His first national bodybuilding competition was the NPC (National Physique Committee) USA Championships, where he took 6th. After many years of hard work, he finally got his "Pro Card" after winning the overall light-heavyweight division in the NPC USA 2003. From there, he began his career as a professional bodybuilder and competed in his first IFBB Mr. Olympia competition in 2004, where he placed 12th. His first Arnold Classic was in 2006, where he placed 14th, followed by his first Ironman Pro Invitational in the same year, where he placed 10th. He also competed in the Mr. Olympia Europe in 2009 where he placed 3rd overall after Ronnie Coleman who was 1st.