was that how it had to be?

Then I stumbled across Craig Yarnall, and he wouldn't stop talking about this Dr. Joe character. He talked about him like he was a genius, some kind of god. It was annoying. I kept running across his name in the INBF magazines and in internet discussion forums. One day I visited his website.

I liked what I saw. This guy talked sense and logic. In his articles, he addressed my concerns exactly. He was, in fact, the antithesis of all that I'd heard. He put health first, like me; he learned all he could about the body, not in order to combat it, but to work with it; and all those pictures and testamonials of the INBF champions swore that he'd brought them to their best.

I'm far from wealthy. The expense was daunting. It was a gamble. But I went for it. I hired Dr. Joe.

From the beginning, he was different. Sans the macho attitude, he set up a specific diet program for me and meticulously charted my progress. Gradually, he started making little predictions, like when my weight would change and by how much, and every time, they came true. My hopes timidly rose. He sent me his book, full of more good stuff, and a T-shirt that was actually not an extra large (ladies will know what I mean!).

Over the weeks, I grew to deeply respect and even enjoy Dr. Joe. Each step of the way, I realized more and more how extremely fortunate and priveledged I was to be working with him. My body responded well. I was healthy, felt great, and my condition became its best ever. He even gave me some extremely valuable pointers on my posing.

When the highly anticipated Peak Week finally arrived, Dr. Joe had very specific instructions for me - and none of them involved dehydration or anything like it! Instead of dragging myself across the finish line on show day, I relaxed into it and watched my body tighten, harden and fill out to its absolute best. It bloomed. My former weak points were now points of pride. My overall package and health were polished and peaked. I had the best show of my life. I won a sword!

Now I know why Craig and the others raved about Dr. Joe. He IS a genuis, and I will forever be grateful to him. He has changed my life. I know now that bodybuilding can indeed be what I'd hoped it could - healthy and happy.